User Reviews

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.

I liked "Hugo Pool" because it was so strange and not at all based in reality. It was a little too much to take in at first, but once I realized that this wasn't your average movie, I delighted in the refreshing style that was used throughout the picture. I am a huge Robert Downey Jr. fan and I thought that his performance was excellent, although his skinny body made me wonder if he was unhealthy during the making of this movie. The whole cast did a great job of being completely out there.

Parts of this film were absolutely great, and that makes it all the more difficult to accept the fact that the movie as a whole wasn't very good. The best parts of the movie involve the relationship between Milano and Dempsey. Both give wonderful performances, and the story should have focused entirely on these two characters. Unfortunately, much of the screen time is occupied by characters who aren't the least bit entertaining. In particular, the McDowell-Penn scenes, and every single second with Downey are just plain bad. Quite simply, when this film tries to be more serious, or even just somewhat realistic, it's very good. But more often than not, it opts for stupidity and is generally pointless.

This is a little babe of a movie, the kind that comes on at 1 am and you can't turn it off. Very inventive casting. McDowell and Penn are delightful as are Moriority and Milano. Then, you also have Downey, Jr, Dempsey, and Lewis (AND Chuck Barris). A zany cast of "characters"! I was impressed with how handily Milano carried herself and led this cast.

Hugo Pool is a great movie if you are having trouble sleeping. I saw the credits and expected a very interesting movie. Instead I saw a silly, slow, and boring flick. Obviously, some people enjoyed this movie based on the score it received, but I found this movie very disappointing.

This is one of the worst movies I've seen in years! I was so unhappy with this movie, I actually stopped watching it 30 minutes before the end... something which I almost never do!

Even if this movie was free to rent, I still wouldn't rent it! It's a big waste of time, especially when there are so many other movies out there!

This movie is worth seeing for two very funny scenes- Malcolm McDowell fighting with his alter-ego puppet and Sean Penn in his blue shoes. The story is very light-hearted and Patrick Dempsey as the young man with lou gehrig's disease imparts a real sensuality to the role. As usual Downey and Lewis add a weird element- but is a fun day with the pool girl, her mom and various inhabitants of the not so rich people of California.

The movie remined me of a group that got together one weekend and decided to make a spoof movie. The acting was so bad that I doubted if there was any scene retakes. The cast was OK but acted as though they had just read their lines 5 minutes before and wanted to call it a day as soon as possible. The only way it could have been worse was to be in B&W. Even as a silent film it would have been an improvement.

I have to admit, as I watched the movie, my expectations haven't been met. Most of all, I expected a plot. Since most movies have one, at least to some degree, the `average' watcher tends to expect one here, too. But, it didn't take me long, until I realized that this movie wasn't the `average' movie, and I don't mean that in a bad way.

In the first scene where Hugo's father was introduced, I began to realize what the character of this movie is like. This perception strengthened as more and more people showed up and exhibited their unorthodox, quirky features. Alone the weird things like `a stranger is sleeping in somebody else's truck, then the owner shows up, asks no questions and they both hit the road without even wasting a thought about what this is all about' made me laugh. The dialogs between the characters and the spontaneous and almost unreasonable turns of the plot make the movie special. It is hard to explain to someone who hasn't watched it.

Read the other comments and you'll find the opinions range from real bad to gorgeous. My advice is, be open-minded. This is not the average movie - in many aspects. Don't have too high expectations and you won't be disappointed, this movie is no blockbuster but it sure can be very entertaining if you give it a chance.

All in all, I liked the movie and if you ask me if I'll watch it again, I'd say: no - no doubt. (6/10)

In "Hugo Pool" the adorable Alyssa Milano plays Hugo Dugay. A young diabetic pool cleaner who has to clean over forty pools in one day. She has some of the most eccentric David Lynch like customers, including a man (Patrick Dempsy) in a wheel chair who can only talk by a computer. Because of his kindness she can't help but fall head first, not in a pool but in love. Hugo also tries to help her crazy parents. Her father (Malcom Mcdowell) is a recovering junkie who shoots up drugs in a puppet. He calls the drug "Ring-Dang-Doo". Her mother is a compulsive gambler and owes someone money. Hugo is so kind, she even loans her mother money. "Hugo Pool" is a bizarre, colorful tragic comedy. Filled with bright blue and yellow colors throughout, it has a whacked out sense of humor that only Robert Downey Sr. could create. No wonder why his son is so crazy!

