Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Hero

September 18, 2017

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The Hero

The Hero is one of several limited releases that were able to earn some measure of mainstream success, but was never able to expand even semi-wide. Is it a film that could only thrive in the art house circuit? Or does it have more mainstream appeal? Or was it too mainstream, which is why it didn’t do amazing business in art house theaters?

The Movie

Sam Elliott plays Lee Hayden, an aging movie star who made a career in Westerns, but who is now lending his voice to BBQ sauce commercials. His agent has no jobs for him, although there is a group called the Western Appreciation and Preservation Guild that wants to give him a lifetime achievement award. He gets more bad news when he goes to the doctor. He has pancreatic cancer, which is one of the more deadly forms of the disease. After looking up the survival rate for this particular form of cancer, he starts to call Lucy, who we later learn is his estranged daughter, but hangs up right away before anyone answers.

The next day, Lee heads to Jeremy Frost’s place. Jeremy also used to be an actor, but now Lee goes to Jeremy’s to buy pot and hang out. Jeremy can tell something’s wrong, but instead of talking about his diagnosis, Lee says he’s going to make a movie. Another person comes by to buy drugs, Charlotte. Lee and Charlotte have a short conversation while Jeremy is getting her drugs and the pair have a connection. Lee next meets Val, his ex-wife. They talk about Lucy a bit and Val tells him to call Lucy. Again, it looks like Lee is going to talk about his cancer diagnosis, but instead says he’s going to make a movie. Lee does take Val’s advice and meets Lucy. It isn’t exactly a warm reunion. Lee invites Lucy to the awards ceremony, but Lucy already has plans. She does agree to have dinner with Lee the following week. When Lee bumps into Charlotte, he asks her to go to the ceremony with him, thus beginning a new relationship.

The Hero is a character driven drama and we’ve introduced the characters and the setup and anything beyond that tip toes into spoiler territory.

I’m of two minds when it comes to this movie. On the one hand, there is not a lot in The Hero that stands out as unique. There have been many films about aging celebrities coming to terms with illness, end of their careers, etc. and a lot of them have better overall plots. There are a lot of clichés in this movie, including a romantic entanglement between Lee and Charlotte. I’m not complaining about Laura Prepon’s acting; she’s very good opposite Sam Elliott. That said, I don’t think this part of the movie works. The film would have been much better off cutting that part down and spending more time on the father daughter relationship. Lucy was sadly underutilized in the movie. Again, I’m not complaining about Krysten Ritter’s performance; in fact, there’s not a single bad performance in this movie. I just wish the script lived up to the talent in front of the camera.

That said, Sam Elliott is so good in this movie that despite the clichés, I can still recommend at least renting the movie. Without such a strong central performance, then it might have been worth checking out when it was on Netflix or some other subscription based service.

The Extras

The only extra on the DVD / Blu-ray is an audio commentary track. This is disappointing, but not unexpected, as limited releases rarely have a ton of extras.

The Verdict

The Hero has too many clichés to reach its potential, but a strong central performance by Sam Elliott means it is still worth your time and money. The extras on the DVD and Blu-ray are light, so call it a rental for most, a purchase for some.

Filed under: Video Review, The Hero, Sam Elliott, Nick Offerman, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Katharine Ross