Film Forum: "Henry Poole is Here"

What a wide range of responses I'm seeing for Henry Poole is Here...

Annie Wagner:

X-FilesandHenry Poole is Here the worst soundtrack in the entire history of cinema.

Stephen Holden:

Simon Birch, Wide Awake, August RushHearts in AtlantisHenry Poole Is Hereinsufferable hokum that takes itself very, very seriously

Frederica Matthewes-Green:

Christians are so used to being portrayed as creeps and buffoons in entertainment that they may spend much of the movie braced for the slapdown. But there isn't one; the miracle, and the faith that wells up surrounding it, are treated with respect. It is the gloomy atheist at the center of the story who will have to learn a lesson. Henry can insist, "There are no miracles!", but it turns out that he's wrong, and there will come a time for him to express repentance.

...

I expect that for many Christian moviegoers, this is more than enough to sell them on the film. But I don't think the movie is as good as it could have been. As I watched these characters go through their predictable motions, I kept thinking that this must be the outtakes, and somewhere there was an alternative movie where they were doing and saying things that are interesting. Surely they don't spend all their time trading wistful comments ("Things happen for a reason," "I got a pretty long journey ahead," "It's the last time I remember being happy"), walking at sunset, brooding in darkness, jolting through too many montages, doing all manner of things in slow motion—and all of it set to a mix-tape of emo favorites.

Robert Davis:

the film's redeeming facet is the depth of Henry's cynicism