bgaiv Review of Mr. Harrigan's Phone

Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022)

So much nice setup with no payoff

[4/10 · 8 October 2022]

I had no idea what this was about when I started it, not even which genre, so had no expectations at all. So I was somewhat startled when the iPhone became front and central.

This occurs WELL into the movie and feels like a record scratching moment because by now we've spent quite a lot of time with the old man and the boy. This relationship is rather interesting with the great chemistry between the leads and you certainly expect some payoff to this, yet the old man is very soon cashiered out of the movie.

This is compounded by the boy and his father having unresolved issues around the death of their mother/wife and this also gets significant screen time.

This is incredibly frustrating because this setup absolutely demands exploration and resolution, yet it's all pretty much up dropped.

Likewise, his relationship with his teacher is built out quite a lot yet ultimately seems wasted.

And it's not like it's actually a horror, so there's no payoff in that department either despite quite a lot of build up for that.

Ultimately it feels like the movie is missing its entire final act. It builds and builds then ends.