Regarding Henry (1991)

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writer (WGA):

J.J. Abrams (written by)

Release Date:

10 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The story of a man who had everything, but found something more.

Plot:

Henry is a lawyer who survives a shooting only to find he cannot remember anything. If that weren't enough...

Plot Keywords:

Lawyer | Brain Damage | Shot In The Head | Learning | Recovery

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Harrison Ford	...	Henry Turner
Annette Bening	...	Sarah Turner
Michael Haley	...	Court Clerk (as R.M. Haley)
Stanley Swerdlow	...	Mr. Matthews (as Stanley H. Swerdlow)
Julie Follansbhee	...	Mrs. Matthews
Rebecca Miller	...	Linda
Bruce Altman	...	Bruce, Henry's Partner
Elizabeth Wilson	...	Jessica, Henry's Secretary
Donald Moffat	...	Charlie Cameron
Mikki Allen	...	Rachel Turner
Aida Linares	...	Rosella
John MacKay	...	George
Mary Gilbert	...	Julia
Peter Appel	...	Eddie the Doorman
Harsh Nayyar	...	Liquor Store Owner
John Leguizamo	...	Liquor Store Gunman
Harold House	...	Policeman
Robin Bartlett	...	Phyllis
Cynthia Martells	...	ICU Nurse
James Rebhorn	...	Dr. Sultan
Brian Smiar	...	Dr. Marx, Chief of Staff
May Quigley	...	Hillary
Bill Nunn	...	Bradley, Physical Therapist
Marjorie Monaghan	...	Julie
Emily Wachtel	...	Nurse Gloria
Kai Soremekun	...	Loretta
Suzanne O'Neill	...	Real Estate Broker
Glen Trotiner	...	Elevator Man
J.J. Abrams	...	Delivery Boy (as Jeffrey Abrams)
Jack P. Mclaughlin	...	Taxi Driver
Louis Cantarini	...	Hot Dog Vendor
Kirby Mitchell	...	Rudy, Lawyer
William Severs	...	Lawyer
Mark Irish	...	Lawyer
Bernadette Penotti	...	Lawyer
Jim Gardner	...	Lawyer
Fred Fehrmann	...	Lawyer
Alva Chinn	...	Lawyer
Henry Stram	...	Waiter
Kia Graves	...	Jennifer
Benjamin Hendrickson	...	Daniel, Phyllis' Boyfriend
Susan Forristal	...	Brenda
Ralph Byers	...	Gerald
Joan Kindred	...	Party Guest
Hollis Granville	...	Butler
Anne Stone	...	Anne, Charlie's Secretary
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kevin Breznahan	...	Busboy (uncredited)
David Giardina	...	Extra (uncredited)
Russell Gibson	...	Street Huckster (uncredited)
Joe James	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Mike Kimmel	...	Paramedic (uncredited)
Anibal O. Lleras	...	Hospital Pacient (uncredited)
Nancy Marchand	...	Headmistress (uncredited)

Directed by
Mike Nichols

Writing credits (WGA)
J.J. Abrams		(written by) (as Jeffrey Abrams)

Produced by
J.J. Abrams	....	co-producer (as Jeffrey Abrams)
Robert Greenhut	....	executive producer
Susan MacNair	....	associate producer
Mike Nichols	....	producer
Scott Rudin	....	producer

Original Music by
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editing by
Sam O'Steen

Production Design by
Tony Walton

Art Direction by
Dan Davis
William A. Elliott		(as William Elliott)

