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Elliott’s Strong Performance Strains To Keep ‘The Hero’ Afloat

In between the real-life scenes, Lee has frequent dream sequences that place him in his most famous part — the title character of a 40-year-old film called “The Hero.” When Lee attends his awards gala, the attendees watch a scene from the film, but rather than having viewers watch an artificial young CGI version of Elliott, director Brett Haley keeps the camera square on Lee sitting uncomfortably in the audience, wearing an empty stare that tells you everything you need to know about how he’s feeling.

Laura Prepon and Sam Elliott in “The Hero.” (Source: Deseret News via Beth Dubber, The Orchard)

Then again, his stare could also be the result of the drugs he took before the ceremony. There is an awful lot of drug use in “The Hero.”

That dark stare is one of the few things that holds “The Hero” together. Lee’s relationship with his daughter is thinly developed, as is his dynamic with Valarie. The relationship with Charlotte is curious — then gets stranger when he learns she’s a standup comic who is using her May-December relationship as stage material. All the threads show potential, and “The Hero” is watchable, but outside of Elliott, there isn’t much to put Haley’s film at the top of your must-see list.

“The Hero” is rated R for drug use, language and some sexual content; running time: 93 minutes.

Source: Deseret News, Elliott’s strong performance strains to keep ‘The Hero’ afloat

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