I have to confess I unabashedly LOVE this flick! Written & directed by Downey, Sr, this movie is a hoot!

Full of delightfully bizarre characters, this is a great afternoon or evening's diversion. Alyssa Milano, the proprietress of the title pool cleaning company, is the glue that holds the wacky cast together. Every featured performance is memorable in a completely over the top manner.

There are a number of memorable acting turns, some more than obvious self-reflective references to addictions (of all types), and a too-pat hand of predictability to move this film beyond a 6 for me. The performances almost rise above the plot restrictions (or lack of restrictions)....an interesting contrast is Robert Altman's "Cookie's Fortune" which I saw two days later which used the characters' idiosyncrasies to move a plot.

Being such a fan of Downey's Putney Swope, and believing there's a subconscious subtext that Downey may not even realize. I think the same can be said here for Hugo Pool. A hodgepodge of nutty characters in affluent L. A. that has cute Alyssa Milano as Hugo to watch over them in a motherly fashion. I think whats interesting is that Hugo is really a 'New Yorker' at heart. She's committed, disciplined, and fearless. And looks at her customers and parents as almost pitiful novelties she has to contend with. Amid all the grandiose houses, gardens and pools, it's the people that are most colourful. And as cute and colourful as Hugo seems in it all - she's straight up B&W in comparison. The only problems I had were with the Sean Penn character, as a nameless stowaway with nice blue shoes that accompanies Hugo's father in a truck assigned to fetch water. At best, he's almost an angelic figure that the father confides in, and gets a 'pair of wings' (the shoes) out of it all. The other was with the. Franz character played by Robert Downey Jr. As great an actor I think he is, he hammed it up WAY too much in this IMHO. Totally psychotic and deranged, but sympathetic.to the ALS ridden Floyd character. As maybe to point out insanity is as much a crippling and eroding disease as ALS is? But now the relation that develops between Hugo and Floyd I found really touching. I was skeptical when I saw the trailer, thinking it was going to be the most uncomfortable comedic part. But it was actually the most human and romantic thing I've seen in a long time! Very sensitive and serious. And as with Putney Swope, I think Hugo Pool is a movie that has to be watched a few times to fully appreciate. As the characters just are so bizarre on first viewing, they're hard to understand and/or keep up with. But they do have some funny lines and/or words of wisdom that are carefully woven in. And what I like about these 2 Downey movies is that they are timeless. Yes, Putney Swope maybe B&W and 'old NY' looking. But it doesn't make a point of being exactly that. Hugo Pool looks bright colourful and modern - but feels like a 40's romp that could work just as well in B&W and with The Marx Brothers and Jane Mansfield. Inventive and memorable movie that I'd like to rate higher. But with Bob being so humble about it still - I don't know if I should?

Hugo Pool is most definitely a movie that you would probably want to watch alone. Not because it is explicit with sex or foul language, there is none, but because it is just too quirky with a strange mix of characters. These movies hardly even get mentioned in conversations so it is difficult to be led to it. This is the second movie of Robert Downey Sr's that I saw. His style is so unusual that you got to be in a mind frame to accept what is on before you, with an open mind. The film is dedicated to Downey's wife and co-writer Laura Ernst. She died of the same terrible disease that the character played by Patrick Dempsey has in the movie.

I decided to watch it, simply because it was mentioned in Robert Downey Jr's biography. Downey's performance as Franz, is pretty garish, so much so that it feels like a crazy man is playing the character. He is deliberately eccentric and sports a muddled accent. This movie came at a time when Downey was at his lowest, personally & it is difficult not to notice his unhealthy, lean physique.

