The Movie Hero

The very talented Jeremy Sisto let his hair grow long in 2003 to play the pleasant but delusional hero of THE MOVIE HERO. Sisto imagines he is constantly performing before an audience that only he can see, and he imagines he is a hero looking for a villain to defeat. He finds his nemesis in the versatile Peter Stormare as an apparent serial killer. Along the way, he also picks up a sidekick (Antoin Thompson). The one problem is, he is an unemployed 20-something whose parents are always hoping for better from him. He eventually ends up in the office of a therapist (Dina Meyer of STARSHIP TROOPERS) whom he imagines is his "love interest." Some of this stuff is very funny, but most of the film is a series of closeups of the actors speaking directly into the camera, and they clearly were working with no budget to speak of. It shows. Worth a look by the cineaste, not the mainstream viewer.

This is a concept film that explores the role of movies as metaphors for our lives.

I personally thought it was brilliant. While never said explicitly (that would have ruined the metaphor), I liked the implied parallel of Blake's "audience" as "God" or whatever spiritual force connects people to each other.

Do movies have a role in our lives other than being our "chocolate-covered treats," something we give ourselves only when we feel we deserve a reward for all our work and hardships? Can movies in fact be nourishing? Can they inspire us to live more fulfilling, more productive lives? "The Movie Hero" addresses these questions beautifully. I completely loved it.

I saw this film at the Cleveland Film Festival, it was one of the few US films showing, so I wanted to see it, but after reading the review in the festival magazine, my expectations were low. The only reason I call this film "kind of original" is because the concept was original, yet the humor that was employed, has kind of already been done.

It is about an aspiring actor in Los Angles, who is considered a failure by most around him. Because of his failure, he creates an imaginary "audience" (that's you), that watches him as he goes through daily life. He goes to great extents to impress his audience by doing things like attacking random suspicious-looking characters on the street. After a few violations, a judge has him see a psychiatrist, and from there, things start getting a little bit more interesting.

It was a pretty upbeat movie, and a few parts had me laughing, but it mostly consisted of making-fun of common film clichés and stereotypes, and despite this, the film still employed a few of these on its own. The main character often talks directly to the audience, which gets sort of irritating and there's also this villain that runs around, who also becomes annoying. The acting was nothing special, but I will give the writer a bit of credit, sometimes you are left wondering where he will go next, but for the most part the film manages to remain entertaining. Pretty average: 5/10.

most of the critical explanations of this movie i have read are way off...this movie is brilliant and has nothing to do with being overtly charming or endearing... the dialog is complete genius as well as the underlying message..

hope

psycotic

i hate movies, yet i live in an uscripted version of dillusion and surreal reality...the film that all indie films wish it could be when they are through being pretentious and for lack of better words, boring..(from someone who respects indie films in a creative and cinematic way) learn how to script the unscripted and feed off of tragedy...

I absolutely ADORED this film! It's one of the most brilliant Indy films I have ever seen. An added bonus...The Movie Hero is also a unique lesson in film-making. Anyone who dreams to be a filmmaker needs to see this movie. If you are a not filmmaker, but love the art, you'll especially love this one. I've always thought of life cinematically, so this film absolutely worked for me!

For the first few minutes, I thought, "This is going to be a bit lame. How are they going to pull this off?" Jeremy Sisto is the reason this films works and the reason I hung in. I'm so glad I did! His performance of Blake, a man who believes his life is being filmed and his "audience" relies on him, was utterly delightful. I've never seen Sisto in anything, but now he's on my "must watch" list. If he blesses all of his films the joy and sincerity he gave to The Movie Hero, I can't wait to see more of him.

I also loved Brian White as "The Side Kick." I've never seen White before, but he was fun to watch and seemed very into his character. He and Sisto made a great team. (BTW, White resembles Keanu Reeves to me, and makes me wonder if they are related in any way.) Also in this film is Peter Stormare, who is a good actor but always creeps me out-even in his Volkswagon commercial! I actually enjoyed him in this, even tho he was supposed to creep you out-I found him creepy in a pleasant way.

Anyone who tells you this film is a waste of time has no sense of whimsy, no heart, and has lost contact with their inner child. The Movie Hero is a rather interesting metaphor for life. I plan on buying this DVD. I especially can't wait to view it with the commentary...which, when you think about it, could be a bit redundant! LOL!

I don't feel the need to tell you too much about it. Just pop some corn, relax and ENJOY this clever, uplifting, thought provoking film! I found it so sweet and lovely, it really made my day.