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The tetchy, moody Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) moves back to his old Los Angeles neighborhood to die in peace from a mysterious illness. He’s irked when his effusive neighbor, Esperanza (Adriana Barraza), sees the face of Jesus in the water-stained stucco of his shabby home’s exterior. She declares a miracle, and begins funneling the variously needy through his yard. Toss in a more comely neighbor — a lonely single-mom neighbor (Radha Mitchell), with a weirdo, saucer-eyed kid — a few indie-pop tunes and ponderous shots of heat-soaked L.A., and you can likely guess the outcome of this low-key, ever-so-slightly-quirky fable from Mark Pellington. Like the varied reactions to the reputed face of Jesus in a water stain, some patient and believing viewers may see a slow-moving, syrupy story that confirms the power of faith and Hallmark-movie endings. More worldly sorts will simply wait for something — anything — to happen in this maudlin exercise. (AH)
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2008.
