With its curmudgeonly swipes at digital expertise, there’s one thing mildly “get off my garden!” about “Mr. Harrigan’s Cellphone.” Based mostly on a Stephen King story, the John Lee Hancock film tells the story of a young person who seems to obtain calls and texts from his mysterious former employer, Mr. Harrigan, who has not too long ago died.
Donald Sutherland portrays the reclusive billionaire who hires Craig (Jaeden Martell) to come back to his mansion on the outskirts of their Maine city and skim to him after college. Craig’s father (Joe Tippett), though not a fan of Harrigan, trusts his son’s ethical compass. Whether or not it should preserve its true north is without doubt one of the film’s intriguing tensions.
There’s a bittersweetness to Craig and Harrigan’s friendship and good chemistry between the leads. It’s as if Mr. Potter from “It’s a Fantastic Life” discovered some good native child who had no concept about his mentor’s Bedford Falls historical past. The analog world, with its hard-bound literature and day by day papers, is prime on this parable concerning the lure of digital expertise.
When Craig enters highschool, he turns into the goal of a bully, makes pals and finds a champion. The actor Kirby Howell-Baptiste supplies a beam of sunshine and the voice of warning as Craig’s science instructor, Ms. Hart. On the similar time, the iPhone is making its debut as vital standing object. With an sudden windfall, Craig buys one for his previous buddy.
When Harrigan immediately dies, Craig is shaken. What occurs subsequent makes the film much less a chiller than a diverting drama about expertise with issues that go bump within the evening, together with some properly apt moral quandaries for Craig — and for us.
Mr. Harrigan’s Cellphone
Rated PG-13 for thematic materials, some robust language, violence and transient drug exchanges. Operating time: 1 hour 44 minutes. Watch on Netflix.