The Hero (2017) – what to do for a retired Conagher?

I first noticed Sam Elliott in The Big Lebowski, where his epic character The Stranger appears to Jeff Bridges’ Dude as if in a narcotic half-reality. That gray-haired guy with a huge mustache and a low velvety voice made an impression. Then there was the TV series Justice, where Sam played a colorful crime. Indeed, there was nothing positive about The Hero, he had extremely bad associations and it was gratifying when he finally got what he deserved. All of Elliott’s roles are really memorable, that’s how he looks.

In the film The Hero (2017) directed by Brett Haley, we have before us Lee Hayden, The Hero of retired westerns, now content only with voicing advertisements for barbecue sauces, completely unknown to the younger generation. A man spends a lot of time alone, drinking alcohol and light drugs, sometimes in the company of his agent and concurrently the only friend. Suddenly, a new round of popularity arises in his career thanks to a viral video on the web, where Lee gives a fiery speech at the presentation of the award for merit in cinema.

There are good movies about retired old stars like The Last Movie Star with Burt Reynolds, Birdman with Michael Keaton, The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke or JCVD with Van Damme. Here Sam plays essentially himself, there are obvious references to Conagher. The script was written specifically for Elliott. This is the director’s declaration of love not only to Sam, but also to the dying genre of acting in Hollywood.

Lee meets Charlotte (Laura Prepon), a stand-up comedian, it seems like she really likes him, despite the fact that he is already over 70. True, she is not very tactful, unlike people of his generation. Hayden’s ex-wife is played by Catherine Ross, his real wife (just like in Conagher). He has trouble with his adult daughter, this is Krysten Ritter, the star of the TV series Breaking Bad and Jessica Jones.

Like Hank Moody, Lee Hayden is constantly ready to screw up, a classic of American dads. Nick Offerman (Developers, El Royal) is the same guy from the whiskey advertisement with a fireplace. An acting inter-party, a theatrical skit, a feature film that relies on the charisma and talent of the participants. Watch to everyone who loves The Hero’s main character and life-affirming films about old people. Help the aged. So I’m going to give the film a western genre. A movie about a legend: Sam Elliott is the cowboy of all time.

The film is also about how society likes to consume and throw people out when it gets tired of them. You ask: what about Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep? – But this is rare, they are rather an exception. A stereotype usually works: “You play such and such characters. Keep up the good work.”

Sam Elliott: “Yes, that’s right. And I was thinking, how do I get out of these westerns?” He was glad when the Coen brothers offered him a role in the Big Lebowski. But when he first read the script, he was discouraged by the fact that he would have to be a cowboy again. In addition to the creation of the Coens, you could see Sam in Tombstone, and he also has a memorable role as Bradley Cooper’s older brother in the critically acclaimed film A Star Is Born. And also in We Were Soldiers, and in the House By the Road with Patrick Swayze.

Of course, Elliott, whose ancestors were from the southwest, feels his commitment to the classical genre. He likes the simplicity of westerns – the naturalness of the main characters, where their values are either black or white. So he’s a proponent of the purity of the genre. However, he is grateful for the opportunity to show his other side. His aging star is a romantic, and still sexually attractive. Women are crazy about him on screen and in life. And his southern accent is so low that sometimes it’s hard to make out the words, he speaks slowly and carefully.

Despite some weakness of the script, it’s a great pleasure to watch Elliott in the title role here. This film does not say anything new about aging and age, attitudes to death and the Hollywood dream factory, but Sam plays it one hundred percent – The Hero is rude and sincere, captivating with his straightforwardness. The film is unhurried, it’s about accepting the past, forgiving oneself, fighting for life and the courage to move on.