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A return to form that reminds people of why he is a visionary in this craft, Wes Anderson delivers a heart-warming story that brightens the soul in a well-paced 40 minutes.

Wes Anderson is my favorite director of all time and as a fan, I am not afraid to say that some of his films do not always live up to my expectations.  I have been spoiled as The Grand Budapest Hotel was my introduction to his filmography and it has been an inspirational journey ever since.  While I have enjoyed his newer films, it seemed like they were missing that little something that made it perfectly Wes Anderson.  That is not the case with his series of shorts for Netflix, specifically The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.

Based on the short story by Roald Dahl, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar follows Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he discovers the ability to see without using his eyes, thanks to a report he found about patient Imdad Khan (Ben Kingsley), written by Dr. Chatterjee (Dev Patel).  Sugar takes this knowledge and over the course of years, trains himself to be able to read the back of playing cards, allowing him to always win at the casino.  As he continues to win money, he realizes it may not be as satisfying as he originally thought.

With a runtime of 40 minutes, the story that Anderson wanted to recreate ends up being perfectly executed.  When you adapt a piece of literature for film or television, you can sometimes be handed the criticism of being too long and adding unnecessary material to the story or for trying to play it safe with runtime by cutting important details.  The short film format was exactly what Anderson needed to tell this tale.  Everything felt like it belonged with a wonderfully paced story from beginning to end.  Pacing is something that can make or break a film, no matter the length of it; how the story is told is just as important as the story itself.  With its brilliant pacing, you really get to know all of the characters and their motivations on a deep level, making those connections with them that are the heart and soul of classic Anderson.  That is what works best about this film – guiding the audience along the journey that is Henry Sugar’s wonderful life.

Anderson is known for having stacked, star-studded casts.  Not only is this a short film, the cast is also small with five actors in total, some of which play more than one role.  Ralph Fiennes returns to the Anderson Cinematic Universe (I’m sorry, I had to) as the author of this story, Roald Dahl, acting as the narrator of the film.  Fiennes being the patriarch of the film makes perfect sense, with the classic Anderson-style of acting he pulls off perfectly.  Every film would be perfect if it had Fiennes as its narrator. Cumberbatch is the leading man, Henry Sugar, a pseudonym he uses after he comes to a huge fortune and spends his days gambling that fortune away.  Everything about how Cumberbatch delivers the crazy character that is Henry Sugar is delightful.  It makes you wonder why he has not been a staple in Anderson’s cast before.  Seeing Sugar study to become one of the most amazing men in history with the skill he mastered after his years of training becomes an interesting story thanks to Cumberbatch’s performance.  Another character that gets a lot of focus during the first half of the film is Kingsley as Imdad Khan, the original man who could see without his eyes.  Kingsley is captivating as this character that seeks a greater being in the form of a guru named The Great Yogi (Richard Ayoade).  Everything Kingsley does just draws you to the screen – you want to know more about him.  It makes sense why Dev Patel’s character, Dr. Chatterjee, is also so fascinated in his story.  Kingsley brings magic to the screen and is another perfect fit for this film.  Patel, while not having as big of a role as the previous two, is still a standout to be remembered.  You can tell through his performance how quickly his character’s brain is moving trying to capture everything about the life of Imdad.  He is fascinated in this mysterious man – as are we – and plays an audience insert that works for the story.  Everyone is at the top of their game with the performances they put out for this film and it works wonders.

The best element of this film is how it feels like a play has transported itself right in front of your eyes.  All of the set pieces move in such a way that you cannot tell if you are watching a live stage recording or a movie.  The colors of the sets and backdrops are your typical Wes Anderson style but in the best way possible.  It is hard not to be captivated by how everything looks, keeping you drawn to the screen the entire time.  Nothing can top how beautiful all of it looks at the end of the day.  The fact that there were actors whose job it was in the film to physically come in and change the set pieces like an actual stage production was the cherry on top of this delicious sundae.  This is the type of production design that Anderson thrives in, setting him apart from other artists trying to mimic his craft.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is a return to form for Wes Anderson. From the technical aspects and performances from actors that are above and beyond, this is the perfect film for a fall afternoon. It not only is visually pleasing, but everything about it makes it a heart-warming and inspiring story of dedication, perseverance, and the feeling of doing the right thing after so many years of doing it wrong. As much as I wish this was a full-length feature from Anderson, that would have taken away from its perfect pacing that told the story the way we were meant to enjoy it.

Grade: A

Oscar Prospects: 
Likely: Best Live Action Short Film
Should Be Considered: None

Where to Watch: Netflix