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Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) isn’t a happy guy. Since moving into his new house, he’s been distant—and sometimes even mean—to everyone from the well-meaning neighbors to Patience (Rachel Seiferth), the cashier at the grocery store. Even Patience can tell that something’s horribly wrong with Henry—but no one knows what it is.
Henry’s nosy next-door neighbor, Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), is a lonely woman who’s searching for a miracle—and she finds it on Henry’s house. To Henry, it’s just a stain, caused by a substandard stucco job. But to Esperanza, it’s the face of God—a miracle that’s meant to bring them hope.
Esperanza begins sneaking her friends into Henry’s yard to see the wall, and things start to happen—things that Henry can’t explain, no matter how much he’d like to. All Henry really wants is to be alone—but he suddenly finds himself at the center of everyone else’s religious experience.
Henry Poole is Here is a surprisingly—and refreshingly—unfashionable film. And by unfashionable, I mean that it touches on religious topics without making the film’s religious characters the butt of every joke. Sure, Esperanza and her friends are often humorous characters, but they’re not the only ones—and they’re treated with fondness and even respect. They’re flawed characters, but, if nothing else, at least they’re kind and well-meaning and genuine—instead of stupid and/or wildly hypocritical. And that’s refreshingly different.
At the same time, though, while it’s inevitable for a movie like this one to feel a bit preachy at times, Henry Poole manages to refrain from being too pushy (or, as is often the case, corny). It has a message, but it has a sense of humor, too. And though there are religious undertones to it, at its heart, it’s still just a sweet and entertaining film—and viewers can take away from it whatever they want.
Though the story is touching, the characters—and the actors who portray them—make the movie. After all, the film moves at a rather deliberate pace—and it’s mostly just a lot of talk. In a movie like this one, the characters are critical—and, fortunately, most of them don’t disappoint. Wilson, especially, is wonderful as the ill-tempered, unkempt loner. Barraza’s performance is sometimes overdone, but her character is loveable anyway. And it’s impossible not to fall in love with Henry’s sad, puppy-dog-eyed young neighbor, Millie (played by the adorable Morgan Lily).
I love a good dark and cynical movie just as much as the next guy—but it’s nice to cleanse my cinematic palate every once in a while with a feel-good movie like Henry Poole. It isn’t a thrilling film, but it’s upbeat and even inspirational—yet entertaining, too. So whether you believe in miracles like Esperanza or you’re as cynical as Henry, you’re sure to find something to feel good about in Henry Poole is Here.
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