Radha Mitchell Movie:

		List Price: $39.98		Label: Anchor Bay Entertainment Salesrank: 39702 Released: January 20, 2009
		Our Price: $9.00
		Used Price: $6.25
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: Blu-ray

Editorial Review:
Henry Poole is Here tells the funny, poignant and uplifting story of a disillusioned man (Luke Wilson) 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 [Blu-ray]:
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

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Henry Poole Is Here [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Henry Poole is simply "OK".
2009-12-13 - I like the message that this film delivers but as a whole the movie just plodded along. Luke Wilson is fine as the lead character and I became a fan of his after the movie "Idiocracy", which is a much better film. Ok, so the movie has a positive message and good things happen in the film, still the film was overall slow and uneventful. I thought the little girl who lived next door was simply wonderful. I don't know when I have seen such an adorable little girl. I wish she had a much larger role in the movie. Esperanza, on the other hand, the Spanish neighbor, didn't move me at all. Her message moved me but her character was simply a stereotype. That "Lopez" guy as a priest also didn't work so well. With "Lopez" all I could do was concentrate on his horrendous and pitted facial complextion and his bad haircut. The lady next door was was characterized pretty well and the lady is fairly attractive.

Overall I like the message of having FAITH and MIRACLES can actually happen, even though they might not come from God. I liked when Henry destoyed the image of Christ and only because it was effective and thought and emotion provoking drama. And then the irony that Henry was never ill worked quite well. I liked the message of how the miracle was only suppossed to last as long as it did. I also LOVED the girl who worked at the supermarket. I thought she too seemed quite adorable.

I have seen a very similar movie setting in the movie "187". In that movie there is one of those large concrete canals behind the house and there is a whole lot of concrete in the yard and in the backyard and the neighborhood seemed very depleted of nature, bleak, and simply full of a lot of concrete.

The movie also must have suffered from the low budget. All in all this movie has a very nice message but overall it pretty BORING, even though I liked two of the characters a lot and I thought Luke Wilson acted well enough.


And lastly, I have a friend at work who I recently loaned two "Christian" movies. I am thinking of loaning this movie to him. If I do loan the movie I think he might enjoy the positive theme of the movie, even if he and his wife might also find the movie a bit plodding and DOPEY.




Love of the loveless
2009-12-10 - The movie starts off with the song 'Love of the Loveless' by The Eels. There couldn't have been a better song to describe the main character of this movie - Henry Poole. He is shown as a lonely and depressed character who has just moved in to a new house in a new neighborhood. He wants to avoid his neighbors although they keep running into each other. In the meantime something miraculous happens (which I won't reveal) that starts changing the lives of the people around him. But Henry won't believe in it, nor is he pleased. To know more about the character Henry and to experience the miracle, you got to watch the movie.

It is surprising how good movies like this one don't get any publicity while average/bad movies rule at the box office. Not only does it give you hopes and restore your faith on the good things, it also has a nice spiritual message. It has a happy ending, yet it's not sugar-coated. There was ample scope to overdo the drama, but the movie successfully avoids that trap. The acting is great. Adrianna Barazza as the middle-aged Esperanza steals the show. Luke Wilson as Henry Poole is very close and plays his role to perfection. Other actors like Radha Mitchell also fit in very well.

I would give this movie 4 & half stars. If you want to see somethong different from the regular stuff, watch this one.

A diatribe about how miserable atheists are
2009-12-06 - This movie is diarrhea in movie form. Essentially "The Grinch who stole Christmas" set in modern times, but instead of the moral being about Christmas and the spirit of giving, it's about being Christian, and the spirit of believing a water stain is a sign from god.
Although Luke Wilson is typically hilarious, this movie replaces humor with spiritual superiority; although I suppose one could just as easily laugh at that as well.

Great movie
2009-11-10 - I just watched this movie and found it to be a very thoughtful, moving and humorous film. I'm a big fan of both Wilson brothers so Luke Wilson's appearance in this film hooked me. But what I found inside was a movie that wasn't afraid to deal with the "conflict" that faith can produce in real life. Not only externally between different people and their worldviews, but the internal struggle to explain the unexplainable. The story that unfolds was tremendous and thought provoking. I highly recommend it!

It is a very laid back film but I think it was anything but boring. And the soundtrack was incredible - a perfect compliment to the movie in every way!

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.