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Movies / On DVD / Henry Fool
Henry Fool

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Henry Fool (1998)

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85 %
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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:22

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Hartley has crafted here what many consider to be his crowning achievement: a sprawling epic of a story that tackles any and everything he decides to mock, satirize, or challenge. Simon is a... Hartley has crafted here what many consider to be his crowning achievement: a sprawling epic of a story that tackles any and everything he decides to mock, satirize, or challenge. Simon is a factory worker who lives with his nymphomaniac sister and manic depressive mother. Along comes Henry Fool, a convicted sexual offender who moves into Simon's basement. Henry sparks Simon's mind and challenges him to write "the great American poem." To everyone's dismay, he does just that. From there, events spiral even further, until Simon must eventually make an important decision: remain loyal to his friend and help him flee the country, or turn his back on what they shared together in the past. Funny, shocking, and impressively grand in its ambitions, Hartley's script takes turns that most writers would never consider actually writing down. This is an original work that will stand as one of 1998's most exhilarating motion picture experiences. [More]

Starring: Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey, Kevin Corrigan

Starring: Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak, Parker Posey, Kevin Corrigan, James Saito, Maria Porter, Miho Nikaido, Liam Aiken, Gene Ruffini

Director: Hal Hartley

Director: Hal Hartley
Screenwriter: Hal Hartley
Producer: Hal Hartley
Composer: Hal Hartley

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Henry Fool

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Empire Magazine
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/12/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
04/27/07
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer

No review available.

comment Comment
02/25/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

Embracing all of Hartley's motifs, such as the vicissitudes of fame and fate, Henry Fool is sharply uneven, poetic, meditative and touching in moments but also pretentious and overlong (138 minutes); sadly, it's the last decent movie Hartley has made.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
04/30/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/15/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
07/10/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Has some good acting and ideas, but Hartley doesn't seem to know how to end the thing.

comment Comment
06/29/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

No review available.

comment Comment
01/05/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

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Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/14/03
Jeanne Aufmuth
Jeanne Aufmuth
Palo Alto Weekly

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Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Globe and Mail
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The complexities and weirdness of popular culture provide the backdrop for this black comedy about creativity, politics, publishing, and mentors.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/02/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

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Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk
N/R

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Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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