Héros malgré lui

Hero

source: Hero

Now I like Dustin Hoffman. The Graduate - Lenny. Say no more. But in this film he seems to have it all wrong. He plays it like a Ritzo Ratzo looking for laughs. The shambling walk - the mildly inconvenient crashing of a 200 ton airliner whilst driving on the freeway. 'Oh jeeze, better not be Quantas' he might have said. I tried seeing the whole thing as 'satire' - all those media types selling their souls for a buck but in the end the film falls between the stools of comedy and drama. The bee-stung lips of Geena Davies may hold your attention but you can only squirm as you watch Dusty sleepwalk through this production.

I saw this on HBO roughly thirty years ago. It seemed to be a very well written and acted movie. Just watched it again for the first time in almost thirty years and once again was very impressed by it along with, once again, laughing myself stupid. All those involved, inclusive of the Director, did an excellent job but in a back handed compliment, this was the best acting by Dustin Hoffman I have ever seen. I never thought well of him even with the Academy Awards he received for other films. But in this, unlike other movies he has done, you FORGET it is Dustin Hoffman. Just the scene when he calls his son and then talks to his wife, getting upset.....extraordinary acting on his part. And again, somewhat condescending I suppose, the best thing Chevy Chase ever did. It is one of those films for which if I see in DVD, will buy it just for the sake of having a good film in my possession.

The idea is very good. The execution and most of the casting is horribly out of place. Among the most obnoxious unbelievable characters is that of Chevy Chase, who after so long in showbiz, has never learned to act. Only Hoffman and Davis seem to me convincing. Everybody else is AWFUL! including Andy Garcia. But the worst sinner is the director. It was clear he did not know what type of genre he was working on. And so it goes. McQ

One of those mediocre films that many people are fooled by because it is "heartwarming". It is not a bad film. It is just not much better than average. It is a pleasant film, an enjoyable film, but it hardly ranks with It's A Wonderful Life, the paragon of this type. If IAWL is a 10, this is a 6. Look at the demographics of the vote. The highest ratings came from females under 18. Older viewers rated it as just above average. That is predictable. The older a viewer is, the more likely that the viewer has seen many films of this type. We have seen it all before - and better done. Films of this type were common during the Depression, films to buoy the spirits of a nation on the ropes.

directors/writers, watched too many Frank Capra pictures, when they concocted this awful adventure. Dustin Hoffman sleepwalks through this accountant-approved wonder, the mellowed out homeless guy, who casually saves a lot of lives, in the only good scene in the picture. SEE THE PICTURE. Chevy Chase, as the newsroom Director, who must keep an eye Hoffman and Garcia (they sit out on a high ledge, Garcia's suicide perch - he's the guy who took credit for Hoffman's heroicS) who is so bad....I can't go on...anyway, consider that his name does not appear in the movie credits. all due respect to the reviewer who called this thing a satire...but I'll call it a sad tire. (no such inspiration in the script).

Not a bad script, but Dustin Hoffman is all wrong for this role. This guy is supposed to be a total scumbag, but Hoffman comes off like a rude but amusing homeless guy - like Nick Nolte from "Down and Out in Beverly Hills". The other problem with this movie is that they tried to make it into a comedy, which this movie should not be. If they wanted to make it a comedy, it should have been funnier. Not a bad movie really, but it could have been much better.

Hero very much feels like a movie with its wholesome, uplifting story that you can always anticipate. However, it successfully blends irony and humor into a comedy of errors that also has a little more depth with its The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance theme. Not to mention its cast of quality actors who always seem to keep things intresting.

Would be a classic if they had cast Danny DeVito or Joe Pesci, or anyone who could do lovable villain in the title role. Instead Dustin Hoffman hams it up something awful and turns a would-be classic into a near-miss. Dustin is an all-time great, but something went awry with this performance (or with the direction). Geena Davis is pitch-perfect, and Andy Garcia is well-cast as the bum with movie-star looks and the heart of gold. Chucky the camera-man is classic. Blink and you'll miss Danny Baldwin foreshadowing Backdraft as a firefighter. Awaits a remake, I think.