Product Description Director Mark Pellington (THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES) wrings a miracle from a stucco wall in HENRY POOLE IS HERE, a kind, minimalist tale of finding faith where you least expect it. Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is a dying man with a mission to spend his final days alone. He relocates to a sparse home in a rundown suburb and makes fast friends with a stash of vodka bottles, but the solitude just won't stick; every neighbor on the block wants to befriend the newly arrived curmudgeon. Most persistent is Esperanza (Adrianna Barrazza, BABEL), an energetic woman who comes to Henry's house to salve her own tragic connection to it, but stays when she sees a stain on the wall that appears to be the face of Jesus. Despite Henry's pleas (and angry missives) to the contrary, word of the miracle spreads, and the solitude-seeking Henry is soon under siege: Esperanza brings by her priest (played by George Lopez); recently divorced Dawn (Radha Mitchell) shows up with Millie, her silently emotive little girl (Morgan Lilly); and even a prying grocery store clerk makes a visit to the world's least likely shrine. Director: Mark Pellington Star: Radha Mitchell, Luke Wilson, George Lopez, Cheryl Hines, Adriana Barraza, Anamorphic Widescreen Audio: Dolby Digital - English Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary - Mark Pellington Director; Albert Torres - Writer Featurette - Making of Music Video - 1. "All Roads Lead Home" 2. "Henry Poole Is Here" - Performed by myspace Theme Song Contest Winner Ron Irizarry Trailer - Theatrical Trailer. .com Henry Poole Is Here is an odd if enjoyable dramedy about everyone's need for a miracle now and then--though one person's miracle can easily be another's nightmare. Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is a misanthropic loner who attempts to buy a specific house at any price and is rebuffed. Instead, he buys another house in some need of repair but brushes off any discussion of improvement, mysteriously claiming he's not going to be living in it very long. Uncertain what that means, Henry's neighbors learn to give him some distance, until Esperanza (Adriana Barraza) decides she can see the face of Jesus Christ in a water stain on Henry's house. In short order, Esperanza has alerted her church and friends, and a disgruntled Henry's backyard is full of true believers. Directed by Mark Pellington (Arlington Road), Henry Poole Is Here occasionally finds itself awash in treacle and sincerity, especially where Henry's developing relationship with a single mom (Radha Mitchell) and her near-mute child are concerned. But the film never alienates viewers disinclined to believe in iconic apparitions, adding a neat twist toward the end that makes Henry's rage against Esperanza's faith work for and not against him. Making the whole enterprise worthwhile is Wilson's fine performance as a man who has given up on everything (for reasons that eventually become clear in the story) but, in fact, wants nothing more than to embrace life. --Tom KeoghStills from Henry Poole is Here (click for larger image) Beyond Henry Poole Is Here Henry Poole Is Here [Blu-ray] More from Luke Wilson - Bottle Rocket - Criterion Collection More from Anchor Bay - Surfer, Dude
S**T
An Underated Sentimental Gem If You Decide To Let It Take You There & SMART Filmmaking!
I will say this right out of the gate. Wonderfully acted and Luke Wilson is still my favorite of the brothers and not sure why Hollyweird hasn't scooped him up for much more but probably much like the characters he plays, including Henry Poole, he likes being wary, on the fringe and more student of it all. But he's so damn good at it and human and odd and unconsciously hilarious. Its hard to believe its been 13 years since this film was released. It has sort of an edge to it that I would liken to The School of Wes Anderson without being flagrant copycat. Just little touches of every day reality that if you're not paying attention, you might miss, but if you are paying attention, they're a little bit genius without being pretentious either. The soundtrack was amazing and made a character. At first I wondered if they weren't over using it to make up for lack of substance and at times, does feel filler but who cares, at that point, you're enjoying this story experiment. Which I think is the argument for this film. Ever filmmaker deserves to tell you their story and it doesn't always have to be this perfect thing. It doesn't always have to make sense to you. There were certainly encounters, exchanges that I'd have done differently. Some were even under-convincing but you could see there was effort made and it felt honest enough to not derail the objectives. I called it sentimental in my title because its really empty with background by in large. Its thrown in as fluff to throw you into the main storyline that Henry is sick, he had a troubled childhood. Hell, we never even learn what kind of job let him buy a house outright for that kind of money. It doesn't matter. You like Henry. You feel for him. You like his quirky neighbors and the little girl is unexpected glue in the film as a child actress. This film probably didn't break records or fly because of the religious aspects which the filmmakers, at least from the art interpretation stance, either are fairly Christian, or were simply delivering a message that its OK to let others have their faith and that miracles don't always have to be literal miracles but simply life events that become miraculous. I was happy to see a little God and faith in a film with notable actors again. Gives me hope I'll say that and I'm not particularly religious either. Its just good nature to live and share love and all of that jazz and this film is sharing love with the viewer. I won't complain for it. Much love to the actors and everyone involved with this movie! We felt your love trust us!
