The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar review: "Marvellous medicine for Wes Anderson fans"

Wes Anderson’s latest whimsy is a brisk 40 mins long, keeps to the point, and doesn’t deviate wildly from its source material, a short story from Roald Dahl’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar And Six More. Reportedly intended as the first in a series of adaptations inspired by that 1977 collection, Sugar’s tale will eventually fold into a larger Anderson anthology. But for now, this amuse bouche will exist as a stand-alone on Netflix - who bought the rights to the Dahl catalogue in a multi-million-dollar 2021 deal. 

The story – which could be subtitled, Anderson-style, as “men talking fast and precisely while breaking the fourth wall and doing double takes” – opens in Dahl’s writing hut at Gipsy House (more kitsch and primary-coloured than his real retreat, of course) as the author (played by Ralph Fiennes) narrates directly to camera. 

The Russian-doll structure sees Dahl’s account brought to life by Benedict Cumberbatch as the wealthy Sugar; we also get an enactment of the slim book Sugar discovers in a friend’s library. Penned by a Calcutta doctor (Dev Patel), said pamphlet explains how he and his colleague (Richard Ayoade) came across a man (Ben Kingsley) who’d developed the circus-act ability to see without his eyes. Sugar endeavours to follow the instructions to attain the same skill… 

This is peak Wes. If you’re looking for repeat collaboration (Fiennes, check), tactile dioramic scenery, shifting aspect ratios, symmetrical framing, vintage styling, and quirky details (a tiny dog wanders a distant model road at one point), Henry Sugar delivers. And there’s delight to be had watching the actors perform as a theatrical troupe: helping each other with wigs, outfits, and props, stepping into beautifully crafted, shifting sets and using their comic prowess to reap laughs with the mere cock of an eyebrow.

Fans of the original text will find the auteur doesn’t stray far from Dahl’s story - one that’s curiously altruistic and, well, sweet, eschewing the writer’s trademark displays of human cruelty. But Henry Sugar is also exactly what you’d expect – to the point where it almost tips into a pastiche of Anderson in the vein of the TikTok homages he reportedly avoids. All the same, it feels as warm and detailed as The Grand Budapest Hotel. So, for anyone frustrated by the recent Asteroid City, this could be as cosy an experience as re-reading a tattered childhood copy of your favourite Dahl.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is on Netflix from September 27.