Set Decoration by
Susan Bode
Cindy Carr
Amy Marshall

Costume Design by
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Joseph A. Campayno	....	makeup artist (as Joseph Campayno)
Alan D'Angerio	....	hair stylist
Lynda Gurasich	....	hair stylist
J. Roy Helland	....	hair supervisor
J. Roy Helland	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Joseph Hartwick	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marc Garland	....	dga trainee
Michael Haley	....	first assistant director
Glen Trotiner	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Scott Doran	....	lead man
Kristen Kelly	....	set dresser
James Mazzola	....	property master
Enrico Paronelli	....	master scenic artist
Ron Petagna	....	construction coordinator
Richard Dean Rankin	....	construction coordinator (as Richard Rankin)
Philip Steuer	....	property master
Richard A. Ventre	....	master scenic artist (as Richard Ventre)
Dave Weinman	....	set dresser
Kai Blomberg	....	set dresser (uncredited)
David B. Brenner	....	general foreman (uncredited)
Frank Didio	....	head carpenter (uncredited)
Eric A. Hulett	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Chuck McSorley	....	assistant property master (uncredited)
Randy Severino	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Joan Winters	....	graphic designer (uncredited)
D.A. Zingelewicz	....	paint foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Stan Bochner	....	sound editor
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	sound mixer (as Gene Cantamessa)
Steve Cantamessa	....	boom operator
Lee Dichter	....	sound re-recording mixer: Sound One Corporation
Gerald Donlan	....	assistant adr editor
Stuart Emanuel	....	sound editor
Michael Jacobi	....	adr editor
Barry Malawski	....	apprentice sound editor
Jay Nierenberg	....	assistant sound editor
James Sabat	....	sound mixer
Louis Sabat	....	boom operator
Robert S. Warren	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby

Stunts
Peter Bucossi	....	stunt coordinator
Vic Armstrong	....	stunt double: Mr. Ford (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bob Balzarini	....	video technician
Michael Caracciolo	....	second assistant camera
Ron Cardarelli	....	first company grip
Billy Clevenger	....	first assistant camera
Jerry DeBlau	....	chief lighting technician
Craig DiBona	....	Steadicam operator
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci	....	camera operator (as Giovanni Fiore-Coltellacci)
Dennis Gamiello	....	first company grip
R. Scott Goodrich	....	second assistant camera (as Scott Goodrich)
Michael Green	....	first assistant camera
Bradford Ralston	....	video technician
Andrew D. Schwartz	....	still photographer (as Andy Schwartz)
Stuart A. Spohn	....	chief lighting technician (as Stuart Spohn)
David E. Baron	....	camera loader: New York (uncredited)
Russell Caldwell	....	lamp operator (uncredited)
François Duhamel	....	still photographer (uncredited)
James Edmiston	....	electrician: New York, re-shoot (uncredited)
Eric Leigh	....	electrician (uncredited)
Sal Martorano	....	electrician (uncredited)
Randall Robinson	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Judie Fixler	....	casting associate
Ellen Lewis	....	casting
Laura Rosenthal	....	casting associate
Juliet Taylor	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Cheryl Beasley Blackwell	....	costume supervisor: women (as Cheryl Beasley-Blackwell)
Bruce Ericksen	....	costume supervisor: men
Gary Jones	....	assistant costume designer
Bridget Kelly	....	costume shopper
Melissa Stanton	....	costume supervisor: women
Benjamin Wilson	....	costume supervisor: men
Timothy Alberts	....	set costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Sean Albertson	....	apprentice film editor
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Kris Cole	....	assistant film editor
Phil Downey	....	color timer