F**E
Excellent story and cast.
Thoughtful and creative. Liked it. Would watch it again.
P**N
Great movie!
This is a great film, with a great cast! Luke Wilson is underrated, and just as talented as his brother Owen Wilson. Solid script and direction, a cast that delivers, making a great feel-good movie!
J**L
I loved the movie, though the script has some weak points
This is a very difficult movie for me to review for this simple reason: I think the script has a lot of holes in it, and yet I love the movie. This is the story of a man who has given up hope, and is dragged back to the world of hope and miracles (kicking and screaming) by a series of events all centered around a woman who thinks she sees the image of Christ on one of his exterior walls.Luke Wilson is the star of the movie and a large part of the reason that I like the movie so very much is that he's simply a perfect actor. Having to act within the limits of a script that, as I said, has some serious holes, he manages to pull this whole film together. He emotions, his body language, his facial expressions very powerful. I loved watching him act.I really can't detail the things I think are weak in the script without putting some spoilers in this review and I don't want to do that. It's just that a few things seem to happen with no explanation (and I'm not talking about the miracles that seem to occur pretty regularly in the film) and there is one somewhat crucial scene that is just kind of glossed over quickly.Anyway, I loved the movie. I'm holding back one star because of my personal issues with the script. There is a very fine documentary on the making of the film that was really entertaining and I think all film students should watch it. If you like quirky and offbeat films, and if you know of Luke Wilson and like him, you'll love this movie.
S**L
A sincere film that looked great on BD
The director said it best in the BD docu, "...a hopeless man finds hope". I was surprised that this film received no advertising for being a Luke Wilson film (no poster placement, strange pricing structures, limited release, etc.).I have been playing it in the store for a couple days now and it truly captivated the crowds. The film contains a nice mix of suburban visuals with an excellent soundtrack that repeatedly catches the attention of those that might only be listening. It has become one of those films that sells itself but in a good way.The story revolves around a man that is obviously extremely depressed that wants to skip human interaction by buying an empty suburban house. Instead he encounters several neighbors that end up changing his life and in the end, helping those that helped him. Regardless of the large volumes of hate one can find about this film out there (and I do mean a lot) I did not categorize this as a religious film, or an agenda film, I just saw a good emotional film filled with believers and non believers, love and incredible events.The BD quality is excellent, and was very appropriate for this film with the amount of landscapes and overhead shots. The music sounded wonderful in the TrueHD (lots of music) and special features were worth the time. The production docu is informative, as was the commentary. The selling point though is the deleted scenes. They removed over 30 minutes from the film. A great deal of the questions I have read about this film (and was asking myself while watching) were answered here. Even after listening as to why the director removed them, I strongly disagreed and felt they should have been in the movie (hence I rated it one star lower). The scenes would have made the film a great deal more believable and would not have been lagging with all of these questions about why this whole event was happening.Some nice performances, a solid BD, and a worthwhile film make the BD price here on Amazon a steal.
M**E
Loved it
Great movie, not for everyone. Sad story but uplifting, faith
P**E
Molto bello
Film molto bello che affronta dinamiche interessanti e attuali sul modo di affrontare la morte, la fede, la malattia, l'amore, la felicità...insomma il caleidoscopio dell'umanità. Non è mai banale, i personaggi sono ben caratterizzati e la fine non è scontata. Allo spettatore attento non sfuggiranno le potenzialità si riflessione sulle tematiche trattate. Lo consiglio vivamente a tutti coloro che cercano risposte alle domande di senso della vita.
C**.
Interesting look at one mans' life and beliefs.
Luke Wilson plays the title character, Henry Poole. This is done with such a sense of quiet understatement that my admiration of him as an actor has been raised by seeing this film. He manages to convey a real feeling of sadness and loneliness with his wonderfully expressive eyes. All the other leading actors are strong too, and for a film that focuses so heavily on the acting, that is important. Adriana Barraza is great, as the nosy neighbour, and so is Radha Mitchell as the divorcee next door neighbour. The plot involves a stain on Henry Poole's outside wall, a stain that some people have come to believe shows the face of Jesus. This causes a lot of attention in Poole's life, which is the last thing he wants. Everyone from the local supermarket checkout-grl, to a priest, come to marvel at this "miracle."Henry Poole is sceptical. I won't go into how the film ends, but I did find this an intelligent and extremely well-made film. Extras on the DVD include filmmaker commentaries, the making of Henry Poole Is Here, and deleted scenes.
****
taking the music out of this movie would be a better time. the sound track comes with the dvd
not a musical but yet it is. taking the music out of this movie would be a better time. the sound track comes with the dvd. well acted and some funny stuff. if only such miracles could happened. :)
M**S
Luke Wilson
plays this well, not so much comedy but a lovely story , i this it was a underated film of its time
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