The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar feels like Wes Anderson distilling his whole sensibility into a brisk, storybook shot of pure cinematic pleasure: meticulously staged, wickedly funny, and oddly moving in the way a fable can sneak up on you. It’s built like a magic trick performed in plain sight—actors narrate, transform, and glide through exquisitely designed spaces with such precision that you start watching the craft the way you’d watch the plot, and both are equally satisfying. Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, and Dev Patel play it with a twinkle and a storyteller’s rhythm, keeping the tone light on its feet even when it brushes against deeper questions about greed, discipline, and what we owe the world. At under an hour it’s delightfully tight, more like a perfect short story brought to life than a traditional feature—so if you don’t vibe with Anderson’s theatrical, deliberately artificial style, it may feel mannered, but if you do, it’s a miniature masterwork you’ll want to replay.

Wes Anderson is clearly trying to turn a Roald Dahl short story into a brisk, storybook stage-show on film, and on that level it’s clever, controlled, and often funny in a very precise way. But the presentation is so mannered and theatrical—actors narrating, blocking that feels choreographed, visuals that scream “designed”—that if you don’t already enjoy Anderson’s dollhouse rigidity, this will feel more like watching an immaculate recital than getting lost in a story. The emotional beats and character growth are there, yet they can land a bit muted because the style keeps you at arm’s length. If you like tight, witty craftsmanship and can go with the artificiality, it’s a charming, bite-sized treat; if you want natural performances or immersive fantasy adventure, this probably isn’t your film.