Imaginary Heroes

Starring:Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams, Kip Pardue, Deirdre O'Connell, Ryan Donowho, Suzanne Santo, Jay Paulson, Luke Robertson (II), Lee Wilkof, Terry Beaver, Sara Tanaka, Ned Benson, Larry Fessenden, Ryan Patrick Bachand, Lori Yeghiayan, Marcia DeBonis, Heidi Newhart, Ari Graynor
Director: Dan Harris (II)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Description

In this "mixture of poignant drama and quirky humor...delivered by a superb cast" (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune), the Travis family experiences a stunning tragedy which begins to unravel them. Teenaged son Tim (Emile Hirsch, The Girl Next Door) views his life as a bad dream. His father, Ben (Jeff Daniels - Terms of Endearment, The Hours), tunes out and treats his wife and children like strangers. His mother, Sandy (Oscar(r)-nominee Sigourney Weaver, 1986, Best Actress, Alien) sharpens her tongue with sarcasm and dulls her senses with pot while struggling hard to conceal a secret that threatens to ruin them all. With elements of pathos, salty humor and self-discovery, the Travises learn to accept one another as family - warts and all.

Customer Reviews:

Delightingly honest.......2006-11-12

There are not many movies like "Imaginary Heroes" out there. On the one hand, the production is flawless and it certainly isn't a low budget movie. On the other hand, the movie is much more honest than most of the commercial Hollywood flicks. "Imaginary Heroes" tells the story of a family in trouble, something that many of us face. We seldomly talk about it, because we fear a "bad image". The movie exposes the reality of many people in our societies, however it is not harsh nor does it point fingers. Emile Hirsch and Sigourney Weaver did a marvelous job with their strong, yet troubled characters. Sometimes the movie is a bit ambiguous and could have done more than just indicating situations. However, overall, this movie is worth seeing. It's one of the best productions in the last years.

Uh-oh, something is amiss in suburbia - again.......2006-06-19

IMAGINARY HEROES plays a faded concept very well, your basic "quiet suburban family starts to unravel and buried secrets come to light" plot (AMERICAN BEAUTY, anyone?). Key players Sigourney Weaver and Emile Hirsch drag you by the hand through a story about suicide, betrayal, and love as it hides behind the prim lawns and clean windows of the two-story houses in America. You're probably getting bored already, but the story isn't what's captivating about this movie - it's the way the characters are drawn, how they connect with each other and the strong emotions they all have inside them.

When swimmer Matt Travis (Kip Pardue, who has little screen time but still manages to make an impact) shoots himself, the entire Travis family begins to disintegrate into its parts - emotionally detached office dad (Jeff Daniels), bored housewife experimenting with pot, the remaining son (around whom the story is centered), hiding some secrets about the late brother - who in his death is now exalted within the family, even so much that Jeff Daniels's character insists they set out a plate of dinner for him every night - and the independent college daughter (Michelle Williams). Sigourney Weaver's Sandy is battled against next-door-neighbor housewife Marge in a sixteen-year-old grudge that is important to the plot, though Marge's delinquent drug-running son Kyle bridges the enmity as the best friend of Sandy's son Tim.

The story mostly follows Tim's exploits as he tries new things to deal with his brother's death, to ignore the things his brother did to him, through casual drugs, a pushy girlfriend, and a brief, ecstasy-induced one night stand with best friend Kyle. When Sandy drops a bomb of a revelation on his head towards the end of the movie, Tim finally manages to confront the deep-seated resentment he feels for his dad and his brother, which brings the movie to a satisfying conclusion after a lot of tension and confusion.

It's worth a watch, at least once - and it throws a monkey wrench in the cogs of the suburban profile a few times, giving the viewer a few interesting surprises to digest - but it isn't going on my favorites list, it just isn't original enough.

Piling On the American Family.......2006-06-16

I've always loved Sigourney Weaver so I have nothing but praise for her. She's been one of my favorite actresses for twenty-five years and has always delivered.

IMAGINARY HEROES is a good movie about a family falling apart and trying to put itself back together, but I wouldn't say it's a great one. It keeps moving and the performances are well done, but overall I think the film lacked focus. There's suicide, drugs, bullies, affairs, family secrets, alcohol, hospitals, gay confusion.

AMERICAN BEAUTY appears to be the one movie about the unraveling of the American family that all these films are compared to. A recent Premiere magazine article also picked it as one of the most overrated films of all time. I enjoyed most of it but, if you remember much about the time it came out, it was wildly overpraised (Kevin Spacey really did make a name for himself with that one, though).
I caught a big chunk of THE ICE STORM (also with Sigourney) and also wondered if too much was being made of that one as well.

Actually, IMAGINARY HEROES plays like a blend of two other movies: it has the drama and seriousness of 1980's ORDINARY PEOPLE and the humor of the more recent THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (also with Jeff Daniels, who was outstanding in that one).
If you haven't seen either one of those, definitely check them out.

