HOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOLY SHIT, I LOVED "Hesher"! Not just loved in that "Wow! What a movie!" kinda way, but loved in that "this movie will forever own a piece of my soul, even if it treats me poorly or hits me(which it probably would)" kinda way. It certainly didn't hurt that the screening was scheduled almost immediately after the oh-so-disappointing "High School", and it REALLY didn't hurt that the movie was FUCKING AWESOME!!!!AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! IM SCREAMING!
"Hesher" is the story of a family in ruins. Having just suffered the loss of his mother, our young hero(?) TJ is not coping well. His father, Paul(played BRILLIANTLY by Rainn Wilson) is frustrated, defeated, and relying on pills to ease his pain. The rock of their family comes in the form of the grandmother, Madeleine(Piper Laurie, who has immersed herself in thie role almost to the point of non-recognition), who wants nothing more than to be noticed by her family.
TJ is feeling rebellious and angry and decides to take it out on a random window. He smashes the glass and is immediately introduced to the true hero of the movie, Hesher. Hesher(Joseph Gordon Levitt in yet another role that proves he will be remembered as one of the greats) is a mystery. On the surface he looks like your average heavy metal-er: skinny, dirty, and tatooed all over his body. Underneath his exterior is a...well..I'm not sure. I do know that he's a deep guy, just not sure how deep. We don't know where he's from, how he got to be the way he is, or how he has managed to stay out of jail. We do know that he appears to have no family, no friends, and a dirty old van that he probably lives in. Hesher doesn't give a fuck about rules. Hesher doesn't give a fuck about watching his mouth. Hesher smokes like a chimney, listens to heavy metal, and gets off on confrontation and property destruction.
Hesher immediately invites himself to move in with TJ and his family(literally by coming inside, sitting down, and not leaving), and despite his disgustingly crass behavior, seems to fit in. Hesher's insistence upon doing whatever the fuck he feels like brings a feeling of normalcy and calm to a tumultuous family situation. TJ and his father quietly accept his presence, while Madeleine is enamored with his youthful(to her) exuberance. Enter Nicole(Natalie Portman, acting Oh-so-girl-next-door-like) to play the polar opposite of Hesher. Nicole is a loner with a mysterious past, much like Hesher. Unlike Hesher, however, her apparently troubled history has manifested itself in a soft-spoken kindness that also strikes a chord with young TJ. These two opposing mentor characters naturally attract, drawing Hesher, Nicole, and TJ into a powerfully disfunctional(and sometimes very comic) trio.
The film progesses with Hesher causing trouble, Nicole and TJ escaping the trouble, and then TJ and his family reluctantly learning something from it. It sounds predictable. It's not. Not that there are any surprises, it's just that the narrative of this movie has such a unique life to it.
"Hesher," much like it's titular character is rude, dirty, vulgar, and surprisingly brutal(you should see the beatings that young TJ takes at the hands of reckless bike rides), all the while being deep, and moralistic at heart. I can't wait to buy it and show everybody why I've been freaking out about this movie after having seen it alone at the festival. I NEED to talk to someone about this little monster, but I really can't capture the feel of this terribly unique film without saying more than I'd like.
God damn I loved this movie.
What I liked about it:
-JGL in the mo' fucking HIZ-ouse! The dude creates such a unique character with Hesher, and effectively makes you forget that its JGL behind the METAL!
-Rainn Wilson did the opposite of what he's known to do. He plays his character straight, leaving every ounce of hammy-ness on the side, only allowing his silly demeanor to ooze through ever so slightly in his mannerisms. It's brilliant. Gah!
-Devin Brochu(TJ) is an actor that I have never seen before, and only once since(in the delightfully odd "Rubber"), but despite his youth and lack of experience, he captures what its like to be a rambunctious adolescent boy. Fuck that kid from "Where the Wild Things Are". I did like that movie, but the lead was pretty unlikable throughout. Brochu is at all times likable and genuine. Also, as i've mentioned, his character takes a beating and it looks as if he may have done his own stunts, but don't quote me on it.
-The quick heavy metal music cues that punch into your ears whenever Hesher appears.
-The best bully comeuppance I think I've ever seen.
-Old ladies smoking bongs will never not be fun to watch.
-Piper Laurie played such a beautiful character. She reminded me of my very recently departed grandmother(love you Nana), and showed me a small window into what it must feel like living into one's 80s. It is truly a great performance of a very nicely written character.
-The fact that I saw this movie before any of my idiot friends, giving me ample time to overhype it, leaving them underwhelmed. I'm sick and this is fun for me.
What I didn't like about it:
-The fact that I saw this movie before any of my idiot friends, giving me ample time to overhype it, leaving them underwhelmed.
-Nothing. Even the sappy ending has a hard enough edge to keep me satisfied.
Would this movie have benefitted from Tom Hanks?
In such a perfectly cast movie, with so few characters, it would be hard to squeeze him in, buuuuuuuuuuuut I'm never above a little T to the Hanks, so maybe he could have been used as an extra. He might have worked in the role of the car impound lot manager, but since you don't know who that is, it makes no difference. Of course an alternate version with Hanks AS Hesher might be worth sinking a few millions into(this would be shot entirely for my entertainment, since releasing a remake to theaters would be a sin against humanity).
If this were a musical, what would be the title song?
It would play out in the style of a rock-opera, only much heavier. The title would be "Hey! Rock YOU!"
Going into the movie what did I expect?
To quote my friend who scooped me on the movie(and then couldn't come see it): "Duuuuude it's about some heavy metal dude that fucks shit up and sets fires and stuff. Its supposed to be funny but dude get this.....the heavy metal guy, ya know, Hesher, is played by, dude wait for it......JOSEPH GORDON LEVITT!" that is all I knew, and as a result I expected to see the best movie ever.
Were my expectations met?
Yes, which is such a metal thing for a movie to do.
My review for the box:
"This movie made me want to go see this movie again!"
So long credibility...10 out of 10!!!!
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