The plot revolves around a day in the life of Hugo (Alyssa Milano), as a beautiful young girl who makes her living running a pool cleaning business. While at work, on one hectic day, she deals with her feckless dad & gambling addicted mom, deftly played by Malcom McDowell & Cathy Moriarty & a host of other clients including Franz, who owes her money (Downey Jr). As the day goes by, she befriends one of her clients (Patrick Dempsey) who suffers from ALS (Lou Gehrig's) disease and is attracted to him because of his kindness and his positive outlook towards life.

I'm generally not a fan of Robert Downey Senior's movies. His characters tend to be cartoons and his episodic style means that we seem to be watching a series of "Saturday Night" comedy sketches. "Hugo Pool" has enough great actors in it that all the usual faults are turned into virtues. It also has a sweetness and heart that I haven't seen in any other Downey film.

The film is dedicated to Downey's wife and co-writer Laura Ernst. She died of the same terrible disease that the character played by Patrick Dempsey has. It is amazing how Downey shows the disease, but never lets us get sentimental over it or be afraid of it. It is just one more comic element in the film. I hope Laura coped with it as well as Patrick Dempsey's character does.

The stand out performance here is by Malcolm McDowell. His portrayal of an old drug addict trying to kick the "Ding, Dang, Du" is charming and funny and sad all at once. The only unfortunate thing is that he's only on screen for about 20 minutes.

I think the harsher criticisms of this film are by people who expected a more realistic, integrated film. If you willing to give Downey his quirky style, this film is sweet and delightful.

This film was hard to find but when I finally found it and I watched it, it left me with a warm feeling I don't know why though. The cast was great especially Sean Penn and Robert Downey Jr with their strange characters.

It's a film that's fun and not to be taken seriously, the only problem I have with this film is when it is trying to be serious like at the end it just shouldn't because it succeeds as I great comedy.

I agree with what someone else wrote, that this film is probably Alyssa Milano's best movie which she is in the leading role. So if people are looking at most of these reviews and are thinking that it's a crap movie don't let peoples comments put you off just give this film a go you may not be disappointed.

I have only ever watched this film once and I may actually go and borrow it again this weekend.

So after watching Hugo Pool I decided to give it a 7 out of 10.

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!

This film, concerned with the strange and unusual characters a young woman named Hugo (Alyssa Milano) meets due to her pool cleaning service actually has its moments. Malcolm McDowell, as her drug-addict recovering father and Sean Penn, as a wandering hitch-hiker he befriends frequently steal the movie with their conversations and basic musings on the real human condition. That this film actually has characters stopping,taking the time to experience the realities of life on occasion, to smell the roses so to speak, gives this an undeniably unique quality. Still many may be turned off by the artiness presented here..fans of Alyssa Milano should check this out and this is certainly above-average work from her.

From the second this movie started, it was a wonderful treat all the way to the end. Robert Downey Jr.'s character, Frans, was absolutely delightful and kept the anticipation of seeing him again at an extreme=). Sean Penn was adorable with his oddly blue shoes, Alyssa Milano with her confident little strut, and the rest of the characters added their own special and eccentric personalities to the feeling of the movie. This movie was amazing in every aspect of the word...need I say more? 10/10 for Hugo Pool. Robert Downey Sr. gives us an awesome movie from start to finish =).

I didn't know much about "Hugo Pool" when I rented it last night. It seemed to be about an interesting collection of quirky characters. What I found out is that it's a collection of quirky characters, all right, but interesting, they're not.

Here's the plot, such as it is. Alyssa Milano plays a pool cleaner. We follow her around for a day as she cleans a few pools and encounters quirky characters, some of whom are family members, others customers.

Ms. Milano is awful in the lead role. This is the caliber of acting you'd expect from the girl playing Laurie in the high school production of "Oklahoma". It's pretty much a one-note performance, as if she were told, "act impatient," so she responded by setting her jaw and stomping through the movie. Drive truck, pour chemicals, act impatient, encounter next customer, scold Mom, act impatient. No higher gear, no lower gear, just the one setting.

Sean Penn and Robert Downey Jr. are terrific actors. Something went wrong here, though. Mr. Downey does some sort of burned-out-Inspector-Clouseau routine, while Mr. Penn does some sort of grown-up-Jeff-Spicoli thing.

Whatever. At no time did I see any of these quirky characters as anything other than actors trying to act quirky.

