Henry Poole is looking for an escape. Emotionally shattered by the news that his life is quickly coming to an end, the upset Poole purchases a generic house in a middle-class neighborhood in order to get away from people and things in which surround him. However, after Esperanza, Henry's nosey neighbor, discovers a mysterious stain on the side of Henry's house, his desire for solitude becomes nonexistent. In the meantime, Henry can't help but notice his other neighbors, Dawn and her eight-year-old daughter, Millie, both of which bring a light to his life that he thought was gone forever.
Handicapped by a snail-paced script and improper casting, Poole gets lost in the jumble, failing to connect with its audience and never conveying its true message of the depth of hope and faith in the Catholic religion.
For starters, the story itself lacked the pace and necessity needed in order to keep, or even grasp your attention. Instead of containing a little light humor or even a spark of excitement, Henry Poole is Here sluggishly moves from scene to scene; never carry the ump or the power that you would expect from an actor like Luke Wilson. In fact, I would have to say that there is simply no sign of action or comedy within the realm of the film, leaving this religious tale no choice but to go full on drama and lose a majority of its audience almost immediately.
Additionally, I do have to admit that the acting was subpar throughout. Luke Wilson, who attempts to create a serious and melodramatic man out of Poole and broaden his career as a dramatic actor, is unable to provide the timing or delivery needed for the new genre. His actions are robotic and his dialogue is unrealistic, forcing me to become torn as to whether the bad performance is really his fault or the writers.
Then we have the three leading ladies, Cheryl Hines, Radha Mitchell and Adriana Barraza. Though both Mitchell and Barraza proved to be detrimental in the story, Hines' turn as Henry's strong willed realtor was completely unneeded and somewhat unwarranted. Sure her lines were great and she performed better than any other lady on the screen, but her name boasted a more dominating character, and sadly, after the first ten minutes, we don't get to see Hines anymore â€" a disappointment that stays in the back of your mind for the rest of the film.
But, regardless of the performances and the overall premise, I must admit that the most dissatisfying part of the entire film was the script and dialogue. While boring and uneventful, it is the cheesy, stereotypical lines that really made me cringe. Not to mention the fact that each scene was drug out way past its needed length, causing the film to become a clock-watcher.
However, even with all these complaints, I will say that the film carries a very strong message of hope, faith and understanding. It is this message that slightly helps this film, moving it from its destined spot at the bottom of the pit to a place a little higher up. Yet, I still can't make myself recommend the feature, as there are too many disappointing components - not to mention the other, much better films that are currently in theaters.
