Henry Fool
| Henry Fool | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Hal Hartley |
| Written by | Hal Hartley (uncredited) |
| Produced by | Hal Hartley |
| Starring | Thomas Jay Ryan James Urbaniak Parker Posey Maria Porter Kevin Corrigan Liam Aiken |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics |
Release dates | September 7, 1997 (Toronto Film Festival) June 19, 1998 (wide release) |
Running time | 137 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Henry Fool is a 1997 film directed, written, and produced by Hal Hartley. The film stars Thomas Jay Ryan, James Urbaniak and Parker Posey.
Like "The Unbelievable Truth," an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict in "Henry Fool." Henry, Thomas Jay Ryan, is supposed to be a literary genius, with a multi-volume work of art he carries around with him and an always ready quip about the artist's place in the world. His problem is, his work is garbage, but he inspires a more literal garbageman, Simon Grim (James Urbaniak), who is regularly beaten up and ridiculed in his neighborhood, to write his own extended poem that turns out to be a work of literary genius. The film takes place in the New York City borough of Queens. The neighbors regard Simon's poem differently: to some, it's pornography; to others, touching and inspiring. Ultimately, Simon lives the life Henry was supposed to have, and Henry in turn becomes a garbageman, but they are both given a unique opportunity to trade places yet again.
A sequel, titled Fay Grim, has finished production by Hartley.
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