Review of Hesher (2010) by Richard M — 12 Sep 2011
He bears long, dark, stringy hair, lots of tattoos of gun violence and he has a thing for porn. He's Hesher, and played with rampant raw energy and verve by the ever-talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
And he's just walked into the lives of a family on the verge. The son (Devin Brochu, wonderful) is a victim of school bullying, his father (Rainn Wilson) is totally closed off emotionally, while put-upon grandma (Piper Laurie, good to see you) does her best to enact some sense of normalcy, since the mother passed away in a car accident.
In that scenario, debuting director Spencer Susser tosses Hesher, who is good at manipulating just about anyone, save for a sweet checkout girl (Natalie Portman) the kid is crushing on.
Portman also served as the film's executive producer, a true testament to her indie spirit. Hesher is flawed, most definitely, but's it's all full of surprises and even some real touching moment, with top-notch performances from the likes of Wilson and especially Gordon-Levitt (who is heartbreaking and hilarious in the upcoming 50/50), who makes every moment count. You could do worse than Hesher.
This review of Hesher (2010) was written by Richard M on 12 Sep 2011.
Hesher has generally received positive reviews.
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