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Henry's Crime

Name: Henry's Crime
Item: Henry's Crime
Rating: 2
Author: Renee Schonfeld

Movie review by

Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 15+

(i)

Aside from language, so-so caper comedy is fine for teens.

R
2011
108 minutes

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age 15+

Based on 1 review

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Official trailer

Henry's Crime

A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

Despite the negative message that it's acceptable payback for Henry to rob a bank because he was wrongly convicted of an earlier crime, there are positive ideas expressed as well. Henry learns that it's critical for people to have dreams, feel passionately about life, and build intimate relationships based on love and respect.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Initially, the main character has no ambition or passion and basically just "goes along for life's ride." But over the course of the film, he learns the value of having dreams and taking risks. The female lead is strong, driven, and seems confident. Because of her relationship with Henry, she realizes that warmth and softness are important qualities as well. All of that said, no one seems to experience any remorse for his or her misbehavior.

Violence

In comic frustration, a female character repeatedly hits and pounds a male character while sitting next to him in a car. An elderly man is held at gunpoint, but he takes the gunman by surprise and drives him to the ground using his bare hands. A shot is fired, and there's some blood, but no one is seriously injured.

Sex

Several intimate scenes include kissing, laughing, and romping with both characters under the sheets, plus implied post-sexual cuddling. The woman is seen briefly in her bra; no other nudity.

Language

Lots of swearing and obscenities throughout, including "f--k," "s--t," "p---y," "hell," "goddamn," "d--k," "son of a bitch," "pissed off," "Jesus" (as an exclamation), and "FAG" written on a sign.

Consumerism

Molson's Blue beer.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Beer is consumed in moderation in a few scenes. A man shows up drunk for an important meeting. One female character smokes.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that except for this caper comedy's frequent strong language (including "f--k," "s--t," "p---y," and more), there's nothing here that would demand an R rating. There are several love scenes, but they're handled with restraint -- there's no nudity and no actual activity other than kissing and embracing. The few action sequences are brief, generally mild fights (in one, a man wields a gun, and a shot is fired), and the substance use isn't at all over the top, either -- a woman smokes one cigarette, a couple of beers are consumed, and a character seems drunk in one scene and vomits in two others. That said, it's not all that likely to be a movie that's high on kids' radar anyway.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Adult Written bykhan2705 June 17, 2011

age 15+

Stay away from this disappointing movie.

1.5./5 Working the night shift as a toll collector on a lonely stretch of highway in Buffalo, New York, Henry (KEANU REEVES) is a man seemingly without ambitio... Continue reading

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What's the story?

Henry (Keanu Reeves), an innocent but clueless man in the wrong place at the wrong time, takes the fall for some would-be friends and goes to prison for bank robbery. When he gets out, his wife has left him for one of the criminals he protected, and Henry has no idea what he wants from life. But then he remembers the words of his prison cellmate/mentor, Max (James Caan) -- "You did the time, you may as well have done the crime" -- and is inspired: He sets out to rob the very bank he was falsely accused of holding up earlier. A romantic encounter with a fiery actress (Vera Farmiga) finds Henry doubling as the leading actor in a production of Anton Chekov's The Cherry Orchard, as well as the instigator of the bank job, with the recently paroled Max at his side.

Is it any good?

It almost works to combine a playful romantic heist film with a satiric look at a local theater company mounting a play by Chekov. The problem is that when you're dealing with an actor of Reeves' limited range and a director who hasn't quite found the art of pacing, building tension, or guiding the performers, it's a losing battle. Farmiga's vibrantly funny, multilayered character -- she lights up the screen whenever she drops in -- stands out amidst the other players' over-the-top acting, particularly Peter Stormare and Fisher Stevens, who are buried in their own ham.

This movie is billed as a comedy, and there are a few very funny moments (provided solely by Farmiga and Caan). But there are also a number of unintentionally laughable story points (using a sledge hammer to destroy a dressing room wall while no one in the immediate vicinity hears anything was a favorite). HENRY'S CRIME is inoffensive and well-intentioned, but the execution falls well short of its potential.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about why audiences root for the bank robbers in movies like this. Do you think the fact that Henry had already been to prison for a crime he didn't commit makes it more acceptable to want him to succeed?
The filmmakers accepted an R rating for this movie solely so they could have their characters swear. Do you agree with their decision? Why or why not? Would the movie be less effective without the strong language?