Henry Fool

Henry Fool is a wonderful film, easily one of the year's best (so I decided to take on the name of one of the main characters). I went to the movie despite the fact that Hal Hartley's previous films have never done much for me, his style of storytelling never really appealed to me. I'm glad I went. Great performances all around, working with a literate script (that manages to remain so even during the film's much written about vomiting and defecation scenes), plus a great soundtrack, composed by Hartley himself.

The central theme of what is possibly the best film made in America in the '90s ABOUT America in the '90s -- that the transition from the mainstream to the original is plagued and diverted by cultural roadblocks that auto-translate the original into the mainstream, in effect creating a society that caricutarizes itself at every step -- is ironically and tragically played out in the viewer comments to this film. It is apparently impossible for an American audience to distinguish the mentality or temperament of a character or an event from that of a film itself as a structural entity. It is furthermore difficult for this population to distinguish the "intellectual" from the "pretentious". The brilliantly created web of major, minor and medium characters -- from the fad-driven publisher who is loathe to "digitalize" books to a mother and sister who laugh hysterically at the idea of Simon becoming a poet -- fit perfectly and organically into a society where the internet can instantly make something that personifies "fringe" (this doesn't mean that is good -- we are never given a glimpse of the poem)into readily accessible and, eventually, mainstream. I'm not sure, and I'm not sure I'm supposed to be positive whether this is good or bad. It is a slippery slope either way, and the ambiguity of whether Henry is running to or from the plane to get the Nobel Prize at the end made me want this almost two hour movie to last at least another couple. I am consoled by the fact that this is only my first Hal Hartley.

Hal Hartley is just too smart for most movie-goers. He's got a lot to say--and he actually makes his characters say ALL of it; in tiny, impotent little phrases that never astound so much as when you find yourself understanding something large about them.

And Henry Fool is a fount of these emerging insights: one test is not enough to know the heart of a would-be hero, one giant failure is not enough to know the soul of a would-be romantic, love isn't always as deep as it is strong, poetry comes and goes, art is in the understanding...

Despite dispensing so many ideas, Henry Fool has amazing comic timing, some high drama, a little sex, death, and even a romantic ending. Not enough comedy, drama, sex, death, and romance for a big box-office turnout; but just enough to make the Hartley fans want more.

If you like a movie that is character driven, you'll love Henry Fool which was written and directed by Hal Hartley. This movie abounds with interesting, quirky characters. The leads, Mr. Ryan, the title character, and Mr. Urbaniak, were terrific. The plot, where the teacher/student or leader/follower is reversed during the course of the story is not unique but is presented well. The other characters, Ms. Posey and Mr. Corrigan, undergo significant development as well. I don't want to give away too much but I will say that this movie involves characters that are not politically correct and bathroom humor (literally). The movie is long but you won't notice it as the movie is rich with dialogue (listen carefully), constantly changing scenes, and as already stated well developed chang ing characters. I've deliberately avoided the plot until now because I was afraid I would say too much, but it involves a drif ter writer (and much more) Henry Fool who encourages a plain introverted garbage man, Simon, to write down his thoughts. The other characters Ms. Posey, Simon's sister, his mother, and Mr. Corrigan, thug patriot(?) are interesting as well. My thanks to all involved for a great afternoon's entertainment. Three plus stars.

Welcome to Hal Hartley's world of the disenfranchised. The focus here is on Henry Fool (Thomas Jay Ryan), a passionate individual just released from prison after seven years, and one Simon Grimm (James Urbaniak), a simple garbageman with a seemingly apathetic view of the world in which he lives. Henry rents a room in Simon's house (which is occupied as well by his mother and sister) where he continues to work on his `confession,' the memoir he began in prison, which is actually a treatise on life that he believes will one day shake the world to it's very foundation. Expounding his passions to Simon, Henry urges him to cast off the shackles of his dreary existence and to express himself by writing down what he feels in the journal he gives him. Henry becomes the mentor, awakening something within Simon long dormant and as yet unrealized. Simon begins writing poetry, while at the same time we begin to see another side of Henry, a man unable to heed his own advice and whose quest for the life he seeks is too often derailed by his own indecisiveness and uncontrollable lusts. Ultimately, we realize that Henry and Simon are not so different from one another after all. Hartley's style bears a distinct signature, in that when his characters speak it is more than simply dialogue; it is small philosophies delivered in a mannered cadence that is engrossing and at times mesmerizing. The supporting cast includes Parker Posey (Simon's sister), Maria Porter, and one of the finest character actors spawned by independent film in recent years, Kevin Corrigan. In the final analysis, we realize that there is much more to `Henry Fool' than meets the eye. I rate this one 8/10.