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Review: Henry Poole Is Here
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », New Releases », Theatrical Reviews », Cinematical Indie »
It's too bad that more movies don't have the courage to explore faith and spirituality in a direct way; studios are usually too worried about appealing to all religions -- and all pocketbooks -- to be very specific about the subject. The other reason is that it's difficult for Hollywood movies to wrap up their neat, bow-tie happy endings with everything resolved, since the idea of faith is based on lack of proof, lack of finality. One of my favorite movies is Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, which uses an unconventional, off-kilter visual scheme to document some exciting, endlessly fascinating arguments: which side is God on and what does He really want with us? The new Henry Poole Is Here bucks the trend with the appearance of a "miracle" in the life of its ordinary, everyday character. Does it raise any interesting, life-changing questions? Sadly, no. The film is too bored and lackadaisical with its subject to change much of anything. It's too uninspired to be inspirational.
Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is a man with "movie disease." This means that he's going to die, and he'll have absolutely no symptoms until he does. Sometimes "movie disease" comes with a cough, but not this time. Sometimes "movie disease" has a name, like "brain cloud," but not this time. In preparation for the dark day, Henry buys a house in his old neighborhood, loads up on booze, doughnuts and pizza and waits. Meanwhile, his nosy neighbor Esperanza (Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza, from Babel) brings him tamales and pokes around his backyard. (Her late boyfriend used to live in the same house.) She notices that a badly done stucco job has produced a water stain, and that the water stain looks a bit like a familiar guy with a beard. The picture even produces a drop of blood.
Radha Mitchell To Join Luke Wilson in 'Henry Poole'
Filed under: Comedy », Drama », Casting »
I apparently like Luke Wilson more than Erik, who recently told us about the actor's role in Henry Poole is Here, but I have to agree that the Vacancy star is at his best when surrounded by a good ensemble. Well, some of the other cast members of Henry Poole have just been announced, and so far it looks like Wilson will be supported well. The first, Radha Mitchell, is actually signed on, while the second, Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza, is still in talks ("advanced" talks). Though neither actress is who I would initially have in mind for a comedy, even one actually described as a dramedy, they are each talented enough for me to have faith in their capability for humorous performances. Not much is really known about the plot of Henry Poole, which was written by Albert Torres, but a good guess for Mitchell's role is the love interest for Wilson's character. This part could be the fiancee that he breaks up with when he discovers he has six weeks to die, or it could be a new romantic pursuit, possibly one of the neighbors who disrupt his plan to wallow in seclusion for the rest of his short life. Hopefully Barraza will not ruin her Oscar-nominated reputation by appearing as a Mexican stereotype. So far, Henry Poole, which director Mark Pellington says is about a hopeless man who finds hope, makes me think of Joe Vesus the Volcano meets The 'burbs. As great as that combo sounds, though, Wilson is not quite the next Tom Hanks (even if you think Old School is Wilson's Bachelor Party and My Super Ex-Girlfriend is his Splash). Not even I like Wilson enough to give him that much credit.
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