Going along for The Hero’s last ride
He’s certainly a character. Seasoned character actor Sam Elliot stars as Lee Hayden – an actor with a great voice and well known for Westerns of a bygone era. The Hero reflects a lot of Elliot who has played a cowboy more than a time or two. You may also know Elliot as the stranger from the Coen Brothers’ The Big
Lebowski (1998). If you do not recognize the name, you’ll know the voice. The Hero opens with Lee reading slogans for barbeque sauce — Elliot himself does voice-overs for commercials. You’ll also recognize the story. Lee is an older white male with some health issues. He was once a successful entertainer, but he didn’t pay enough attention to family. Now he wants to pull himself up by the bootstraps, while trying to make up for too many wrongs.
We have seen this type of narrative before – Darren Aronofsky’s
The Wrestler (2008) and Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart (2009) are two recent films that explore this story. However, The Hero is more of an experience than another tale.
Less concerned with showing us some sentimental journey to redemption, director Brett Haley explores the nuances of Lee’s life. Moreover, The Hero demonstrates that there are alternatives to heroism for old white men.
The exploration begins with Lee, after smoking a little marijuana and what have you, he learns from his doctor that he has cancer. Despite his initial sadness, meeting much younger Charlotte (Laura Prepon) reminds him that sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.
His agent has no scripts or film auditions for him, but Lee is receiving a lifetime achievement award from the Western Appreciation and Preservation Guild. When his daughter Lucy (Krysten Ritter) is unable to attend, he and Charlotte go on a substance-filled adventure that turns a dusty reception into a smashing good time.
While we see glimpses of Lee’s cinematic dreams, his life becomes more vibrant when he awakes to find he is a viral sensation. His antics with Charlotte turn out to be more than fun. The offers start pouring in. Things with Charlotte get more serious. An opportunity arises for Lee to spend time with Lucy again.
Despite all of these positives, Lee struggles to come to terms with his cancer diagnosis and puts off his important doctor’s appointment as well as telling his family the news. Does this old cowboy have what it takes? Can he play a role outside the Western genre? Will he start a new relationship with his daughter?
Burning the candle at both ends and reading the poetry of Edna St. Vincent Millay are strange approaches to these questions. Nevertheless, Lee does just that, but he doesn’t do it alone. Under the guidance of Charlotte and his friend Jeremy (Nick Offerman) he prepares to change the reel. We come along for the ride. There are lows and bottles of whiskey. Then there are highs and even more substances. But, we do not know if he will become a hero one more time. Then again, maybe Lee Hayden is not a hero because what’s a hero?
Maybe Lee is just a person. Sometimes there is a man who is the man for his time and place. Perhaps we all need to worry less about being a hero and take more time to walk along the beach.
Find moments to enjoy the things we like. Forget our troubles, embrace who we are, oh, and possibly use a little more barbeque sauce.
Why not?