Review by Alex, Film Forager, Blogspot.com

February 1, 2009

I dig movies about movies and movie-lovers. It's like, hey, I can so relate to this. These are people who know more about movies than about real life. In The Movie Hero, protagonist Blake Gardner (Jeremy Sisto) wanders around Los Angeles talking to an an audience (us) only he can see. He believes everyone, as the star of their own movie, is followed around constantly by invisible viewers. A failed actor supported by his parents, he watches movies like crazy and tries to provide entertainment for his beloved audience. Knowing himself to be the Hero, he seeks out Supicious Character (Peter Stormare), whom he assigns as his natural arch-nemesis.

He also picks up a Sidekick, Antoine Thompson (Brian J White), to take some of the work off of his shoulders and provide the witty banter. Eventually Blake is lawfully required to undergo therapy, resulting in his introduction to Elizabeth Orlando (Dina Meyer), his Love Interest. Now he must figure out a way to convince her they should be together, despite her intellectual Doomed Fiancé Jonathan (Carlos Jacott), who will probably mistreat her or cheat on her or something. The rest of the film jumps around between therapy sessions, fighting Suspicious Character, and one-on-one conversations with the audience. Is Blake just hallucinating or is he really the hero of his own movie?

The concept alone was enough for me to be way into this movie. Blake was a really likable character to whom I could totally relate. For example, he loved movies a whole lot! He just wanted to feel like he was worth something- he'd been given a really easy life and wanted to justify the fact that he never had to work for anything, never had anything to overcome. With his audience to impress he feels the need to be brave, romantic, and noteworthy. Sisto plays him affably and earnestly: the character propels this movie forward more than the actual plot, which was a bit lackluster. The structure was too loose, causing the story to drag at parts and wander around aimlessly at others. I think a lot of the Suspicious Character stuff was done poorly; it felt out of place some of the time and wasn't developed well. I get that it was more poking fun at movie cliches, etc, but I guess I just found the scenes with Love Interest or Blake himself more interesting and more true.

The Movie Hero was really enjoyable because of the fun concept and good performances. It could have been better developed story-wise (and the climax was rushed), but since it was Brad T. Gottfred's first writing/directing venture I can definitely forgive that and dig it for everything else. Worth checking out for a laid back but innovative movie-watching experience.

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