Henry Fool
Encyclopedia
Henry Fool is a 1997 American seriocomic film written, produced and directed by Hal Hartley
, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan
, James Urbaniak
, and Parker Posey
. As in The Unbelievable Truth
, an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict.
The film won the best screenplay award
at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
. A sequel, titled Fay Grim
, was released in 2007
.
-winning poet, Henry sinks to a life of drinking in low-life bars. Henry's own attempts at fame result only in rejection by the same publisher who contracts with Simon to distribute his work. The friends fall out and lose touch until Henry’s criminal past catches up with him and needs Simon’s help in fleeing the country.
Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley is an American film director, screenwriter, producer composer, who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and 1990s...
, featuring Thomas Jay Ryan
Thomas Jay Ryan
Thomas Jay Ryan is a veteran stage actor who also starred in the 1997 film Henry Fool.Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University and has worked in such prestigious theaters as the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven...
, James Urbaniak
James Urbaniak
James Christian Urbaniak is an American actor. Urbaniak was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife Julie and their twins, son Severn Jerzy and daughter Esme Maeve....
, and Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
. As in The Unbelievable Truth
The Unbelievable Truth (film)
The Unbelievable Truth is a 1989 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Hal Hartley, starring Adrienne Shelly and Robert John Burke. It was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize in 1990 at the Sundance Film Festival. The region 1 DVD was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment on March 11,...
, an earlier Hartley film, expectation and reality again conflict.
The film won the best screenplay award
Best Screenplay Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Screenplay Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival...
at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
1998 Cannes Film Festival
The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 13-24, 1998. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film Mia aioniotita kai mia mera by Theo Angelopoulos.- Jury :*Martin Scorsese *Alain Corneau *Chiara Mastroianni...
. A sequel, titled Fay Grim
Fay Grim
Fay Grim is a 2006 film written and directed by Hal Hartley. The film is a sequel to Hartley's 1997 film Henry Fool, and revolves around the title character, played by Parker Posey, the sister of Simon Grim . The plot revolves around Fay's attempt to unravel an increasingly violent mystery in Europe...
, was released in 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
.
Plot
Socially inept garbageman Simon Grim is befriended by Henry Fool, a witty rogue, but an untalented novelist. Henry opens the world of literature to Simon, who then writes "the great American poem.” As Simon begins his ascent to the dizzying heights of Nobel PrizeNobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning poet, Henry sinks to a life of drinking in low-life bars. Henry's own attempts at fame result only in rejection by the same publisher who contracts with Simon to distribute his work. The friends fall out and lose touch until Henry’s criminal past catches up with him and needs Simon’s help in fleeing the country.
Cast
- Thomas Jay RyanThomas Jay RyanThomas Jay Ryan is a veteran stage actor who also starred in the 1997 film Henry Fool.Ryan attended Carnegie Mellon University and has worked in such prestigious theaters as the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven...
as Henry Fool - James UrbaniakJames UrbaniakJames Christian Urbaniak is an American actor. Urbaniak was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife Julie and their twins, son Severn Jerzy and daughter Esme Maeve....
as Simon Grim - Parker PoseyParker PoseyParker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
as Fay Grim - Liam AikenLiam AikenLiam Padraic Aiken is an American actor who has starred in a number of films, such as Stepmom and Good Boy!. He starred as Klaus Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, based on the series of books....
as Ned - Maria Porter as Mary
- James SaitoJames SaitoJames Tomio Saito is an American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television. He is best known for his physical portrayal of Shredder in the 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the character was voiced by David McCharen. Saito also appeared in films like The Devil's Advocate, Home Alone 3,...
as Mr. Deng - Kevin CorriganKevin CorriganKevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
as Warren - Camille PagliaCamille PagliaCamille Anna Paglia , is an American author, teacher, and social critic. Paglia, a self-described dissident feminist, has been a Professor at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since 1984...
as herself