Henry Fool

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Henry Fool

R

1997

2h 17m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

28 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

An egocentric bum (Thomas Jay Ryan) transforms the lives of a shy New Jersey garbageman (James Urbaniak) and his sister (Parker Posey).

Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

it is as philosophical, political and pornographic as Henry describes his own work to be - an expansive comic book 'novel of ideas' all at once provocative and funny, which will come to be regarded as Hartley's life work.

Feb 19, 2018

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 3/4

Apr 12, 2002

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

You watch, you are absorbed, and from scene to scene, Henry Fool seems to be adding up, but then your hand closes on air. I am left unsure of my response -- of any response.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Rated: 3/5

Mar 12, 2008

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Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 5/5

Feb 25, 2007

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Embracing Hartley's motifs, such as the vicissitudes of fame and fate, the film is sharply uneven, meditative and touching in moments but also pretentious and overlong; it's the last decent movie Hartley has made.

Rated: C+

Apr 30, 2006

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Cem Y

Watched it, liked it I guess. This was one of the few movies that I was not sure of what I have really felt after the experience. Is it good or bad? Did I like it or not? Was there something that is delivered or not? All blank.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

white b

a product of it's time you'll either love it or hate it if you love it - there's two more (Fay Grim and Ned Rifle)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

An all time classic. Deals with the timeless struggle of artists vs reality of the working world. But it has a ton of intense sub themes(modern religion, fame, age-inappropriate sexual promiscuity, depression, artistic hedonism, the business of art). The performances are amazing, particularly by the genius actress Parker Posey and the totally unknown lead actor Urbaniak).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Odd indie picture from the late 90s about a garbage man named Simon who befriends a pretentious writer named Henry Fool that believes he is writing a masterwork that will change the world. He is encouraged by Henry to write and his work quickly gets some local attention, and eventually leads to world fame. It is a weird movie that just constantly stayed within the realm of odd and a little unexpected. I enjoyed it for that reason alone.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

my fave Hal Hartly pic, so far anyway.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

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Audience Member

Unique and absorbing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

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Hal Hartley

Director

Thomas Jay Ryan

Henry Fool

James Urbaniak

Simon Grim

Parker Posey

Fay Grim

Maria Porter

Mary

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Synopsis

An egocentric bum (Thomas Jay Ryan) transforms the lives of a shy New Jersey garbageman (James Urbaniak) and his sister (Parker Posey).

Director: Hal Hartley
Producer: Hal Hartley
Screenwriter: Hal Hartley
Production Co: Shooting Gallery, Possible Films, True Fiction Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 2h 17m
Sound Mix: Surround