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Movies / Upcoming / Henry Poole Is Here
Henry Poole Is Here

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Henry Poole Is Here (2008)

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Reviews Counted:84

Fresh:32

Rotten:52

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Full of Hallmark-truisms and pop songs presented with strained significance, this comic foible intends less to convert than to preach to the choir.

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: For a man who seems to be living a perfect life--comfortable, engaged, full of opportunity--the discovery in a routine doctor's checkup that all is not well prompts Henry Poole to flee. He finds... For a man who seems to be living a perfect life--comfortable, engaged, full of opportunity--the discovery in a routine doctor's checkup that all is not well prompts Henry Poole to flee. He finds himself alone in a new house and a new place, somewhere where perhaps he can try to escape the fate that he has been dealt. It's a house in a working-class suburb with neighbors who welcome him, or at least try to; he finds them rather unattractive, frankly, but fine for his purposes. But life won't let him alone. His neighbors' intrusions, the discovery of a "miracle" on a backyard wall, and the attentions of a little girl with a tape recorder disrupt whatever hopes he had for hiding out. Director Mark Pellington revisits Sundance (Going All the Way played at the 1997 Festival) with a very personal work about devastation and the need to find yourself. Inspired by Pellington's own loss, Henry Poole Is Here is a work that is soul searching in the best sense of the word. Poignant, yet acerbic and funny, it tells us about faith, the vagaries of life and death, and personal salvation. Powered by a resonant performance from the remarkable Luke Wilson, Henry Poole Is Here is full of small moments and meanings that make it a memorable film. -- © Sundance Film Festival [More]

Starring: Luke Wilson, George Lopez, Cheryl Hines, Radha Mitchell

Starring: Luke Wilson, George Lopez, Cheryl Hines, Radha Mitchell, Adriana Barraza

Director: Mark Pellington

Director: Mark Pellington
Screenwriter: Albert Torres
Studio: Overture Films

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Reviews for Henry Poole Is Here

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

[This] story of retreat and redemption, while deeply personal, may mean more to Pellington than to the audience. The miraculous elements in Albert Torres's script that offer hope also strain credulity.

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
01/25/08
David D'Arcy
David D'Arcy
Screen International

Good intentions, and a rare attempt to embrace spirituality on screen, aren't enough to make Henry Poole is Here a worthy destination.

Full Review Source: What Would Toto Watch? | comment Comment
06/01/09
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
What Would Toto Watch?

There is something contrived about this story in which people with major problems find a resolution.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
04/18/09
Louise Keller
Louise Keller
Urban Cinefile

Drives home the themes in a natural and honest way that never comes off as preachy.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
02/10/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Despite an excellent performance by Luke Wilson and a promising start, Henry Poole is Here ends up an overindulgent misfire. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
01/13/09
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Tell him to go away.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/16/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader

One of the best films of the year. You'll laugh, You'll Cry... You'll truly appreciate life!

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
11/30/08
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

It never even gestures at the philosophical heavy lifting of exploring alternate interpretations of ambiguous events.

Full Review Source: Decent Films Guide | comment Comment
10/29/08
Steven D. Greydanus
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide

The Lord may work in mysterious ways, but the filmmakers behind sensitive, life-affirming indie dramas about brooding young men stumbling towards redemption are an awfully predictable lot.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
10/18/08
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin
AV Club

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/18/08
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

If you're a sucker for a New Age-meets-old-time-religion tale and you have nothing else to do this weekend, then this one's for you. Everyone else should stay home.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
10/18/08
Linda Stasi
Linda Stasi
New York Post

Wilson plays disillusionment convincingly, the supporting cast (especially Barraza) is golden, and director Mark Pellington has just the right touch to bring off a teary-eyed inspirational drama.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
10/18/08
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Although the ending is unsurprising, Henry Poole remains an interesting character.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
10/18/08
Reyhan Harmanci
Reyhan Harmanci
San Francisco Chronicle

Henry too often seems like a suffering cipher rather than a real guy with real problems.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/18/08
Robert Abele
Robert Abele
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A noble effort but misguided and largely bloodless.

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
10/01/08
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Hollywood.com

There may well be a market for simple-minded, high-budget tales of Christian redemption; if so, Henry Poole should do very well at the box office.

Full Review Source: Playback:stl | comment Comment
09/19/08
Sarah Boslaugh
Sarah Boslaugh
Playback:stl

There's a version of Henry Poole is Here that I would've liked to see, and the painful thing is that it's not that far off from the real thing.

Full Review Source: The Cinema Source | comment Comment
09/05/08
Michael Dance
Michael Dance
The Cinema Source

I went as someone who finds religion a 50-50 mix of fascinating and indigestible. I came out the same and have no expectations of encountering a stucco savior any time soon.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
09/02/08
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A stronger script focus and less unanswered questions about Henry Poole might have made the film more appealing.

Full Review Source: ReviewExpress.com | comment Comment
09/02/08
Diana Saenger
Diana Saenger
ReviewExpress.com

Henry Poole Is Here is a movie that asks all the big questions and then, weirdly, wrecks itself by offering puny answers.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment 1 Comment
08/22/08
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
 
 
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