'Henry Poole is Here' review

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Is Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) depressed? Heartbroken? Dying? Whatever Henry’s malady is, it leads him to claim he won’t be around for long in his new house. But isolation’s tough to come by when one of his neighbors (Adriana Barazza of “Babel”) claims to see Christ’s image in a water stain on Henry’s wall, and another neighbor, a single mom (Radha Mitchell) with a daughter who hasn’t spoken since her dad left, takes a liking to Henry’s guarded misery.

Big question: Can this mopey drama teach something about life and death and how to turn that frown upside down?

Skip it: A movie that demands patience but doesn’t reward it, “Henry Poole” is really just a slow wait to see if Henry will, like many community members, touch the stain. But as it bludgeons us with sappy talk of miracles and a ridiculously loud, these! songs! are! meaningful! soundtrack, the film is more likely to inspire cynicism than hope.

Catch it: If you envy Henry’s exclusive diet of pizza, donuts and liquor. That’s either a meal fit for a king or a gym membership waiting to happen.

Bottom line: All you’ll take away from “Henry Poole” is Barazza’s honest, sympathetic performance and the questionable parenting by Dawn (Mitchell), who apparently thinks it’s OK to date three seconds after her daughter starts talking again. Those who wonder if love and faith are better healers than medicine may be uplifted -- but only if they can also tolerate redundant discussions about choice, faith and belief or an ending that couldn’t be more rushed if it tried.

Bonus: Anyone trying to sell a piece of property will drool over Henry, who elects to pay the asking price without any negotiation. To anyone looking to buy a home, um, we don’t suggest this.

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