it is often said by his fans that hal hartley movies are an acquired taste .
indeed .
while perhaps less dangerous than tequila shooters or bungee - jumping , they require no less amount of physical stamina and concentration .
i felt rewarded at the end of henry fool ; this movie creeps up on you - at a slow 139 minutes , i mean
creeps - and despite the final shot 's ambiguity ,
i left completely satisfied .
henry fool ( " used to have an ? e ' " ) arrives at garbageman simon grim 's house , claims the vacant basement apartment , and almost instantly inspires simon ( urbaniak ) to take up writing - henry ( martin donovan look - alike ryan ) is an ex - convict , a once - great author who has been " exiled and marginalized " by the publishing community because of his criminal activity .
simon 's poetry turns him into a local sensation , as it causes mute women to sing , high - school girls to swoon , and councilmen to rile against its " pornographic " content .
meanwhile , henry seduces both simon 's dependent mother ( porter ) and immature sister ( sundance queen posey ) with philosophical babble ( which is by turns brilliant and inane ) and breathy animal lust .
these story elements result in climaxes both inevitable and unpredictable ; the teacher - student relationship formed between henry and simon eventually reverses itself .
henry fool is sprinkled with hartley - ian flourishes : simon drinks milk from " udderley 's " ; the big teen hang - out is called " world of donuts " ; simon wears his garbageman 's uniform throughout ; the editing style is decidedly elliptical .
. .
( which is key to the conclusion 's said ambiguity ) .
the performances by the three leads are abrasive at first , self - consciously " quirky " ; the introductory scenes are a chore .
these people do grow on you because they convey genuine passion , a belief in themselves , and because they have long - term goals ; henry and simon may drink a lot of budweiser and hang out on the streetcorner , but they are n't pop slackers .
the story is rather classical : the tutor is a better talker than a doer , raised on books ; the timid tutee has innate talent
his master only dreams of .
( shades of film school . . . )
the finished film is epic in its proportions for a story so small , and the final third does test one 's patience , yet henry fool is tight , hardly excessive in its length .
how refreshing to see a movie
this long in 1998 devoted entirely to character .
and unless i nodded off , not a single building exploded .
this , hartley 's seventh feature , is contemplative about " the artist " ;
fortunately , we never get a sampling of simon 's work , and it 's a testament to the actors and the screenplay
that by the end we can surmise what sort of thoughts would pour from these writers ' pens .
refreshing to see a movie it 's a testament to the actors and the screenplay i left completely satisfied i felt rewarded is sprinkled with hartley - ian flourishes the finished film is epic in its proportions entirely to character fortunately is tight , hardly excessive in its length