American Hero

It's a very decent movie but it's NØT really about superheroes. It's about the life of a self proclaimed drug addicted, lazy A-hole who happens to have telekinesis.

That's the story of my life, as it is for many. "I could quit bad habits and write a novel, but I'm stuck in my couch watching other peoples dream instead, as the years go by." I'm going to show this movie to my young neighbour following the same path: "I'll be an astronaut one day, but right now, I'll just have a joint in the bath tub." Steven Dorff is great in this role: sincere and sober (his acting, not the character). He is highly credible as a drunk cokehead and pothead. The realism is reinforced by the handshake camera and a couple of winks at the cameraman. I'm a fan of inclusions of supernatural into a realistic story: a movie is a fiction, so why being limited by the lows of physics? On the other hand, when a movie starts talking supernatural, it usually becomes a central point, leaving the characters soulless. Making digressions from a realistic comedy into a magical world is not common, except in some Latin American movies. They are often misunderstood by the viewers, as they aren't complying to knows standards. When lows of physics are breached to serve the story, I find it perfectly acceptable. Aren't teleportation, flying and telekinesis common in night dreams?

Been fans of them since the 90's I also watched to see parts of New Orleans which I did recognize lol I do love it there and can't wait to go back. So so movie at least it don't look like it was filmed with a potato.

It may be strange that a mockumentary crew follows a random underachiever guy who just lost custody of his son and sent to community service. After a while it turns out he has special power, a straight up X-Men material also accompanied by his best buddy in wheelchair. The movie later follows his squandered life, which is quite identifiable because he struggles with daily problems even with his superpower, although the cycle of his drug abuse can be monotonous at the end.

Superheroes movies usually opt for mix of fantasy, using outlandish power, and connection to the character, displaying their flaws to humanize them. American Hero clearly leans towards the latter as Melvin (Stephen Dorff) stumbles even on ordinary problems, let alone crime fighting. He looks stoned and disheveled almost the entire time. There's a good quality in his character, though one must look deep enough.

I remember Stephen Dorff from Blade as the cool named antagonist Deacon Frost, as Melvin he's the complete opposite, albeit ironically still with super power. Melvin is talented and smart even without the gift, yet he's using the telekinesis power to grope women with random objects and score drugs. The movie invests so much on establishing that he's a screw up, it has repetitive party montage for a good portion of the runtime, which tends to get stale after a while.

Eddie Griffin as Lucille, the sidekick in wheelchair is also Melvin's moral compass. He's a charismatic comedian, cracking jokes and having tendency to flirt with women, but he presents good brotherhood relationship for Melvin. It's also nice that the movie adds some interviews with supporting chars to establish heroic or mundane atmosphere as well as adding slight realistic flavor.

This is in heart, a comedy drama, not an ambitious use of super power like Chronicle. It does have solid special effect for some sequences, but it's still limited and might not look superbly authentic. The ones that work better are those seemingly happen out of nowhere and its use of mockumentary serves these tricks well.

American Hero might not be as grand as the title or premise suggests, but it brings more connection with the characters than larger sci-fi or action movies. Melvin is not the hero we deserve, he's the one we will have to make do.

I really enjoyed watching this movie. That said, I went in with very little expectations and I did not expect it to be Man of Steel or even Hancock. If all you want to see is a Hollywood superhero action movie, then this is not the movie for you.

This movie is about a guy with superpowers, not a superhero. It's depiction is much more down to earth, mundane, and realistic compared to the glamorous and romantic depiction of people with super powers in other movies like The Marvel and DC films.

It's about a pretty average, albeit really irresponsible guy who deals with his own personal issues.. he also just so happens to have telekinesis. I say give it a chance unless you want an action packed "superhero" movie.