Rare for its genre- effecting, moving, and involved.......2006-02-28

The words "suburban family dramady" sends up red flares in my personal taste for movies. As a rule, movies dealing solely with a single, suburban household and the various ins and outs, overblown turmoil and melodrama that innevitably surrounds them, almost always fall short of their mark. Not only are most of these films boring, but in an attempt to build them up to something remotely interesting or meaningful, they're filled with melodramatic subplots involving the kinds of things that seem particularly devastating to suburban families - but hardly anyone else. In short, it's hard to find a good quality about most of the films in this vein. "Imaginary Heroes" however pulls a one-two punch to the gut, and manages to strike a certain chord, using realism as a strong right-jab, and strong character development as its follow-up left hook. The single most impressive element of this movie, however, that if for no other reason, makes it worth watching, is the chemistry between Emile Hirsch and Sigourney Weaver, who play mother and son in the film. For romance films, actors who play lovers occasionally stumble across a counterpart whom they have genuine chemistry, and more often than not, can forge a certain feeling for a person strong enough to carry the film. This is not a romance movie, nor do these actors play lovers. These two seemed to have genuinely stumbled upon a rare bond, at least as far as the screen can show. They genuinely connect in a mother/son sort of way, with an uncanny bond and affection for one another. Mother's close with their sons - suburban or otherwise - will validate that there is a certain element of unspoken connection between one another. This is genuinely displayed in this movie, not in a forced kind of way, nor an obvious ploy, but as a real element of the actor's relationship. Whether this holds true outside the film reel or not, it's enough to penetrate the viewer's initial skepticism and build a powerful involvement with the characters and their outcome.

Criticisms have been hurled at this movie. "Too many subplots." "Melodramatic elements abound." Etc... etc... I have to say, this is exactly the kind of thing that initially warned me away from this movie - not because I'd heard bad things about the film, but because I hold these criticisms true for every movie along similar plotlines. I have to say though, "Imaginary Heroes" works beautifully, achieiving a sense of art both in movement, and as an end product. The script is eloquent but real, which is in fact where most of the movie draws its realism from. Despite what "Entertainment Weekly" has to say, "Imaginary Heroes" is a movie strongly routed in realism, and powerfully so. The characters here are real portrayals of real people. Perhaps a tad to one extreme or the other at times, but they are never overdone nor overplayed. To those who are worried that too much is tackled in this film - let's look at it objectively. I won't argue with people who say a lot happens, because it sure does. It's an onslaught of tension and tragedy, one after the other, but honestly, in the wake of a serious tragedy in any family, in any walk of life, everything that may have been loose at the seams, begins to fall apart. Bad things often spawn from bad things, because when people fail to cope, they turn to destruction, of self or otherwise, and cause increasing turmoil. This is beautifully and truthfully exemplified in this film, and manifested superbly in the actors portrayal of their respective characters. The movie strikes close to home, no matter where you're from, and uses powerful character development and inter-character connections, put to the test and built stronger to hit home with the viewer. An overlooked film, lost in the gray area between art-film reviewers (looking for something more extreme or artsy,) and the mainstream critics (looking for something glossier or more flambuoyant,) "Imaginary Heroes," it's eloquent characters and poignant story seems doomed not to be truly recognized, but lends it an unusual power: it makes it a rare gem, a diamond in the rough, and gives it an uncanny personal impact with the viewer, similar to the aftermath of an intimate one-on-one conversation.

Overrated.......2006-01-08

Imaginary Heroes is a classic example of parts being better than the whole. The dysfunctional suburbian nuclear family card is overplayed as it is, and this movie - in which Ms. Weaver does indeed shine (and we'd expect no less) and which does provide several moments for both laughs and sighs - tries to pack in just too much in its 107 minutes. We are swept from one tragedy to another, from one substance abuse to the next, and one form of dysfunction to another with little cohesion and credibility. Due to the author's age, it is far from a terrible flop, still the overbloated reviews on here are undeserved. Especially the juvenile reviewer before me with its sudden but naive epiphany about indie movies.

Average customer rating:

Delightingly honest
Uh-oh, something is amiss in suburbia - again
Piling On the American Family
Rare for its genre- effecting, moving, and involved
Overrated

Imaginary Heroes
Starring: Sigourney Weaver , Emile Hirsch , Jeff Daniels , Michelle Williams , and Kip Pardue
Director: Dan Harris (II)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( I ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00005JNPY

Customer Reviews:

Delightingly honest.......2006-11-12

Uh-oh, something is amiss in suburbia - again.......2006-06-19

Piling On the American Family.......2006-06-16

Rare for its genre- effecting, moving, and involved.......2006-02-28

Overrated.......2006-01-08

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