Henry Poole Is Here Movie Review
Henry Poole Is Here is one of those offbeat films that film snobs are going to love telling you they enjoy. Truthfully, it’s not that bad. The film focuses on, no surprise, Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) who learns he is dying, buys a house to die in and then something strange happens, one of the walls in the back of his house gets a Water "Jesus Stain."
You probably know how hard those are to get out if you’ve ever had one-its basically impossible. Henry’s new neighbor Esperanza spots the stain, and before you know it half of her church is in the backyard praying to it in hopes that it will heal them. A sound hilarious doesn’t it? And that’s the problem this isn’t a comedy. While there are a few laughs, this film actually tries to take itself seriously, which was a mistake as the comedic potential was just too high. Way too high.
There is, no surprise here either, a love story. Henry’s other neighbor is a cute divorcee named Dawn (Radha Mitchell) who has a young daughter, Milly, who no longer speaks. See what happens single moms! If you’re lucky you’ll end up with a guy who is dying. The acting is probably the bright spot in the film. Wilson and Mitchell are pretty good and they have decent chemistry together. If you are looking for a “sneaky date movie” that will sort of slip pass your guy, then this one kind of works, but here is the problem.
This film just takes itself way, way too seriously. So, if you like slow paced, slightly quirky and off-beat movies, you will probably like Henry Pool Is Here more than I did.
Story C
Acting B
Visuals C
Originality/Innovation C-
Enjoyability Grade C-
Home Theater/HD Factor C
Overall Grade C
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