One to Watch
Added 9/17/2008
"Imaginary Heroes" is an unusual domestic drama that hangs together most of the time. Jeff Daniels plays Ben Travis, a father whose son embodies his dreams for athletic awards in swimming. When son Matt decides to shoot himself, it ruins his father's dreams. Jeff Daniels becomes so depressed that he is almost immobilized. Sigourney Weaver plays his mischievious wife who tries to bury the blues by smoking illegal substances. I recently watched Kip Pardue in Loggerheads. His brief appearance as Matt is impressive. Emile Hirsch was nominated for Best Actor by the Screen Actors Guild for "Into the Wild" last year. Here, he plays Matt's brother Tim who is not athletic and cannot embody his father's dreams. Tim's buddy Kyle, played by Ryan Donowho, lives next door. One night the friends become more than friends, which leads to quite a bit of self-examination on Tim's part. Michelle Williams who had an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition) plays sister Penny Travis who pops home from college periodically. Director Dan Harris seems very young in the DVD extra interviews, but with a vision for this film. It received "Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking" from the National Board of Review. I didn't altogether buy Weaver as the mother; she seemed removed from the tragedy to me. The excellent performance of Jeff Daniels makes this film one to watch. Enjoy!
3 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Really very good.
Added 9/9/2008
I expected this movie to be good but I didn't expect it to be a five star movie. Well, it is. The acting is superb. Sigourney Weaver and Emile Hirsch have the most screen time but the supporting cast is also excellent, with Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams and Ryan Donowho, whom I haven't heard about before. The performances, together with a good story, made for a movie that was really touching and engaging in a way that, for example, The Squid and the Whale, didn't. Highly recommended.
4 out of 4 people found this helpful.
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Imaginary Heroes movie
Added 8/10/2008
Sigourney Weaver is always worth it, even in a strange film. The plot's a bit odd, but I like it. Four-star rating!!!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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Imaginary Heroes - A Movie Of Character Studies, A Movie For Actors
Added 3/30/2008
Imaginary Heroes
It's amazing the contrasting reactions this movie has illicited. Some people dislike it's slow pace and some seem bothered that it's theme, the disintegrating American family, has been portrayed before by better known and more glamorous films. That's no surprise. All of those points are valid to a degree, but they do not take into account the main audience for this movie: actors or lovers of acting.
Yes, the pacing is rather slow, yet there are movies that are made where this is intentional. The end result is that you have no fanfare, no quick plot progressions. You are just left with the mundane feelings of everyday life. And really, for most people, isn't that what life is?
Yes it's true, suicide is a common theme, and the movie gives away the main plot element right in the beginning, so no spoiler there. Yet how do people deal with losing a brother, a son, a friend? Each character's reaction is a testament to great writing and great acting as well. And it takes great directing to bring those two things together.
This movie is hard to watch because it's supposed to be. While it's not a great "film-watching" experience, it is an excellent study of various acting techniques. Therefore, students of acting or actors will find a lot to admire here.
Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams and Emile Hirsh all show tremendous range here, and each does it using very distinct and different techniques. We have method acting, sense memory, character acting and some plain old amazing acting. Some of those differences are subtle but if you watch this a few times the effect is impressive.
Yes, the slow pacing and lack of groundbreaking themes perhaps make this a 3 star movie at best, yet the incredible performances and well written material deserve a 4 star rating.
Don't watch this movie with any other movie in mind. Let this movie stand on it's own. If you are able to reflect and enjoy studying how actors work, then this movie is for you. If you're looking for a fun Friday night movie, you may want to check out something else.
Enjoy.
10 out of 10 people found this helpful.
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Understanding families
Added 2/29/2008
Dan Harris is mostly well known for his writing efforts with Bryan Singer (for whom he wrote X2-United and Superman Returns)."Imaginary Heroes" opened in 2004 to mostly lukewarm reviews, most of them comparing the film to Robert Redford's "Ordinary People". Dan Harris actually managed to create a film that is captivating, dynamic and filled with well developed characters, that are really well flushed out by his wonderful cast. The film could've easily fallen into "film of the week" material, but it never does, mostly thanks to the really intelligent script and the great performances of the entire cast. Jeff Daniels is as always great, playing the absent and demanding father, Emile Hirsch is a revelation playing the young son trying to find his own identity, but the show really belongs to Sigourney Weaver. This is a great role for her - it mixes humor with poignant drama, and she gets a chance to really bring those elements together. A film definitely worth checking out.
5 out of 5 people found this helpful.
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Emile Hirsch did an Outstanding Performance
Added 10/26/2009
Though this movie had a beautiful cinematic look, I felt the pacing was a bit slow and at times dragged to the point of needing fast forwarding. As the synopsis is available I will not go in depth with the Plot, however I will mention I felt the movie was a bit too "heavy" for my tastes and lacked any light moments or uplifting tones (which I believe was the intentions of the filmmakers - therefore they did accomplish their desired effect), ultimately I felt the movie was depressing to watch and the closure of the film left me aghast.
However Emile Hirsch did an Outstanding Performance; he is a very talented young man! I also enjoyed his performance in Imaginary Heroes with Sigourney Weaver (another somewhat disturbing Movie about family tragedy and the grieving process).
If you're in for a slow paced, heavy drama, dealing with the pain of loss and the suffering of the grieving process this might be the movie for you. It is beautifully shot film and has some powerful performances worth the stars I've given it, however it's just a little too depressing for my tastes.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Amazing Work
Added 8/24/2009
A story of fourteen year old teen living with father-farmer worshipping his deceased mother and a chicken used alike sexual fetish. This summer boy's sexuality was awaken by a bit older farm-hand himself confused of his sexual desires.
Surprising explicit, amazing work had been screen with free TV at midnight and advertising pauses near excided movie-segments they were placed among, which itself had indicated a this film mark by a reviewer.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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A tad unsatisfied..
Added 8/16/2009
The main reason I bought this in the first place was because of the homosexual loving. Hah. No,seriously. Anyone who,like me, is looking for a good gay love story...you might be disappointed. What interactions your see between Duncan and Perry are very one-sided and only make up about 15-20 minutes of the whole movie. Regardless though, this movie was moving. The ending made me cry. I was disappointed at first because I wanted more about Perry but then I realized that that wasn't what the movie is about. It ended perfectly.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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