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Movie Review: Henry Poole Is Here
by Bill Wine
An apparent miracle interrupts the life of a depressed suburbanite, but also restores his faith
RATING: PG
GENRE: Comedy-drama
RELEASE DATE: August 15, 2008
RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes
VIOLENCE FACTOR: No violence
BAD WORDS: One mild obscenity followed by apology
RACY? No
GRANDS:
CRITIQUE:
The backyard miracle in this spiritual fable has nothing to do with a lawn growing or flowers blooming.
Henry Poole Is Here is an engaging, small-scale dramedy about a cranky recluse, played by Luke Wilson, who buys a home in a suburban Los Angeles neighborhood, hoping to spend his remaining days alone.
But his neighbors are a bit too neighborly for his taste — especially one, a devout homemaker played by Mexican actress, Adriana Barraza (Oscar-nominated for Babel). The woman detects a water stain on the side of Henry's house that she perceives as an image of Christ and becomes convinced that it has healing powers.
Another neighbor is an 8-year-old girl who has refused to speak since her father left. The girl has a very attractive mom, played by Rahda Mitchell, to whom Henry is immediately, if reluctantly, drawn.
The Catholic priest, played by George Lopez, is only one of the many hopeful and curious folks who flock to this new shrine, at which the face grows clearer despite a bleach whitewash. When a stigmata appears and 20-20 vision is restored to a sight-impaired woman, Henry is powerless to stop the pilgrimage to his door.
The stoic approach of Luke Wilson, never the most expressive actor, happens to work nicely in this role, but it's the consummate Mrs. Barraza who has us by the lapels.
The understated tone is a departure for director Mark Pellington, who has made a few crackerjack thrillers (Arlington Road, and The Mothman Prophecies). But it's the right way for this quietly contained and resourceful film to force the mood on us. It takes the unusual cinematic road of examining the place of faith in contemporary life, even if it does a bit too much preaching for total viewing comfort.
The ending doesn't quite live up to the high expectations that the buildup inspires, and may divide viewers along religious lines. But it will bring an audience of all spiritual stripes a touching and life-affirming look at modern-day leaps of faith.
Henry Poole Is Here may not make you believe in divine miracles, but it should bolster your fondness for such movies.
GP Rating System:
Four Grands = Bravo, don't miss it.
Three Grands = Pretty good, short list it
Two Grands = Just okay, don't dismiss it
One Grand = Yeah, we dissed it
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