Henry Poole Is Here

From time to time I had wondered how I would react if some doctor was to tell me I have X- number of days left to live. One plan I have is to quit the job, sell off everything, pack some essentials into a backpack, and hit the road to travel round the world, even though I know at some point I would probably succumb to whatever's sapping my life away, and at some unknown place, but man, imagine the adventure where risk is but a word in the dictionary.

Or I could opt for what Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) did, buying a house with whatever available cash, binge on vodka and pizza, and live life like a recluse with doors shut and heavy curtains drawn. He's been told that his lifespan is expiring soon, and tries unsuccessfully to buy the house he grew up in, settling instead for a substitute a few blocks down, and shutting himself away from the world as much as he can while waiting for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door. Except that the knocks come from curious neighbours who cannot fathom why this young man is living as he does.

It's somewhat similar to Half Nelson where the protagonist is being numb to life, and couldn't care less if his neighbourhood's burning to the ground. Luke Wilson, often overshadowed by his more illustrious brother Owen, carries the weight of this film on his shoulders with nonchalant ease as the titular Henry Poole. He's mean to everyone, in a stage of denial and has this immense rage against the world, despite neighbours such as elderly and religious lady Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), single mother Dawn (Radha Mitchell) and daughter Millie (the cute Morgan Lily who had her 1 minute cut at fame with He's Just Not That Into You), and grocery store checkout girl Patience (Rachel Seiferth) trying their best to connect a little with him and bring him out of his shell.

The crux of the story here centers around the mysterious, well, coincidental appearance of a water stain on the wall of his house, and to Esperanza, it looks like the image of Christ. So begins the mad tussle for his sanity when he has to spurn all Esperanza and her friends' advances into his property to pay homage to their God. And to compound matters, miracles start to happen all around Henry on the people he knows, thus challenging his very core beliefs through doubt.

Religious allegory aside, the theme here is primarily of hope and not giving up. I still feel a Plan A type as mentioned in my first paragraph, an optimistic, fear none, gung-ho spirit to take the bull by the horns, would be the best way forward. Sitting around moping and wasting away isn't a solution. Something like attempting and completing your bucket list before you call it a day. is. It's also a reminder that one shouldn't be too proud to admit the need for help, and to seek it. After all, the old man up there helps those who help themselves, and we must be the one who knock, so that it can be answered. Watching this modestly pace film allows you ample time to ponder over what you would do, if you were in Henry's exact same situation.

Well rounded great acting by the ensemble cast makes this one man journey toward redemption pretty engaging to watch. And having an excellent soundtrack helps to, even though it's just to accompany slow-motion, drama-mam visuals usually with Henry in deep thought, wondering what to do next with the limited time granted to him. Some may not like the cop-out ending, but I felt that it served its purpose in fulfilling its thematic exploration and reminding one and all that nothing's ever hopeless, unless you allow it to.

My first reaction to this movie (which I had never heard of before viewing) was one of satisfaction; it wasn't a bad movie but neither an instant classic. I was pleasantly surprised. It was definitely better than average, the sort of movie you are glad you rented out on DVD on a quiet night in. Despite it's over all sad demeanour.

However, what I did not expect was the 'after thought' it left me with. Dealing with life, death and everything between, I started to ponder the movie on a different level. Unlike many other movies it was not forgotten and has some imagery that remains long after the movie has finished.

To me this movie, while somewhat invisible when compared to others, is a little under-rated and deserves a wider audience than the one it is destine for.

.....have a little faith, and you just may experience miracles. If not that, maybe you won't mind all that suffering going on around you quite so much.

OK, so I'm not all that fond of wishful thinking. However, I'm OK with my movies going there if they want to.

This one is a nicely told, well performed little story that may be a little too weepy for some but I'm not complaining. I know where the Kleenex are.

I thought Luke Wilson did a seriously good job of playing a curmudgeon with a negative medical prognosis, but I think the story is a little lopsided in that it goes right to polar extremes for its choices. You either wrap yourself in a miracle or you're just angry and sad. No middle ground, huh?

Why is everybody reviewing this wonderful film saying they did not like it because they do not like how it depicts a supposed miracle from a supposed god? I myself am a profound atheist. Hell, i'm even an anti-Christian. I'm not even baptised and I never went to church once in my life. I'm just happy that way :) But does that make this a bad movie? No it doesn't. The actors are absolutely brilliant and feel real-life. The camera-work pulls you right in. The story is simple yet powerful. The music is well-chosen, touching and stands on it's own in little moments of self-reflection. It had been long since I was this moved by a movie. Just watch it ... without presumptions ... without thinking ... and maybe you too will be moved.

On a marque crammed with tired summer offerings of over-the-top comedies and action films, I spotted the sweet, small film, "Henry Poole is Here." Like a name sprawled under an aqueduct bridge, it was barely noticeable.

"Henry Poole is Here" is a quiet little film with a big premise. What do you do when you're an atheist and you learn you have six weeks to live? If you're Henry Poole, (Luke Wilson), you buy a house in a neighborhood where nobody knows you, numb yourself with booze, and wait around to die - alone. Henry's plan to fade away unnoticed is disrupted when his neighbor, Esperanza, (Adrianna Barrazza) starts worshiping a water-stained image of Christ she sees on his stucco wall.

To make matters worse, Esperanza is moved to share this miracle with her church and friends. A silent little girl tape records Henry's pleas to be left alone. But Henry never gets his wish. The little girl and her luminescent mother (Radha Mitchell) enter his life to show him that we are all here for a reason. In fact, the whole neighborhood is there for him - whether he likes it or not.

The director, Mark Pellington, leaves it for us to decide whether we believe it's a miracle or not. At first, we don't even get to see what Esperanza is looking at. Later, we see the stain, but the face is kind of illusive - sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. The film doesn't tell you what to believe. But it shows the strength in believing and especially our belief in others.

Hopefully, this film doesn't fade away unnoticed amidst the jungle of summer releases. Hopefully, it finds a community that believes in it. This is a movie about hope, after all. I, for one, believe.

Movie blessings! Jana Segal reelinspiration dot blogspot dot com