Very Cool!!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Judging from the range of comments on Hugo Pool they seem to run the gamut. As a film, it's not the kind of thing I'd usually watch, but it did contain some rather strange characters.Alyssa Milano in between her stints as Tony Danza's daughter in Who's The Boss and one of the Halliwell sisters in Charmed was cast in the lead by director Robert Downey, Sr. She seems to have taken complete charge of the pool cleaning company that is a family business because dad (Malcolm McDowell) is reverting to being a teenager and mom (Cathy Moriarty) can't control her gambling addiction. In fact she either has to come up with the money or sleep with the bookie.Anyway somebody has to step up to the plate and Alyssa seems the only one likely to do so. She's got a lot of customers out there in Nevada who want to use their swimming pools because of the heat and who need them cleaned.Anyway on her route she meets Patrick Dempsey who even with Lou Gehrig's disease is not about to miss out on all the good things in life. In fact one of only two parts of his anatomy are untouched by amytrophic lateral sclerosis, his brain and the love muscle. In fact the second has some remarkable staying power as he informs us.Hugo Pool is the story of all these characters and the day they spend together. It's an interesting tale and maybe had it been done in a more straightforward and romantic way, I might have liked the film better.Still it's not the fault of the cast who give some very good performances. Not mentioned by me before are Robert Downey, Jr. as an egotistical movie director and Sean Penn as a hitchhiker Malcolm McDowell picks up. Dig those sky blue shoes that Penn wears.Hugo Pool might be your cup of tea, it wasn't quite mine though.

Some people don't get "quirky" movies. My movie friends and I loved this movie. My other friends would definitely not get it. Remember to take people's reviews with a grain of salt. After all, someone who loved Die-hard would hate this movie.Also note that most American's (and yes I am American) only like straight forward blockbuster movies. I say use you brains for once and stop making Americans the laughing stock of other countries!!This movie has a great cast. Milano and Dempsey were unknowns at that time. We watched this movie several times to catch all the things we missed the first (and second) time around.So if you're into mainstream movies this is not for you. But if you like "quirky" characters and having to think, definitely get it. (I never saw it for rent around here....)

I thought this film was quirky and well done. The Cathy Moriarty character was annoying, but the scenes with Penn and McDowell were quite funny!! Dempsey was fantastic giving his character life, and it is refreshing to see Milano in a role that is not centered around sex.* * * * S P O I L E R * * * *My favourite scene would have to be the switch between Penn and McDowell...the puppet that McDowell's character uses to inject 'the ring dan doon' and Penn's shoes. Really funny!!!If you like quirky, different movies, this one's a definite watch

So it may not be a blockbuster. But quirky does describe it well. Sean Penn and Roddy McDowall have an interesting relationship in this movie, but it's a good thing that Downey Jr. is related to the writer, as his portrayal of Franz is way over the top. But the surprise is that Danilo Perez provided the soundtrack, and while the original music may not live up to the content of his jazz albums, the inclusion of the Thelonious Monk tunes in the soundtrack is an incredible treat!