Hesher

I admit, it is a taboo for crewmen on a film to make a comment about it... sometimes you can be sued and can often breed bad mojo. However, I extend my neck on the chopping block for this film because not only because a few months of my life were spent on 14+ hours days with this cast/ crew/ and director but it was a... unique... project.

This was an unusual film to work on. Start with a Writer/Director who's fervently passionate about his work (...okay, I've seen that before) but with a twist. Add an almost impossible idealism in a man of school boy enthusiasm whose facial expression varied between, "I won the girl of my dreams," "Yeah, that's it... but do it again(and again)" to watching that hopeful idealism melt away as though you just told the persevering child that ha-ha you won't be an astronaut but rather a feeble emasculated yes man to a control freak wife. To say the Director was passionate about making his story real, real meaning matching that fully developed story that had vividly existed in the inner invaginations of his brain for years, doesn't begin to convey the sheer depth of it.

Firstly, the cast was phenomenal. Mr. Wilson especially was an amazing actor to watch perform. It is a subtle character of nominal lines but without a word he was able to convey an impressive character. The production could not have hoped for a better casting in this part.

Mr. Levitt was, as I believe most already know, a pro. His professionalism and seemingly innate ability to portray his character, to bring his character to life, was amazing to watch and a pleasure to work with.

Now we come to Devin as T.J. The lengths this gentleman was put to was intense. Yet never a complaint. Brushed himself off, caught his breath, and did it again. My compliments to Devin for his amazing dedication to his character and this film. I've never seen a new actor his age work so hard, diligently, and without complaint.

Now to the film. The script is not easy to read, painful in fact as the dialog slaps you in the face at least every other line. I confess I had my apprehensions at first... it seemed just too much.

However, these apprehensions faded as the type of the script was performed to the mind's eye of the Director and Cast. This film is very much about the not said, but the movements/ actions/ expressions. The subtle, and the beneath the surface story that is so much closer to truth and reality and than the superficial first glance.

Look at the typeface only, and the superficial facade of the characters will be all you see and doing so will fall nicely in line with the design of the characters' protective layers. Scratch deeper, or simply pay attention to what the characters are really portraying... The moorings and underpinnings in these characterizations, and how they combine into the plot, gives a profound yet simplistic look at human behavior and how people cope with identity, loss, and the need to be loved.

My hat off to this amazing cast, it's crew, and Mr. Susser.

Dark. Very, very dark, and profane, and vulgar, and raw, and rough, and funny and sacrilegious and did I mention vulgar. But I loved it! It's real life. This film yields one the most interesting discussions about how God is speaking through films. A fracked-up family. A pryomaniacal, head-banging, angel of death. A sweet and sexy grocery clerk. And Metallica music… what more do you need? This film is Psalm 88. It's a boy screaming to the heavens, "Why God? Where are You? Why don't you help me?" It's a once happy and bright life ruined by a car wreck. A mother killed. A son trying to be a man. A father dealing with depression. And a strange, reluctant "savior" that brings the family to the precipice of death; and life.

I think the greatest theme in this film comes when Hesher says he lost a (body part), but he has another one. Yes, the boy lost his mom, and his dad his wife, but they still have each other. Life is completely messed up, but we have each other.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Natalie Portman, Rainn Wilson, Devin Brochu: beautifully acted. This film is the epitome of Beauty from Ugliness, Life from Death, Sacred from Profane.

OK , first of all i must admit i am not the type that likes deep drama arty farty movies so i expected not much from this but you never know when you get to watch another Dancer in the Dark or Trainspotting and the music looked tempting so i gave it a shot.

If you want to know what the movie is about read the other reviews , they cover it way better than i ever could but i simply had to write something here to let the world know this is worth the effort.

