But I Do Not Approve. And I Am Not Resigned

 Quiet, Powerful and Flawed

The Hero – (2017) – A faded Hollywood cowboy faces the end of his life when cancer is diagnosed.  Now he has to face his past and mistakes.

Directed by: Brett Halsey

Starring : Sam Elliott, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Nick Offerman, Katharine Ross, Max Gail

Why I Liked It – The transitory nature of fame, mortality, and love.  And Sam Elliott’s mustache.

(Let’s deal with this upfront.  Recently, Sam Elliott made some stupid comments about the movie “The Power of the Dog”.  He hit, as Oscar-winning director Joan Campion put it, the “trifecta of misogyny, xenophobia, and homophobia”.  Campion won the “Best Director” Oscar this year for the movie.  It didn’t take long for the actor to walk back the comments.  If you don’t like the movie, just say you don’t like the movie.  You’ll find a summary of the story HERE)

In the 1970s and ‘80s, Lee Hayden (Elliott) was a big name cowboy movie star.  He made one iconic movie back then, and it’s been a downhill slide since then.  Estranged from his daughter, divorced from his wife, Lee spends most of his days smoking pot.  His dealer, Jeremy (Offerman), is his only friend.  At Jeremy’s house one day, he bumps into Charlotte (Prepon).  She’s half his age, sure of herself, and full of life.  Lee’s life takes a new direction that no one planned or expected.

Here’s another of those “slow burn” movies.  Which makes sense, since the story revolves around a 71-year-old man who has lost any sense of direction in his life.  The story revolves around Hayden/Elliott.  There’s a very nice supporting cast. Laura Prepon is exceptional as the woman who comes into his life, but this is Sam Elliott’s movie top to bottom.  Lee Hayden has a lot to work out after years of coasting through life in a weed induced haze.  The movie isn’t long (just 96 minutes) but folks raised on “bang, zoom” pacing in the movies will find it slow.  All I can say is, let the movie grow, savor the issues and Elliot’s performance.

The story doesn’t come with many surprises.  Old man finds out he’s going to die, regrets some of his decisions, alienated from family, wants to reconnect.  Along the way, he finds someone/thing that inspires him to keep living.  Oh, and Edna St. Vincent Millay appears twice.  What you get is warm, charming, and a bit thoughtful.  The biggest issue is that the movie tries to cover too many relationships.  There’s an ex-wife, the daughter, the love interest, and the dealer/friend.  In the end, none of them get developed.  The ex is the easiest to remove from the story, except for the fact she’s played by Katharine Ross (Elliot’s wife).  The second character for elimination is either the daughter or the dealer.  Depending on the decision, the story goes two different ways. If they had focused on Lee’s relationship with just two of them, I think this could have been a much better movie.

As it is, there’s a wonderful 104 minutes of Sam Elliot on the screen to enjoy.

Rating – *** Worth A Look