Down and Out in Woodside, Queens
Henry Fool (1997)
Seen in July 1998 with Laura at the Angelika for $8.75
This completely down-and-out variation on *Down and Out in Beverly Hills*, which in itself is a variation of *Boudu Saved from Drowning*, is a more disastrous time for the people who get involved with the mysterious and disheveled bum who drifts into their lives. Well, that's not completely true. One person, Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), does benefit from the fateful meeting, escalating from neighborhood weirdo to a 15-minute celebrity whose porno poem delights the local teens in the World of Donuts in Woodside, Queens, and enrage their parents.
Figuring out who is the less accomplished of the bunch is difficult. There's Simon, who watches couples make out and gets beat up for it. Henry Fool rants and raves, encouraging Simon to write while he doesn't seem to do a whole lot of anything. Simon's sister Fay (Parker Posey) is the local slut. Their mom mopes around the house in a depression.
Yet there are some moments of inspiration. There are some selfless acts. Simon's perverse poetry (which we never ever hear read aloud) makes an autistic girl speak, and helps him lift himself completely from his milieu. And what a milieu it is. Suicides, child abuse, alcohol abuse, intolerance, and more bodily fluids and flatulence than you can shake a stick at. About 95% of the movie seems to be filmed on location in Woodside, Queens (Laura and I looked at the street signs, I assure you).
Written and directed by indie great Hal Hartley, *Henry Fool* ambles along, quiet and unpunctuated, a run-on sentence of a film. When your moviegoing pal says, "I liked it but it was 45 minutes too long," it confirms my opinion of the pace, but confounds me as to how anyone could enjoy it fully. There are some truly funny and brilliant moments. Cinematographer Michael Spiller does things with throwing things out of focus I have not seen before, making things clear--with fuzziness.
Ubiquitous indie actor Kevin Corrigan (the male Parker Posey) appears as Warren, one of the local outer borough intolerati.
Original music by the director Hal Hartley.
More movie reviews by Seth Bookey, with graphics, can be found at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/2679/kino.html
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