There is actually one reason to see The Hero. That is Sam Elliott delivering the performance of his career. Sure, the entire film is touching, haunting, humorous, enlightening, entertaining and one of the best we’ve seen this year. That being said, the takeaway, the draw, the headline, whatever you want to call it is that Elliott has had a moment with this piece of art and it is once in a lifetime movie mastery for the veteran actor.
Elliott is Lee Hayden, a legendary actor who is in his sunset years in Hollywood. He is doing pretty well as a voice actor and still is earning raves and fame for his turn in the fictional movie from decades prior that shares this film’s title. The film within a film is something you’d expect from Elliott. It’s a western where he plays a cowboy who rises to the occasion and saves the day in a manner that has clearly resonated with audiences, generation after generation.
Hayden has not exactly been much of the movie’s moniker in his real life. He comes to terms with all of his fame, fortune and foibles when he is selected to receive a lifetime achievement award by a western film society and decides to accept the honor.
It forces him to look back while he is keenly aware that his looking forward days are somewhat numbered as a cancer diagnosis puts many things for him into perspective.
The Hero, therefore, is a stunning look at the entity that is life, as seen through a faulty hero, but one we can commiserate and cheer for simultaneously. In the hands of an actor as stellar as Elliott, it is a study in characterization that they will be teaching in acting schools for years to come. It is a performance so sublime and subtle, that if he doesn’t get an Oscar nomination, it will be the biggest snub of Oscar season, this one or any one prior!
Elliott is not alone in the awesome department as Nick Offerman shines as his former film co-star and current pot dealer. The former Parks and Recreation star dazzles again as his film work, post NBC-sitcom, has just been one stunning turn after another. Also impressive is another sitcom veteran, That 70’s Show star Laura Prepon, who brings us some delicious humor and heart as a stand up comic who befriends our Hero. In an important and central role, but one that doesn’t get as much screen time as we would have liked, finds Krysten Ritter as Hayden’s estranged daughter, Lucy.
The Hero works for those of us who adore a story centered on someone in the movie making business. But, it also shines as a celebration of life movie that will have all who witness it looking back at their own choices, memories and moments that pierce our history.
The Hero was written and directed by Brett Haley (I’ll See You In My Dreams, which also starred Elliott). His history with the legendary thespian shows as this “gift” for his favorite star clearly plays to all of Elliott’s sizeable strengths. It also takes him into some surprising areas of emotion and characterization that will have even longtime fans being surprised to discover depths in the actor’s toll box where we thought we knew all his proficiencies.
When it comes to bonus features, there really aren’t any making-of featurettes and the like. But that’s OK. This is one of those home video releases that is a must-own simply because the film itself can stand on its own. We don’t need a slew of bells and whistles on how the film was made.
What is truly fascinating is the audio commentary track that finds Haley and Elliott reminiscing about making the film and sharing priceless insight into some of the film’s greatest moments. It is a study in how a filmmaker can utilize an actor’s gifts and simultaneously challenge them in ways that elevates their talent well beyond what they thought they were capable of achieving.
Go deeper: Check out our theatrical The Hero review.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B