And I kept thinking about the 44 pools Ms. Milano was supposed to clean in one day. Say 10 minutes per pool, and 10 minutes' drive between pools, and that's nearly a 15-hour day. And she kept saying she was running late. Would you want to have, say, pool #40, and have some bickering pool cleaners in your backyard at 10:00-11:00 at night?

And I got to thinking about the money. Mr. Downey's character was behind on payments, the numbers averaging out to $200 per month. Let's say there are only 44 customers, pools being cleaned once a day. So the pool cleaning company is grossing $105,600 per year. If there are 88 customers, pools being cleaned every other day, the company is grossing $211,200 per year. If pools are cleaned once a week, and the pool company works 5 days per week, the company is grossing over half a million a year.

I don't have a pool and have no idea how often pools are cleaned. But the point is, it was more interesting to sit and do the revenue calculations in my head than to watch the parade of actors acting quirky. Or badly acting.

This is a fun movie! It was nice to see a movie that didn't remind me of something else. Alyssa Milano, Cathy Moriarty, Malcolm McDowell, and Sean Penn were great. A special applause to Patrick Dempsey, who shows that acting is more than just saying words. I was very touched by his performance and the bond formed by Floyd and Hugo. All in all, an unusual fun movie with a "quirky gait." Rent it and you won't be disappointed.

Alyssa Milano plays "Hugo" an overworked pool cleaning gal, who needs to clean 44 pools in one day. That is the only normal part of this movie. The rest of it has such poor casting choices and plot lines that is is painful to watch.

Along the way she picks up her father, Malcolm McDowell, who is doing the worst Jimmy Durante impression I have ever heard, and who is trying to kick his heroin habit by shooting the heroin into a puppet that he carries around. Retarded.

Jimmy Durante, er, Malcolm, then runs into a gay hitchhiker with blue shoes, played by Sean Penn. How they talked Sean Penn into this role is beyond me. He appears to be trying to be mysterious, but comes across as a whiney gay 12-year-old.

She sends her dad (and the hitchhiker) on a mission to get some water for one of her clients, a bug-eyed jabbering Richard Lewis, who is supposedly a mafioso, but comes off as threatening as a wet paper bag.

She then picks up her mother, a gambling addict. She in turn shanghais one of Hugo's clients, a man with als (Lou Gherig's Disease) and starts carrying him around in the back of a pickup truck (wheelchair and all) so he can be her gambling good luck charm. Ridiculous.

Along the way, they run into Robert Downey Jr as a wacked out film director, but Robert puts on this outrageous fakey French accent and so he comes across like a bad Inspector Clouseau. Obnoxious.

They finally meet up with Hugo's Mom's bookie, played by Chuck "Chuckie-baby" Barris from the old GONG SHOW, who is more interested in a romp in the hay than money. Strange.

The ending is more like a documentary about ALS than a comedy, and has the totally predictable typical heart wrenching ending. That didn't even get any sympathy points from me. Lame.

The only redeming virtue would have been seeing Alyssa in the buff, and that didn't even happen. What was that director thinking? Weak.

My assessment: 2 of 10 Good only for hard-core Alyssa fans.

A bit of strange and light, a bit of sad and very kind movie for those who enjoy by looking at ordinary people's life on screen. Unfortunately, my poor English doesn't let me to quote some really fun phrase from it! it's good problem-family-movie like "What's eating Gilbert Grape?", but not so radical and deep in anatomy of family separation. Main characters are honesty Hugo and her divorced parents and defenseless Floyd and careless insane Franz and unknown hitchhiker as sometimes me and maybe you, - anyone feel void from time to time and want to stop keeping themselves close to another people. Sometimes it happens.

I rented this movie because I saw everything else at the movie store 30 times each. This was a special treat for me. Alyssa Milano is a wonderful young actress. She's so sweet and she's tough at the same time. I really loved her character. I also liked the love story with her and Partick Dempsey. Malcolm MacDowel was hilarious. I like his relationship with Sean Penn. They were funny together. I loved that thing with the shoes. Cathy Moriarty was great as the gambling mother of Alyssa Milano. I enjoyed this movie a lot. I think very highly of it.