Regarding Henry

After being shot in a holdup, a heartless but successful New York lawyer (Harrison Ford) loses his memory of everything, including his wife (Annette Bening) and daughter (Mikki Allen), in an upscale weepie directed by Mike Nichols from an original script by Jeffrey Abrams. Nichols is so astute at directing the actors (who also include Bill Nunn, Donald Moffat, and Nancy Marchand) that it’s relatively easy to overlook the yuppie complacency, shameless devices (starting with an adorable puppy), and product plugs (especially Ritz crackers) that undermine the seriousness of the whole project. The existential drama of the hero rediscovering and redefining his identity is couched in the form of a fairy tale upholstered by glossy Vanity Fair ads, making this movie a genuine contradiction in terms in classic Hollywood style. Whether you’re won over or simply appalled is purely a matter of temperament (1991). (JR)

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