Movie Review - Mr. Harrigan's Phone

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Horror/ Mystery
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jaeden Martell, Donald Sutherland, Joe Tippett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Peggy J. Scott,  
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 43: A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK
 
Description: When Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) dies, Craig (Jaeden Martell), the teen who befriended and did odd jobs for him, puts his smart phone in his pocket before burial. When the lonely Craig sends his friend a message, he is shocked to get a return text.

Review: The number of film adaptations of Stephen King stories is at least as vast as the literary canon of the great master himself. New to the list is the Netflix film “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”.

Craig befriends the old billionaire Mr. Harrigan where at a young age, he reads literature to the old man, because his eyes are deteriorating. He does this over a period of five years and we see him grow up from a young boy to a teenager. A special bond develops between the two. Craig gets an iPhone from his father and later buys one for his old friend. When one day Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig puts Harrigan’s phone in his suit at the funeral, to be buried with him. When Craig is feeling lonely, he decides to leave a voicemail message for Mr. Harrigan, telling him how much he misses him. But he gets a text message back from him and strange things start to happen.

The reason the two have such a good bond is because they both lost their mother at a young age. Craig likes being with him because he is not well-liked at school and is more concerned with getting rid of the bullies. The wise old man recognizes this and teaches him wise life lessons.

For the people afraid of horror: you can watch this. It is not horror. It’s at most a mystery thriller, with drama elements. The focus is on the bond between the two main characters. What is their connection. How is it that Craig still gets messages on his phone when the man has died. And what about the wishes he expresses on Harrigan’s voicemails and their outcomes?

Donald Sutherland, who plays the titular Mr. Harrigan, doesn’t have a big role, but plays it convincingly. Wise and sly but also fragile. Jaeden Martell, who was also in “It”, another film based on a Stephen King book, and  holds his own against the veteran. Martell portrays a believable, insecure teenager.  

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” is a film I enjoyed, not one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but definitely not in the worst category either.

Rating: 3,5/ 5