Funny , gritty , painful with a storyline that reminded me of Charles Bukowski. As a metalhead i of course liked the movie and Hesher reminds me of some of my mates. Bit rough on the edges but real and good people . Finally a writer who looks past the clichés of metal morons. Of course the brilliant acting helps a lot . I admit you have to work at the movie but it sure is worth it in the end . Go watch this movie , i assure you it will make you laugh and it will make you think and don't we wish we had more of those flicks to see

For a film like this you've really got to ask what you want. A lot of people I know might not like it or really get it. I was looking for something a bit different to watch by myself, to engorge myself in. It's properly crude (in US terms) but that's kind of the point I think. I watch a lot of films and this one made me register to IMDb as I think it's probably under-rated. The acting is GOOD throughout. The cast is good (especially the kid...if the kids in Harry Potter were half that good we'd see them a lot in movies in the future...we won't) and the vibe is excellent. It's original without trying too hard and it didn't make me feel like I'd seen this film before. The other reviews seem to sum up the premise pretty much so I won't bother. I think this film could've gone bad many times over but the quality of it holds it together. It's a bit odd, a bit wrong, a bit sad, funny, witty, intelligent, brave and charming. I may be over egging this pudding but this film very nearly slipped under my radar and I'm very glad it didn't. When I'm hunting I reckon this is the kind of review I'd like to read to fire me up a bit. Eternal Sunshine meets No country for old men......or something :-)

I feel compelled to write a review on this film, but I'm just not sure what to focus on or how to outline what I loved about it. The story is so unique, and so left of centre, that it's very hard to describe, let alone break down and review. When attempting to describe it to a friend, I found it very difficult, as it just sounds so crazy. It makes one think, how could this be that enjoyable. All I could really say was, 'you have to watch this film!', as it made me smile, laugh and connect, from opening scene to closing credits.

After seeing the trailer for this, I was immediately interested. Mainly because of the crazy, ab-lib, don't-give-a-s**t nature of Hesher, actually reminded me of a friend, and this friend's antics and philosophy on life always amuse me, and more often than not, enlighten me to how this crazy world can be, and how you really shouldn't take things so seriously. Having such excitement for an upcoming film, you can quite often be let down. Luckily for me Hesher stood up, and was everything I hoped it would be, and more.

I found the story to be simply brilliant. So random and unpredictable you never really knew where it was going, or what was going to happen next. I loved the way in which Hesher makes he's first appearance in the film, and how he somehow, without trying (so it seems), finds he's place in Grandma's home. The dialogue was simply gold and oh so funny at times, that it made me want to re-watch the film as soon as it concluded, to pick up on the quick wit and laugh all over again. The scene at the pool was definitive for me. So funny and so strange. I couldn't help but enjoy and admire the way Hesher went about things in that scene, letting himself completely go, without a fear of consequence. Acting on he's most primal impulse. Not so much in anger, but in freedom, and having fun at the expense of a few 'versatile solutions for modern living'.

Hesher is an amazing character, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is brilliant. This might sound ridiculous to some, but I think it was worthy of an award, as this is a true embodiment of a character. There is no Joseph Gordon-Levitt in this film, there's only Hesher. I haven't seen that many of Joseph's movies, but I do remember '500 Days Of Summer', and this is polar opposites as far as role is concerned, and not many actors could make such a leap, convincingly. I also became a fan of Natalie Portman after this. I love the fact she took on a role that was so different. Her character's plainness, honesty, and self-confessed faults, made her simply beautiful to watch throughout. Devin Brochu as the main boy which the story revolves around is amazing. He's level of dramatic execution is spot on in every scene, and he's so believable as TJ. The film has such rich characters, which are all played to perfection. The Grandma is also worthy of a mention, providing so much love to an otherwise somewhat tragic story.

This film manages to mix humour, sadness and heart like very few films can. Its films like this that can pick people up and put them back on their feet. It actually made me feel better about life, and less worried about the ridiculous incidentals that can make us anxious and get us down. I'm not sure how this film managed to tap into such thoughts and emotions, but somehow it did. There is no comparative circumstance in the film for me, nor is there an obvious message that everyone can relate to, it is simply a story with colourful characters, with simple lives, told in such a unique and crazy way, that for some reason you commit to it and totally embrace it, only to feel on top of the world for having done so.