Director: Brett Haley Starring: Sam Elliott Studio: The Orchard Genre(s): Drama Rated: R (For drug use, language and some sexual content) |
An old man with a baritone voice and a noticeable mustache
stands in a recording booth. He talks
about how great a specific barbeque sauce is over and over, annoyed by his director’s
lack of direction and understanding on how the art of voice over works. We watch the situation unfold with a bit of
amusement; for many of us, it would be a dream to get paid money to say one
line about a special sauce in a microphone multiple times. For Lee Hayden (Sam Elliott) though, this is
a major step down from what his life used to be. He used to be a movie star. His specify was westerns. He had the look and the voice for a
cowboy. His crowning achievement was a
movie called “The Hero,” which is what everyone remembers him as, and it is an
image he has never been able to shake.
Now he is old. He
doesn’t make movies. He smokes pot with
a man who once played a kid sidekick in a TV show they were on together. His wife has left and his daughter doesn’t
speak to him. If I didn’t know any
better, I would think this was a typical biography picture. Based on the life of someone who was once a
winner but is now a loser. I certainly
see several of those a year, so why would this be any different? In some ways, it’s not. True, Lee is not based on a real person. But he does follow a pattern. He does fit into a stereotype. When it is revealed that he has cancer it is
not much of a twist for the audience.
Usually there is something there that makes a man like Lee want to
improve his circumstances, and shortly after getting the news he goes to the
people he is most estranged from and tells them “I’m going to make a movie.”
Why does he tell people he’s going to make a movie? Is that something to brag about? Is he trying to endear them to him? Why bother when there isn’t even a movie in
the works? The answer, I believe, is
that he is trying to convince himself that he is not down for the count. That he still has a lot worth living for. He goes to estranged family members because
he’s hoping that maybe – just MAYBE – they’ll find that impressive! They do not.
And so, ‘The Hero’ spends his days smoking weed and dating a girl who is
half his age. Yes, this pretty much is a
standard biopic. The only reason it likely
isn’t seeing a wide release is because it is a fictional story and not based on
a real person. Plus, westerns aren’t
really popular with audiences any more, adding discredit to Lee’s delusional
lie. So, in most cases, I would give
“The Hero” an average grade and move on with my life.
The reason this one gets a recommendation is because of Sam
Elliott’s emotional performance. It is
what a movie like this requires, but it still works. We like Lee a lot. As far as washed up dead beat actors go, he
is a likable and (at times) honorable man.
He does not commit any grievous sins nor was he abusive. In fact, the most powerful scene involves his
daughter telling him why she thought he hated her, and it dawns on him how
years of silence was birthed out of a simple misunderstanding. That hits hard. It goes to show that with a little more
communication, much of this could have been avoided. “The Hero” is rather predicable as you
probably noticed from this rather by-the-numbers review. It is unlikely to be remembered in the long
haul, but a sensitive screenplay coupled with a winning performance by Elliott
makes it a story worth seeking out regardless.
|
|
|
|
| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is some drug use, some brief strong language, and a non-graphic sex scene. Recommended for ages 16 and up.
|