Review of Hesher (2010) by Thomas W — 21 Sep 2011

Hesher comes to us in an unconventional package ... he's pierced, has stringy long hair and is covered in self-made tattoos. He likes loud music and burning things up and enjoys porn. He isn't overly talkative and has a tough-rough exterior .

.. which makes his inner soul all the more surprising. Hesher is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra) who comes into the life of the troubled teen, TJ (Devin Brochu) after TJ throws a rock through Hesher's window.

TJ is than followed by Hesher and Hesher eventually moves into TJ's own house (sure!) ... as TJ's father (Rainn Wilson - Super, "The Office", Juno) and grandmother (Piper Laurie - "Twin Peaks", Carrie, The Faculty) raise no objections.

The father is still grieving over the loss of his wife in an automobile accident and his grandmother likes having someone around who'll talk to her and appreciate her cooking. TJ finds himself often-bullied, and he is rescued another time (as there is no Hesher around this time) by a young woman played by Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Garden State, The Professional), a down-on-her-luck grocery store clerk, who sees it as her duty to protect those less-fortunate and smaller than herself.

Her and TJ become unconventional "friends" until she catches Hesher's eye ... and TJ isn't certain how to react to that new relationship. The film -- like Hesher -- is unconventional in its appearance; but at its heart is a simple story about acceptance, loyalty, friendship and belonging.

I enjoyed Hesher and thought Gordon-Levitt's odd-and-complex character was interestingly played and layered. What we (the audience) are seeing isn't necessarily what it is we get with him. We can miss out when we misjudge a book by its cover .

.. and Hesher can be "read" in the same manner. Hesher has a soul that has been heavily-damaged ... and in his odd manner he wants to keep others from going through the same type of hardship he has endured.

We don't really know anything about Hesher; but that is part of his rock-influenced charm.