Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8952 in DVD
• Brand: STARZ/SPHE
• Released on: 2009-01-20
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 101 minutes

Amazon.com
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]

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Customer Reviews

Touching & low-key
Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) returns to the neighborhood where he grew up, wishing only to be left alone. A mysterious stain on the wall of his house becomes the catalyst for several unexplainable events, among them Henry's reconnection to the world.

I really had no idea what this movie was about going in. It's a quiet, gentle film with appealing characters whose message of faith creeps in rather subtly. Being a nonbeliever, I might not have gone to this film if I had known about the Christian, specifically Catholic, subtext, but I'm glad I did. Director Mark Pellington and writer Albert Torres do not hit us over the head with a message, but rather present a story in which faith means different things to different characters, and we are not forced to accept one interpretation as correct. This is a very touching, low-key film.

Nothing wrong with sincerity
This movie came out the same week or two as Tropic Thunder, a film that featured several other members of the Frat Pack to which Luke belongs. Once again we see a difference between Luke and the others. Luke is the anti-hipster, often preferring sincere works that don't debase people. I am an Atheist but found this film to be low-key and charming. It firmly depicts someone suffering from depression who slowly makes a turn for the better. Yes, people may argue over the religious undercurrent of the film, which insults the nihilistic tendencies of young filmgoers, but one can also interpret the film's central theme of as renewal (our ability to change who we are).

A sincere film that looked great on BD
The director said it best in the BD docu, "...a hopeless man finds hope". I was surprised that this film received no advertising for being a Luke Wilson film (no poster placement, strange pricing structures, limited release, etc.).

I have been playing it in the store for a couple days now and it truly captivated the crowds. The film contains a nice mix of suburban visuals with an excellent soundtrack that repeatedly catches the attention of those that might only be listening. It has become one of those films that sells itself but in a good way.

The story revolves around a man that is obviously extremely depressed that wants to skip human interaction by buying an empty suburban house. Instead he encounters several neighbors that end up changing his life and in the end, helping those that helped him. Regardless of the large volumes of hate one can find about this film out there (and I do mean a lot) I did not categorize this as a religious film, or an agenda film, I just saw a good emotional film filled with believers and non believers, love and incredible events.

The BD quality is excellent, and was very appropriate for this film with the amount of landscapes and overhead shots. The music sounded wonderful in the TrueHD (lots of music) and special features were worth the time. The production docu is informative, as was the commentary. The selling point though is the deleted scenes. They removed over 30 minutes from the film. A great deal of the questions I have read about this film (and was asking myself while watching) were answered here. Even after listening as to why the director removed them, I strongly disagreed and felt they should have been in the movie (hence I rated it one star lower). The scenes would have made the film a great deal more believable and would not have been lagging with all of these questions about why this whole event was happening.

Some nice performances, a solid BD, and a worthwhile film make the BD price here on Amazon a steal.