We started off on the wrong foot. I found myself playing games on Pogo and rewinding entire scenes for the first 20 minutes. But, as Joseph Gordon-Levitt appeared more on screen, I was increasingly drawn back to my low definition TV and real laughing occurred (not just typing or texting “LMAO”). I don’t know if it’s good for the heart or alleged soul, but it felt good.
Gordon-Levitt has been one of my favorite actors for years now. I’ve been most impressed with his role in Brick. And, like with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, I enjoy going back and finding some of his lesser known films. I picked up Hesher at the Hastings in Denton and first saw the trailer on the Everything Must Go DVD a few weeks ago.
Hesher carried the themes of death and disappointment that I’ve been dealing with since I got out of the hospital in May. Gordon Levitt’s last film, 50/50, dealt more closely with my circumstances. His character in 50/50 was diagnosed with cancer at age 27 and underwent chemotherapy and surgery. I had a heart pump put in my chest at 26 and am still going through cardiac rehabilitation. There was even a scene in 50/50 near the end that brought me to tears. Hesher, thankfully, was far enough away that I could get lost in the inappropriate humor.
It took me a while to decide whether or not Hesher was a real character or a figment of the boy’s imagination. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite shows on FX, Wilfred, and Drop Dead Fred, which I somehow pulled out of my memory bank. Hesher is a weird anti-hero who seems to help you as much as he hurts you. At times I felt like the boy, others Hesher. It was almost like watching different parts of my personality.
I wonder if people like Hesher still exist. In some ways, I envy his squatter and, on the surface, carefree lifestyle. There’s something to be said for having the ability to pick up and go, develop varying degrees of attachments with people, and then move on if you overstay your welcome. I literally have to plug into a wall at night and am constrained by whatever battery power I have that powers the pump. I’ve always joked that the first thing I would do when/if I get rid of the pump is hookers and cocaine. In reality, I would probably travel to France and get lost in the countryside for a few months. Squatting isn’t really my style but I’m with him in spirit.
I want to share Hesher with other people, but I’m reluctant because I don’t know that anyone will appreciate the humor, or movie in general, as much as I did. If more people did you would see this type of comedy at the local Cinemark. The pace was also slow, even for me (see above comments about playing games online), and I’ve built up a tolerance after a decade being engrossed in more artsy and less Hollywood movies.
I’ll be looking for Drop Dead Fred in the $5 bin at Walmart and keeping my eye out for more Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman flicks that have gone under the mainstream radar. Hesher was exactly what I needed (my want for a regenerated heart and good but low sodium tortilla soup and clam chowder is an understood constant).
http://www.hesherthemovie.com/
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