‘They forget there are other ways of sending an image to the brain...’
My disdain for late-era Wes Anderson is well documented and yet I still find myself returning to the ‘quirky’ (ugh) director whenever a new project of his comes around. This is probably because when Anderson is good (Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel) he’s really good…
Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a rich and shallow gentleman whose only ambition in life is to become more rich and more shallow. After finding a mysterious handwritten book in his vast library from the hand of a Dr. Chatterjee (Dev Patel), Sugar goes on a journey of self-discovery that begins with the ability to see through playing cards and ends with the building of orphanages and hospitals.
While some aspects of this Roald Dahl adaptation are undoubtedly annoying (Anderson is incapable of making a truly likeable piece of work), the indulgent director’s flights of fancy and diversions into whimsy are much more palatable when delivered as part of a children’s story (see also: The Fantastic Mr Fox). Having the characters read out the narration from the novel is a typical act of self-sabotage from Anderson but the cast are great, particularly Cumberbatch, and the set design is often magical rather than overbearing.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is proof that Anderson can still make compelling work when presented with the right material. This short film is one of four based on Dahl’s stories, however, and so it is yet to be seen if this standard can be maintained for any meaningful amount of time.