Henry Poole (Wilson) just wants to disappear. Shattered by circumstances beyond his control, he offers full price on a cookie cutter house in a drab, middle-class, L.A. neighborhood through his perky realtor Meg (Cheryl Hines). But just as he settles in to his indulgent isolation with a case of vodka and all the junk food he can eat, his neighbor, a well-meaning busybody named Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), drops by with a plate of homemade tamales and a whole lot of questions.Despite his desire for solitude, Henry can't help noticing Dawn (Radha Mitchell), the beautiful young divorcée next door and her daughter Millie (Lily), an eight-year-old amateur spy who hasn't spoken a word since her parents' break-up. Henry's self-imposed exile is shattered when Esperanza discovers a mysterious stain on Henry's stucco wall that is seen to have miraculous powers. She begins leading pilgrimages to the "holy site" and invites church officials, including her pastor, Father Salizar (George Lopez), to inspect the apparition.Although Henry remains skeptical, he finds himself gradually drawn back towards life, especially after his silent friendship with Millie brings him closer to Dawn. As news of the apparition spreads throughout the neighborhood and his feelings for Dawn grow, Henry realizes his plan to live out his days in quiet desperation is going to be much harder than he ever imagined.
This is one of those quietly released, artsy movies that I had somewhat of a desire to see but there wasn't really any rush to it. Its also one of those artsy movies that I can't remotely explain why but I loved it. I have always been a huge fan of Luke Wilson. His straight faced one liners are great and I find him to be light years funnier than his brother Owen. He was great in this movie and really got you hooked in to the character. I tend to find those religious holy site type things to be absurd but this movie was done in a way that it got even me to get involved and caring.
I would recommend people checking this out. It is definitely worth the rental fee.
This is one of those quietly released, artsy movies that I had somewhat of a desire to see but there wasn't really any rush to it. Its also one of those artsy movies that I can't remotely explain why but I loved it. I have always been a huge fan of Luke Wilson. His straight faced one liners are great and I find him to be light years funnier than his brother Owen. He was great in this movie and really got you hooked in to the character. I tend to find those religious holy site type things to be absurd but this movie was done in a way that it got even me to get involved and caring.
I would recommend people checking this out. It is definitely worth the rental fee.
