Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’ Has its Storytelling Priorities All Wrong

REVIEW: ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’ Has its Storytelling Priorities All Wrong

Aaron PhillipsBy Aaron Phillips10/05/20224 Mins Read
Mr. Harrigan's Phone - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Mr. Harrigans Phone - But Why Tho

Stephen King’s work has a history of being adapted into a visual format, and it’s easy to understand why. His literary work is incredibly haunting and probes at much deeper meanings often with chilling conclusions. So when I saw that his 2020 novella Mr Harrigan’s Phone was getting a Netflix film I was excited to check it out. His work as a collection makes for perfect spooky viewing during the month of October.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Mr Harrigan’s Phone, directed by John Lee Hancock, tells of a young boy Craig (Jaeden Martell) who has been tasked with reading to a rich old man, Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) after his health starts to decline. Over the years the two strike up quite the friendship as they bridge the generational gap sharing their thoughts and opinions about famous literary pieces. After Mr. Harrigan helps Craig earn some significant money, he repays the kindness by buying his elderly friend a smartphone so as to keep him connected with the outside world. But after Mr. Harrigan’s eventual passing Craig starts to receive some unusual phone calls and text messages from an unlikely sender, Mr. Harrigan.

I am torn by this film. While I feel like the original plot showed promise of being incredibly chilling by having Craig being haunted by his smart phone from beyond the grave, the story never really follows through. I loved the concept of a smart device essentially turning into the villain in a sense, and while it does it’s absolutely muddied with the very handed sub-plot about the use of technology in the modern age.

The story is set during the advent of the smartphone which can be seen throughout Craig’s experiences in high school as the device begins to spread among his classmates growing in popularity over time. The narrative pivots however when Craig buys a device for Mr. Harrigan who begins to question the technology and the information available on it. The old man almost seemingly predicts the future of the danger of this type of technology in the wrong hands and the type of audience it could reach in what is to represent a moment of foreshadowing serving as a warning to the audience as much as Craig. Given the timeframe the film is set in versus the time it’s being viewed equates to a poorly hamfisted messaging about the controlling of information behind paywalls, and the dangers of misinformation spreading online. The scene sets up to be almost akin to something of a Nostrodamus warning but the messaging to a crowd in 2022 is incredibly late.

Even the more chilling tones of the story leave a little to be desired because the moments of tension are actually done pretty well, but are fleeting at best. The film is less tension-fueled, and more tension-light. Which left me frustrated because given the stories 1 hour and 44 minute run time, it felt a lot longer as the pace tends to drag out and is crying out for more in the way of spine chilling scenes.

This is likely due to the overall ending of the film given there’s no real resolution, instead leaving you with an open-ended interpretation and many dangling threads. I understood the delivery mechanism, but for me, it just didn’t land.

If you’ve got the time, Mr Harrigan’s Phone is an ok watch this October if you’re stuck for ideas. It does deliver some good chilling moments and while the film shows potential overall, by the end you’ll find yourself realizing the concept was heavily underutilized. The option for using the ‘technology is to be approached with caution’ was poorly executed. A sub-average streaming film by all accounts. 

Mr Harrigan ‘s Phone is available now, exclusively on Netflix.

Mr. Harrigan's Phone
  • 6.5/10
    Rating - 6.5/10
6.5/10

TL;DR

If you’ve got the time, Mr Harrigan ‘s Phone is an ok watch this October if you’re stuck for ideas. It does deliver some good chilling moments and while the film shows potential overall, by the end you’ll find yourself realizing the concept was heavily underutilized. The option for using the ‘technology is to be approached with caution’ was poorly executed. A sub-average streaming film by all accounts. 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Andor,’ Episode 5 – “The Axe Forgets”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘A.X.E.: X-Men,’ Issue #1
Aaron Phillips
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Aaron is a contributing writer at But Why Tho, serving as a reviewer for TV and Film. Hailing originally from England, and after some lengthy questing, he's currently set up shop in Pennsylvania. He spends his days reading comics, podcasting, and being attacked by his small offspring.

Related Posts

The Old Guard 2
5.5

REVIEW: ‘The Old Guard 2’ Is Distracted And Half-Baked

07/02/2025
Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in Jurassic World: Rebirth
5.5

REVIEW: ‘Jurassic World: Rebirth’ Is Best When Nobody Is Talking

06/30/2025
MEGAN 2.0 promotional image
7.0

REVIEW: ‘M3GAN 2.0’ Puts Action First

06/29/2025
F1 (2025) promotional key art
8.0

REVIEW: ‘F1’ Is A High-Octane Blockbuster

06/24/2025
KPop Demon Hunters Promotional image form Netflix
9.0

REVIEW: ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Brings Beautiful Animation And An Even Better Message

06/20/2025
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
8.5

REVIEW: ’28 Years Later’ Is How Franchises Should Return

06/18/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Black Clover Season 5 featured News

Black Clover New Season Gets First Look Teaser from Crunchyroll

By Sarah Musnicky07/05/2025

Black Clover is back for a brand new season, and Crunchyroll has revealed the first footage and key art out of Anime Expo.

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 4 DC Comics

REVIEW: ‘Absolute Green Lantern’ Issue 4

By William Tucker07/02/2025

Absolute Green Lantern Issue 4 starts to connect the past and present, finally revealing how Jo inhereited the power of the Green Lantern.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here