wcbe: : Henry Poole is Here (2008-08-11)

"'Hope' is the thing with feathers�
That perches in the soul--"
Emily Dickinson

I spent a part of my life being indoctrinated into Catholic beliefs by nuns, so I can spy brainwashing without much help. Henry Poole is Here is about as dogmatic as The Passion of the Christ without the violence. Christians may like Mark Pellington's little homily about hope, but I suspect those who enjoyed his X-Files-like Mothman Prophecies will be disappointed by the lack of mystery and the surfeit of plain old preachy religiosity.

Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is understandably depressed, sad, and angry about his doctor's diagnosis that he will die soon from a rapidly-acting disease. He moves back to his boyhood neighborhood only to discover that his new house has an imprint of Jesus on the stucco. The rest of the film is dedicated to Henry debunking the miracles of an almost blind girl seeing and a six-year old mute neighbor girl speaking while he also shoos away the usual religious gawkers.

At least neighbor Dawn (Radha Mitchell), mother of mute girl, is a babe, as only a working-class neighborhood in California could provide to an undeserving character such as Henry. He is so dull you might start counting the hairs on his scruffy beard rather than listen to the inane dialogue about all you need is hope, why don't you believe in God? blah, blah. Believe me, there are so many close-ups of Wilson's sad young man you'll long for the return of cinemascope.

August is a grim time for film critics, and the feckless Henry Poole is Here is as good an example as any of why I award more low grades now than in any other month of the year.

I could pray for a miracle, but I don't want the wall of my house defaced with an image of George Bush on an aircraft carrier or some such sacrilege. Sorry Sister Alexia�I still find it hard to believe you.