Music Department
Suki Buchman	....	music editor
Bruce Fowler	....	orchestrator
Deborah Martin	....	assistant music editor
Suzana Peric	....	music editor
Nic Ratner	....	assistant music editor
Jay Rifkin	....	music scoring mixer
Vince Caro	....	assistant scoring engineer (uncredited)
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor (uncredited)
Kyle Eastwood	....	musician: bass (uncredited)
Walt Fowler	....	musician: horn (uncredited)
Kirke Godfrey	....	musician: beats (uncredited)
Nico Golfar	....	assistant music engineer (uncredited)
John Moses	....	musician: clarinetist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Edward Iacobelli	....	transportation coordinator
Joel Marrow	....	transportation coordinator
Dusty Saunders	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Mary Bailey	....	script supervisor
Jerry Caron	....	assistant production coordinator
Daniel Cournoyer	....	assistant: Mr. Nichols
Jonathan Filley	....	location manager
Richard Fraser	....	technical advisor (as Dr. Richard Fraser)
Tom Frost	....	technical advisor
Crystal Hawkins	....	production auditor
Ilean Helland	....	assistant: Mr. Nichols
Michele Imperato	....	production coordinator
Beth Evin Klein	....	assistant production coordinator
Rita Kraut	....	technical advisor
Ken Lavet	....	location manager
Peter Lombardi	....	production auditor
Megan Monaghan	....	location scout
Eric Myers	....	unit publicist
Robert Nichols	....	technical advisor (as Dr. Robert Nichols)
Dana Robin	....	location scout
Helen Robin	....	production coordinator
Scott Schaffer	....	craft service
Paul Schnee	....	assistant: Mr. Nichols
Karen Ulfig	....	technical advisor
Bruce Volpe	....	technical advisor (as Dr. Bruce Volpe)
Randall Balsmeyer	....	title designer (uncredited)
Dori Greenberg	....	additional set production assistant (uncredited)
Sam Hoffman	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Sam Hutchins	....	parking coordinator (uncredited)
Jan Nizen	....	first assistant production accountant (uncredited)
David M. Rodriguez	....	first assistant accountant (uncredited)
Tom Sheppard	....	assistant: Mike Nichols, Los Angeles (uncredited)
Tim Sullivan	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Brett Tabin	....	production assistant: Robert Greenhut (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures (presents)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1991) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1994) (USA) (TV)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• United Pictures Finland (1991) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• CIC-Taft Home Video
• Esselte Video (1992) (Finland) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (Germany)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1996) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)

Other Companies

• Media Ventures  music recording facility
• Right Track Recording  music mixing facility

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1992) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Norway:11 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Burke Foundation, White Plains, New York, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

According to John Leguizamo in his autobiography, he received hate mail from angry Harrison Ford fans because his character shoots Henry.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Henry's secretary pours his coffee the first time he comes back to the office, she tells him to say "when" and start pouring the milk. It immediately comes to the top but she continues to pour. Next you see a close-up of the cup with her pouring even more in the cup but it's not at the top.

Quotes:

[Henry flicks a wad of paper at Rachel in the library]
Henry: [whispers] Dad, stop it!
[He flicks another wad of paper at her]
Rachel: [whispers sternly] Dad, I'm serious!
Henry: I know. Very.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Becker: Regarding Reggie (#1.22)" (1999)

Soundtrack:

WALKING ON THE MOON

The Epitome of the American Feel-Good Film

Regarding Henry is about a man who projects a cold, emotional shell and seems as if he cares nothing for anyone but himself, full of malice that seems like simple inconsideration, a self-centered cockiness, and an extreme difficulty with allowing mutual understanding amongst those close to him, especially his uneasy wife and unhappy daughter. When he is shot incidentally in a robbery, because his emotional shell drops for no one, not even an armed thug in a convenience store, he recovers over the course of a few months, with serious brain injury, reverting him to an almost childlike state, thus a primal, basic form of himself, and a truly sensitive, caring person emerges, completely naive to the value system of his former self. His barefaced heart wrenched by all the decisions and actions he made leading up to the incident, he intends to fix them.

This is a wonderful premise and even more truthful and honest about the human condition that one may think, but to be honest, it is plagued by an almost unbearable lightness. A story this emotionally stimulating needs weight, further development, a script untouched by formula, and all these needs were fulfilled, the film would be yet even more fulfilling and the moral of the film would be less obvious and more provoking of insight and thought. I think it's a good movie, and tears will be shed, but in its requirements that had to be reached for fear of mainstream rejection or misunderstanding, not enough tears were should and it is left in a condition where its full potential is not reached.

Just as Mike Nichols, in the midpoint of his career around this film's time of release, began giving his films less atmosphere, less edge, less intensity (which would later return with films like Primary Colors and Closer), Harrison Ford's performances are normally quite stilted, even if he tends to be in very enjoyable movies, many of them classics. In Regarding Henry, he delivers one of his very finest, really feeling his character deeply and expressing emotion very realistically and compassionately.