The Rule of Jenny Pen (2025) - Film Review

      The Rule of Jenny Pen, 2025.

      Directed by James Ashcroft.

      Featuring Geoffrey Rush, John Lithgow, George Henare, Nathaniel Lees, Thomas Sainsbury, Maaka Pohatu, Irene Wood, Ian Mune, Bruce Phillips, Holly Shanahan, Paolo Rotondo, Yvette Parsons, Rashmi Pilapitiya, Ginette McDonald, Semu Filipo, Hannah Lynch, Anapela Polataivao, Hilary Norris, Richard Chapman, Nick Blake, Jane Waddell, Lutz Halbhubner, Ariadne Baltazar, Fiona Collins, and Sam Carter.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A former judge, confined to a remote nursing home and trapped in his stroke-affected body, must confront an elderly psychopath who uses a child’s puppet to inflict harm on the home’s residents with lethal outcomes.

      While the notion of a deranged, sociopathic character played by John Lithgow using a baby puppet to torment fellow residents can be viewed as darkly entertaining, director James Ashcroft (who co-wrote the screenplay with Eli Kent, based on a short story by Owen Marshall) fails to develop the concept further, seldom making an effort to expand the premise. What begins as a twisted yet amusing plot quickly loses momentum, dragging on for around 104 minutes and devolving into a repetitive standoff between Geoffrey Rush and John Lithgow. As bizarre as it may seem, even that conflict requires additional substance to prevent the storyline from becoming monotonous and frustrating.

      The protagonist, Stefan Mortensen, is a judge who suffers a stroke while delivering a verdict in a case involving a child sexual predator (not related to Drake this time). Despite the predator facing punishment, Stefan, characterized as a hard-nosed curmudgeon, refuses gratitude from the victims' mother, claiming that she endangers her own children. He then utters a philosophical simile about hyenas thriving in the absence of lions, a metaphor that becomes painfully evident on-screen after his stroke confines him to a wheelchair in the nursing home.

      Initially, Stefan is not overly disturbed by the actions of Dave Crealy (John Lithgow, donning a creepy grin and oscillating between catatonic and sinister states), which mainly involve finding unconventional methods to harm or emotionally distress other residents. At one point, he manipulates a puppet, telling his target to “lick its ass,” which refers to his hand. His antics also include misleading a woman with dementia into believing her family has come to take her home. In another instance, Dave recklessly twists a catheter until a resident acknowledges the “rule of Jenny Pen.”

      Though some elements of the film are darkly comical, it ultimately falls into a cycle of repetition without realizing its potential for character development or revelations. Compounding the issue is the portrayal of the nursing home staff, who are presented as grossly incompetent. Dave’s ability to carry out his torture goes largely unaddressed, the movie instead relying on contrived scenarios that stretch believability, prolonging the film needlessly.

      This is particularly disheartening, as John Lithgow fully commits to the eccentricity of his role. Meanwhile, Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of the heartless Stefan begins to resonate as the character comes to the unsettling realization that his true horror may not lie with Dave but in the possibility of permanent immobility, entrapment in the nursing home for eternity. Geoffrey Rush also deserves praise for his adeptness in maneuvering an electronic wheelchair, navigating doorways with the finesse of reversing a vehicle. Regrettably for them, The Rule of Jenny Pen finds itself ensnared in nearly unbearable material that seems to drag on indefinitely.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder is affiliated with the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Critics Choice Association, and the Online Film Critics Society. He also serves as the Reviews Editor for Flickering Myth. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd.