Henry Poole Is Here (2008)

Henry Poole moves in to a house in his old neighborhood, to spend what he believes are his remaining days alone. The discovery of a "miracle" by a nosy neighbor ruptures his solitude and restores his faith in life.

Director:

Mark Pellington

Writer:

Albert Torres

Stars:

Luke Wilson, Radha Mitchell, Adriana Barraza

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luke Wilson	...	Henry Poole
Radha Mitchell	...	Dawn Stupek
Adriana Barraza	...	Esperanza Martinez
George Lopez	...	Father Salazar
Cheryl Hines	...	Meg Wyatt
Richard Benjamin	...	Dr. Fancher
Morgan Lily	...	Millie Stupek
Rachel Seiferth	...	Patience
Beth Grant	...	Josie
Dan Callahan	...	Hospital Young Doctor
Earl Carroll	...	Mr. Lawrence
Noah Dahl	...	Young Henry
Gloria Garayua	...	Female Worshipper
Molly Hagan	...	Pediatrician
Michelle Krusiec	...	Young Nurse

Storyline

In a working class neighborhood in Los Angeles, a world weary Henry Poole buys a house, caring little about its lack of amenities. He drinks and eats pizza. Recent stucco work has left a brown stain in a patio wall, and, to Henry's irritation, Esperanza, a neighbor, is certain she can see the face of Jesus in the stain. She brings her priest, then others. Meanwhile, Henry hears his conversations replayed over the fence in another neighbor's yard: it's Millie, about 7, mute, clutching a tape recorder. He tells Millie's mom why he's sad and angry. The face on the wall seems to shed a tear of blood. Is Henry beyond feeling any emotion?

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Plot Keywords:

neighbor | stain | house | neighborhood | priest | 

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Taglines:

Changing his attitude will take a miracle.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

29 August 2008 (South Africa)

Also Known As:

El milagro de Henry Poole

Filming Locations:

La Habra, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$805,219 (USA) (15 August 2008)

Gross:

$1,835,293 (USA) (17 October 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Overture Films, Lakeshore Entertainment, Camelot Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

About half way through the movie, Henry walks into the backyard with a drink in his hand which he spills to about 1/4 beverage left in the glass. In the next scene, while he is still in the backyard, his glass is now 3/4 full again.

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Quotes

Henry Poole: Hope doesn't save lives.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Episode dated 16 August 2008 (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Patience's Miracle"
Written and Performed by Mark Pellington and 'Joe Kraemer'

User Reviews

Finally, an indie flick that isn't about drugs, sex, cursing, etc

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I rented it without much awareness of what it was about. Frankly, I had a free rental on my blockbuster account so i decided i was in the mood for a simple indie flick. So i rented it.

I am so happy to finally see a very well made indie film that isn't about drugs, sex, suicide, extreme amounts of cursing, and all the other elements that seem to make up a "good" indie film. I recently saw "The Wackness" and realized how fed up I am with people praising indie films that have no real substance. A lot of them, "the wackness" included, say nothing new and rely completely on the use of drugs, sex, and things like that to be "interesting." HPIH is very refreshing to see. Its a very well made indie flick with a great cast, story, and message. Yes, anytime there are films that deal with religion in a positive sense, people will say that it is contrived or over done, but I thought this film dealt with the subject matter very maturely and enjoyably. I am a Christian guy, but i don't like to watch films that are overly preachy or are just blatantly religious. So, I usually do not enjoy "religious" films. That is why I am so pleased to see a real indie film that just happens to deal with religious subject matter in a positive manner. The film isn't perfect and nor is any other film. But it is a good example of how a film can be moving, entertaining, and just a plain good movie without promoting or recklessly using drugs, sex, cursing, and other crap like that.

I commend the people involved with this project. I am very surprised that it was made outside of the religious film world. Thank you to the people who believed they could make a film like this, and I hope that more people follow.