When I randomly clicked “add to queue” when Netflix prompted me with this and five or six other movies based on a movie I did want to see, I really don’t remember anything strikingly vivid about the description other than reading it was a man who turned to drugs to deal with his pain. It was enough to earn a yes-click from me. I don’t even think the description had any of the actors’ names in it. So when the disc showed up in the mail, I tossed it to the side for a few days while watching other movies in my queue and some of my favorite shows. Then, on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I decided to give the movie a chance. I never thought it would be one that I would write about. In all honesty, I probably only review about 30-35% of the movies that I see. I require myself to review the ones that I think will be up for Oscar nominations and then pick and choose the other ones. I would say that more frequently than not, I avoid reviewing the big blockbusters. Director Brett Haley’s (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Hearts Beat Loud) 2017 The Hero was neither an Oscar contender nor a big blockbuster. And it was a movie that we’ve seen on screen many times (including two times a decade ago that earned their lead actors Oscar nominations) which would be another reason for me not to review it as I’m big on originality. But this movie kept me interested and invested in the characters while keeping me away from my phone, computer, or other distractions. When a movie can do that, I’ll often give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a review.
Sam Elliot (Tombstone, Road House) stars in a rare leading role. At the age of 72, Elliot is similar to James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman in the sense that he has a very recognizable voice. However, he is dissimilar in our ability to rattle off the names of movies he has starred in. In The Hero, he plays Lee Hayden, a forgotten western movie star 40 years removed from the one performance in his career that he was recognized for. Now he’s living off residual checks and the occasional voice-over gigs he gets (for this movie, we see him recite a tagline for a barbecue sauce his promoting a good 10-15 times). We also learn that he’s dying of terminal pancreatic cancer. Distraught, depressed, and completely alone, rather than tackling the illness he knows he cannot beat, he instead tries to get one final shot at glory on a movie set and also reconnect with his 34-year-old daughter Lucy (Krysten Ritter – Netflix’s Jessica Jones, Big Eyes) who he’s largely been an absentee father from. We see his heartfelt attempts. But, ultimately, he doesn’t succeed with her. He has a friendly relationship with his ex-wife Valarie (Katharine Ross – Donnie Darko, The Stepford Wives). Through his attempts with his daughter and ex-wife, we know he’s not a bad guy. He’s just a guy who, like many of us, is flawed.
The other way he attempts to deal with the physical pain of his cancer is through the use of marijuana that he gets from former co-television star turned drug dealer Jeremy (Nick Offerman – The Founder, television’s Parks and Recreation). The two clearly have a definite bond. Jeremy is clearly Lee’s best friend, and neither is a man whose life is filled with rainbows and unicorns. Lee is battling his depression the best way he knows how. And, as previously mentioned, that includes not trying to beat a disease he feels is incurable. When Lee isn’t at home, he’s with Jeremy at his place. Their relationship is a natural one. Both have experienced hardship since their days of having legit work as actors. Lee meets Charlotte (Laura Prepon – Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, The Girl on the Train), who also visits Jeremy for drugs and conversation. They strike an instant connection, though unlike the leads in both The Wrestler and Crazy Heart, Lee knows he’s well over the hill and can’t think of a way that Charlotte would have any romantic interest in. My biggest complaint about The Wrestler and, particularly Crazy Heart, is that these older men, each with major problems, can still pick up these younger, beautiful women. But it’s a little different in The Hero. As mentioned, this movie is much more subdued. It’s much more natural. Its characters are just as complex, but more like they could be people who live next door to you.
When Charlotte expresses an interest in Lee, he’s, of course, flattered. But he quickly wonders why. And why wouldn’t he be? He has no money. He’s more than 30 years her superior. He’s an absent father. Sure, he’s nice, but what else is there. As Charlotte mentions a couple of times, “There are no rules to who you are attracted to.” On their first date, he takes Charlotte to a dinner reception where Lee receives a lifetime achievement award from the Western Appreciation and Preservation Guild. Little does he know that she had the two of them wash down some Molly pills with some champagne in the limo ride over. We get a glimpse of a carefree Lee, pain-free at the moment, and living outside the everyday predicaments of his life usually weighs him down. He’s all smiles, cracking jokes, having friendly conversations with people he normally wouldn’t be talking to. And the high as a kite, acceptance speech that he gives the for his award where he calls someone he’s never met to the stage and says that she’s deserving of the award. The speech goes viral, and suddenly Lee is back in the spotlight (again…to a much lesser extent than the leads in The Wrestler or Crazy Heart).
But there’s more than meets the eye here. Whereas Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart) or Randy “The Ram Robinson (Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler) are thrust back into the limelight for one last shot, Lee merely gets an offer of an audition. He doesn’t have immediate moments of glory for one last run. And he still has to deal with his cancer, mending his relationship with his daughter, and trying to handle being in a relationship with a woman where he doesn’t feel extremely secure. It feels much more real than the two movies I keep comparing it to. Whereas the relationship between Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart felt so unrealistic, it hurt the movie (what was the point in not having a woman who we could believe could be interested in Bridges) and the one between Rourke and Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler not that much better, the one between Charlotte and Lee felt more realistic to me because she pursued him and he questioned it. Just like Gyllenhaal and Tomei, Prepon’s character was hardened by life’s experiences, but she knew what she wanted much more than these other two actresses in their movies. It made a difference for me in terms of the relationship.
Haley’s flexible direction is perfectly restrained. Is it still predictable? Yeah, it’s still fairly predictable…to an extent. You certainly have an idea of where it is headed. However, you aren’t quite sure of how it’s going to get there. Elliot’s and Prepon’s characters are colorful for sure, and you might be thinking about this movie much longer after it’s over than you thought you might. It’s the direction, the performances of its leads, and its subdued nature that separate this from other stories that are similar in nature. I certainly still recommend the two classics I’ve mentioned before that I’d watch this one. But if you enjoyed either Crazy Heart and/or The Wrestler, there is no reason for me to think that you won’t enjoy this film.
Plot 8.5
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 8.5/10
Cinematography 8.5/10
Sound 8.5/10
Hook and Reel 8.5/10
Universal Relevance 8.5/10
85.5%