T.J. Forney (Devin Brochu) is a little boy, who after a tragic accident, in which his mother died, has to deal with his own grief, a depressed father (Rainn Wilson) and a bully at school. One day he runs into Hesher, a metal kid who more or less lives out of his van, drinks and smokes all the time and speaks in strange metaphors. Hesher starts following T.J. around to a point, where he actually moves in with his family. Slowly they build some weird sort of relationship, which ultimately helps to address a few pink elephants within the Forney home.
The trailer for "Hesher" promised a whole different, way more radical and interesting film than the finished product delivers. In the end, T.J.'s problems are clichéd: Mom died, no one understands him, he's getting bullied. As simple as the problems are the solutions: T.J. falls in love with a girl from the supermarket (Natalie Portman) and finds an older brother figure in Hesher, who for all his anti-social tendencies seems to resonate with everyone around him, offering meaningful advice in just a few vulgar words.
The main problem is that this is all completely unbelievable. Why is Hesher there? Why does everyone accept him in the house? What are his motivations. Some people have compared this movie to "Visitor Q", but that film was so far out, one didn't have to bother looking for answers. "Hesher", however, is fairly standard indie fare. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character isn't nearly as edgy or impressive as the writers intended him to be. In fact, he's really annoying. Maybe it would help, if we got to know anything about his background, if more people than just T.J. questioned the character in the movie, but that never happens. It all remains shallow, up to the big realisation that people overcome their grief, when they start shaving again.
With good performances by Brochu and Wilson "Hesher" is a solid comedy/drama, but it doesn't tread on any new territory as the trailer had us believe.
The trailer for "Hesher" promised a whole different, way more radical and interesting film than the finished product delivers. In the end, T.J.'s problems are clichéd: Mom died, no one understands him, he's getting bullied. As simple as the problems are the solutions: T.J. falls in love with a girl from the supermarket (Natalie Portman) and finds an older brother figure in Hesher, who for all his anti-social tendencies seems to resonate with everyone around him, offering meaningful advice in just a few vulgar words.
The main problem is that this is all completely unbelievable. Why is Hesher there? Why does everyone accept him in the house? What are his motivations. Some people have compared this movie to "Visitor Q", but that film was so far out, one didn't have to bother looking for answers. "Hesher", however, is fairly standard indie fare. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character isn't nearly as edgy or impressive as the writers intended him to be. In fact, he's really annoying. Maybe it would help, if we got to know anything about his background, if more people than just T.J. questioned the character in the movie, but that never happens. It all remains shallow, up to the big realisation that people overcome their grief, when they start shaving again.
With good performances by Brochu and Wilson "Hesher" is a solid comedy/drama, but it doesn't tread on any new territory as the trailer had us believe.