Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- eerie
- wistful
- melancholic
- quiet night viewing
- halloween season
What critics said
Critics generally found the character-driven coming-of-age and performances more effective than the subdued horror, with many considering the film insufficiently frightening or memorable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The buried iPhone allows Craig to communicate with Mr. Harrigan after his death and drives the central supernatural conflict.
Craig's friendship with Mr. Harrigan and the older man's death force him to process loss, guilt, and responsibility while growing up.
The iPhone bond and posthumous messages frame concerns about materialism, modern communication, and changing human relationships.
The film emphasizes loneliness, guilt, and uncanny communication while largely avoiding gore, monsters, and jump scares.
Films like Mr. Harrigan's Phone, and why
The Black Phone
Shared coming-of-age drama, small-town setting, grief, and restrained supernatural menace.
Stand by Me
Shared stephen king adaptation, adolescent protagonist, intimate supernatural threat, and emotional coming-of-age focus.
The Lovely Bones
Shared quiet supernatural drama, bereavement, communication across death, and emphasis on character relationships over scares.
Movie Details
- Director
- John Lee Hancock
- Release Date
- 2022-09-28
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1000)
Cast
- Donald Sutherland
- Jaeden Martell
- Kirby Howell-Baptiste
- Joe Tippett
- Cyrus Arnold
- Conor William Wright
- Alexa Shae Niziak
- Bennett Saltzman
- Joseph Paul Kennedy
- Thomas Francis Murphy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Mr. Harrigan's Phone about?
- A lonely boy’s bond with a reclusive billionaire survives death through a buried smartphone, forcing him to confront grief, guilt, and the consequences of revenge.
- What is Mr. Harrigan's Phone like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Mr. Harrigan's Phone as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Mr. Harrigan's Phone violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Mr. Harrigan's Phone as mild.
- What did critics think of Mr. Harrigan's Phone?
- Critics generally found the character-driven coming-of-age and performances more effective than the subdued horror, with many considering the film insufficiently frightening or memorable.
- Which films are like Mr. Harrigan's Phone?
- Films with a similar feel include The Black Phone, Stand by Me, and The Lovely Bones.
- How long is Mr. Harrigan's Phone?
- Mr. Harrigan's Phone runs 105 minutes.
- Where can I watch Mr. Harrigan's Phone?
- In United States, Mr. Harrigan's Phone streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
