Henry (Luke Wilson) is a down and out of it and after purchasing a suburban house in California, after he was unable to get the one down the street, he proceeds to put nothing in it outside a couple of pieces of furniture and filling his frig with doughnuts, frozen pizza, and alcohol. Henry spends his days drinking, eating, and lounging in his dark house and backyard with no care for what he is doing or where he is heading. He quickly discovers his neighbors as they both intrude on his yard and life, the first of which to do so is his Hispanic neighbor Esperanza (Adriana Barraza). She comes over as soon as he moves in and you can tell she is the kind of lady that knows everything about everyone on her street. Henry clashes with her in their first encounter, not just because of her assertiveness, but also do to her in the open religious beliefs, as we discover that one thing holding back Henry is probably a beef with god. Immediately following their conversation, Henry begins to hear it again coming from the other side of his fence, to which he finds a young girl, Millie (Morgan Lily), playing the conversation back on a tape recorder. Millie is shy and quiet, but Henry gradually begins to form a bond with her mother Dawn (Radha Mitchell). Henry’s life is quickly further complicated when Esperanza interprets a water stain on the side of Henry’s house to be the face of Christ and when it begins shedding tears of blood, a full on miracle investigation is taken on by the church. Henry is then left to fighting a religious battle, hiding his secrets, and hopefully redeeming his past while he mulls his existence alone in his house.
The actors in the film are also rather good all around with Luke Wilson turning in a solid, if a bit one note performance. Wilson gives Poole layers and a certain bit of mystery to him, which has us guessing as to why he is acting the way he is; and while the subdued nature works most of the time, it also doesn’t feel like he is doing a whole lot at the same time. That said, Wilson has a few classic deadpan laughs and bounces off his co-stars very well. Adriana Barraza is good as well as an overbearing mother figure of sorts as well as serving as the religious core of the film. She and Wilson have a number of funny scenes and she does fine work in a scene that could have gone sappy in a second but she keeps it real. Radha Mitchell is attractive both emotionally and physically on screen and she really sells us on both her relationships to her daughter and Henry in the film. You can buy Henry’s budding confidence in her and also makes you smile at their sweet moments. Morgan Lily also deserves mention for creating a cute yet mysterious girl, as well as accolades for playing a disabled child as well, even if it’s as simple as not speaking; she says much with just her eyes.
7.25/10
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