Henry Fool (1997)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Hal Hartley

Writers:

Release Date:

19 June 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Socially inept garbage man Simon is befriended by Henry Fool, a witty roguish, but talent-less novelist...

Plot Keywords:

Fame | Poetry | Alcohol | Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Thomas Jay Ryan	...	Henry Fool
James Urbaniak	...	Simon Grim
Parker Posey	...	Fay Grim
Maria Porter	...	Mary
James Saito	...	Mr. Deng
Kevin Corrigan	...	Warren
Liam Aiken	...	Ned
Miho Nikaido	...	Gnoc Deng
Gene Ruffini	...	Officer Buñuel
Nicholas Hope	...	Father Hawkes
Diana Ruppe	...	Amy
Veanne Cox	...	Laura
Jan Leslie Harding	...	Vicky
Chaylee Worrall	...	Pearl (age 7)
Christy Carlson Romano	...	Pearl - Age 14 (as Christy Romano)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language.

Runtime:

137 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Belgium:KT | France:U | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Elmhurst Hospital, Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Shooting Gallery

Quotes:

Henry Fool: Only someone who really cares doubts.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lonesome Jim (2005)

character driven

If you like a movie that is character driven, you'll love Henry Fool which was written and directed by Hal Hartley. This movie abounds with interesting, quirky characters. The leads, Mr. Ryan, the title character, and Mr. Urbaniak, were terrific. The plot, where the teacher/student or leader/follower is reversed during the course of the story is not unique but is presented well. The other characters, Ms. Posey and Mr. Corrigan, undergo significant development as well. I don't want to give away too much but I will say that this movie involves characters that are not politically correct and bathroom humor (literally). The movie is long but you won't notice it as the movie is rich with dialogue (listen carefully), constantly changing scenes, and as already stated well developed chang ing characters. I've deliberately avoided the plot until now because I was afraid I would say too much, but it involves a drif ter writer (and much more) Henry Fool who encourages a plain introverted garbage man, Simon, to write down his thoughts. The other characters Ms. Posey, Simon's sister, his mother, and Mr. Corrigan, thug patriot(?) are interesting as well. My thanks to all involved for a great afternoon's entertainment. Three plus stars.