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List Price: $14.98 | | Label: ANCHOR BAY
Salesrank: 5191
Released: January 20, 2009 |
| Our Price: $5.99 |
| Used Price: $1.75 |
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MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Henry Poole is Here tells the funny, poignant and uplifting story of a disillusioned man who attempts to hide from life in a rundown suburban tract home only to discover he cannot escape the forces of hope.
Description of Henry Poole Is Here:
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 Keogh
Stills 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 |
Henry Poole Is Here Reviews:
Great family film 
2009-11-06 - Henry Poole is Here is a movie about a guy who struggles with things we all do - faith, doubt, the meaning of life, relationships, etc. It's a perfect family film and encourages you to have a little faith.
Is this Poole Deep Enough? 
2009-09-29 - My wife and I rented this movie on a whim and soon found ourselves entranced by the fine acting and wonderful themes. How, we wondered, did this fly under the box office radar? Why was the public subjected to "Transformers II" instead?
Luke Wilson gives one of his best performances here, playing the part of Henry Poole, a man who buys a house in his old southern Cal neighborhood, then closes up the windows and drinks himself into a stupor. Soon, his depressive ways are interrupted by a friendly, yet nosy, neighbor. Esperanza has past ties to the house, and in her desire to maintain some link, she believes she finds the face of Christ visible in stucco water stains. Poole gets impatient when Esperanza calls in the Catholic Church to verify her "find," and also calls in the local biddies to light candles and pay homage at the back wall of his home.
What starts as a straightforward story of skepticism versus belief turns into a deeper story about faith, hope, and love. There are humorous moments, including some sublime scenes between Poole and a grocery checker named Patience. The acting is great--particularly with Poole, Dawn, and Esperanza's parts--and there are some nice bits of dialogue. A scene in which Poole picks up an ax also broods with potential power. However, the slow pace and music sometimes gave us the sense we were being squeezed for emotion.
This film shows that Hollywood is not all glitz and ditziness (refer back to "Transformers II"), but can actually search for deeper meaning. For me, however, this Poole was not as deep as I hoped. The lack of details regarding Poole's terminal condition and the obvious tweaks for an emotional reaction left me still struggling to believe. Nevertheless, I think it's a movie well worth watching and contemplating.
A truly wonderful film!
2009-09-08 - Sometimes, when we are without hope, hope will come and find us. Henry Poole is Here is a perfect little film about love, life, death, friendship, belief and miracles. It's so strange that I never heard about this movie until I stumbled upon it on cable. What a perfect film! Where was the advertising and hoopla that usually heralds the release of a movie in theatres, and again on DVD? Apparently, this was not directed at the teen audience, and it didn't provide enough death, violence and destruction to make it a blockbuster at the local cinema.
Buy this movie! Pass on the word! Henry Poole Is Here is a classic!
Henry Poole is Here
2009-08-05 - Loved the movie, very different, but interesting & loved all the characters. Always been a fan of Luke Wilson.
Faith,hope,and Henry Poole
2009-07-28 - Luke Wilson is great in any film he's in.He's a fantastic comic,and in this movie,a wonderfull dramatic actor."Henry Poole"has a message,and the ending is heartwarming.The rest of the cast along with the soundtrack is superb .I would recommend this DVD for the entire family.
