Review of Henry Poole Is Here (2008) by Marcus F — 27 Sep 2010

I really enjoy watching comedic actors tackle a very serious role, because (more often than not) they actually deliver really strong performances. For example Will Ferrell, most likely known for his goofy comedic performances in films like "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights" delivered an Oscar-worthy performance in the criminally underrated dark comedy "Stranger than Fiction". Adam Sandler, probably best known for his goofy antics in "The Waterboy" and "Click", delivered (I think) his best performances in the 9/11 drama "Reign Over Me" and the Judd Apatow comedy-drama "Funny People", where he played a comedian with a terminal illness. Luke Wilson's unorthodox turn as the title character in "Henry Poole is Here" isn't as good as Ferrell's and Sandler's dramatic performances, but his performance is the main reason (perhaps the only reason) to see "Henry Poole".

Wilson plays Henry, a depressed loner who mopes around from day to day and avoids interactions with those around him, including his neighbors, which include a beautiful woman played by Radha Mitchell ("The Crazies") and her precocious daughter (played by Morgan Lily from "2012"). He buys a fixer-upper from a real-estate agent (Cheryl Hines) that has an interesting looking mark on one of its walls. Henry considers the mark to be nothing but a bad stucco job, but those who see the mark for themselves say that the mark looks a lot like the face Jesus Christ.

Soon, people from all around are coming to Henry's house to see the mark, thanks in no small part to Henry's very religious neighbor (played by Oscar-nominee Adriana Barraza) who tells everyone she knows about the mark. George Lopez delivers a surprisingly serious role as a local reverend who examines the mark for himself.

The first third of the film isn't excellent, but it's pretty darn close. First-time screenwriter Albert Torres and director Mark Pellington ("Arlington Road") do a great job of creating a likable (if moody) character and making us really interested in what Henry is going through.

The film, however, slowly devolves into melodrama.

Instead of using dialogue to portray actual feeling and emotion, Torres and Pellington instead begin to use numerous montages where Henry just walks around aimlessly through the neighborhood while a slow Bob Dylan song plays in the background in order to convey feeling. Barraza is okay as the overtly religious Christian but, as with most depictions of overly religious people in movies, her performance is at times both annoying and forced. Lopez is wasted (as he usually is in movies), and Mitchell and Lily deliver nice but predictable perfomances (Mitchell is the sweet and thoughtful mom, Lily is the troubled but loving daughter. Boring.) I don't blame them for their performances; their characters were caricatures that were simply forced upon them.

So why did I give a 60% for "Henry Poole is Here"? Two reasons:

1. Despite the film's serious subject matter, there are moments of actual warmth and humor in the film.

2. Two words: Luke Wilson. In order for a film like this to work, you need an actor who can effectively portray both the emotional highs and lows of its central character, and (believe it or not) Wilson's up to the task. He invests in the character enough that we invest in the character as well throughout the entire film (even in its more troublesome spots).

So, for Wilson mainly, I think that you should RENT "Henry Poole is Here".