Movie Review: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" (2023)

My favourite animated movie of all time is a Wes Anderson film called Fantastic Mr Fox. So, it is only obvious that I would watch his films. His 'aesthetic' has made its way on to social media for all the TikTok children to try to imitate because they clearly think he has a style going. This only means one thing: they have not seen enough of Wes Anderson. It is almost a crime to think that anything about The Grand Budapest Hotel has any smiliarity to the style depicted by The French Dispatch or even the harsh lighting of Asteroid City. Mostly the pastel-coloured social media trash is often reductive and to anyone who has actually watched a Wes Anderson movie all the way through, it just looks a bit silly and childish. Thankfully, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar reinforces the concept that there is no singular Wes Anderson style and that his depiction of joy is actually one of the most interesting things about him as a director.

The film starts with Roald Dahl introducing the story of Henry Sugar, a man who finds a notebook in a library by a doctor who knew a man who could see without using his eyes. It then moves on to Henry Sugar wanting to do this himself and use it for predicting cards so he could win more money at blackjack. It is only a matter of time before the 'chase' and 'danger' of blackjack become unappealing though and Henry Sugar must do something to put excitement back into his life again.

I will tell you this: there are not a lot of things more joyful than Wes Anderson making a film from a Roald Dahl story which is often why I thought it a shame that he didn't direct the upcoming Wonka movie because we all know how great that would have been. A matter of the depiction of joy, Wes Anderson's love letters to cinema are a constant source of happiness, a step back from the usual tragedy movies that cover the cinema screens and the Netflix true crime sections.

One of the main things I enjoyed about this movie (and no, it's not just that Indian actors are actually playing Indians for once, needless to say that Dev Patel's depiction of Sir Gawain was actually surprisingly good) was the narration. I'm pretty sure the entire story was narrated there and it gave a good rhythm to the film as it moved along. It also gave a good amount of room to study what was happening. It slowed down the action so that we could take in blissful moments of the film and the actors who were chosen to do it were simply wonderful.

The backgrounds and visuals were sublime. I think I am glad for the fact that he has ditched the harsh lighting and horrible costumes of Asteroid City and come back to more of a glowing visual which sends a message of loveliness to its audience. The fact that there were at times, some quite random backgrounds including that of Benedict Cumberbatch in a car against a background of someone speeding down a road and then there was Dev Patel in the circus means that the audience could really sink their teeth into finding out what each item in the scene meant. It requires more than one watch.

I loved the fact that there was no overblown unbelievable ending that would have rocked the foundations of the story. The endings to many Wes Anderson films almost seem anti-climactic as they are supposed to reflect real life and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar does just that. The ending is not unbelievable, it is not over the top, it is not by any means a 'movie ending' and instead, it fades away only to be remembered by the audience. I often love that about these movies.

All in all, I could not possibly give this film any less than a five star review. It is a brilliant short film that I do not think I will only be watching once for its many narratives weave together to represent the salvation of Henry Sugar and the changing of his life. It is a beautiful story of reclaiming joy and a nice break from the doom and gloom that movies normally give us.

I am looking forward to whatever Wes Anderson is making next.