The Hero

A film about an ageing actor. Lee Hayden once appeared in a western and became known for it. Forty years have passed; now he does voice work, speaks in advertisements and repeats the same line over and over in a studio booth. His doctor gives him a bad diagnosis. He tells nobody. He is estranged from his daughter, rarely speaks to his former wife, and the only person he sees regularly is the neighbour he buys weed from. Then an award ceremony comes up. A small society is going to honour him. At the same time he meets a much younger woman and a relationship begins. What the film is interested in is not a career but what is left. Lee made one good film in forty years and knows it himself. The narrative is calm; there is no large event and the film follows his days. Sam Elliott plays Lee; the part was written directly for him. Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, Krysten Ritter and Katharine Ross are in the cast. Brett Haley directed. A well-acted film for anyone who likes character-driven drama and quiet storytelling. For a viewer expecting incident, it is slow and small in scale.