Hesher

Hesher (2010)
Directed by: Spencer Susser
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%

I was flipping through the DirecTV guide a few weeks ago searching for something to watch, and I was coming up empty. We pay for something like 36,000 channels and I usually just keep it on MLB Network all day. Well, as I was searching through the pay channels I saw Hesher. I had never heard of it so I checked out the info. I got as far as "Joseph Gordon-Levitt..." before I said "yes, I will watch this". The only drawback was that I was tired and not looking to be engaged at the moment. So, I used the most useful piece of technology to exist since the VCR and that is the DVR. I set it to record and promptly forgot about it. Here it is, weeks later, and I have finally dedicated the time to watch the film. While Hesher is not the best film I've ever seen it certainly isn't the worst.

The film opens with a frantic chase between T.J. (Devin Brochu) and a tow truck that is hauling away a red car. T.J., on a bike, is cutting through traffic trying to keep up with the vehicle, and is even thrown off his bike when he collides with the front of a vehicle. He eventually comes to the garage that the tow truck hauled the car to. He gets into the passenger seat and, mentally, fades away. It is revealed later that the car is the one that his father was driving when a car accident took his mother's life. The film then takes us to T.J.'s home where he lives with his father and his grandmother. We see that T.J.'s father, Paul (Rainn Wilson), is coasting through life with the aid of prescription medication. He is seen sleeping most of the time and is, generally, useless as a parent. One day, as T.J. is riding his bike, he meets Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Hesher is a squatter with long, unruly hair, and crude tattoos all over his body. He threatens T.J. and starts to stalk him around town and even at school. The film shows us that T.J. is bullied at school by Dustin. He shoves him into lockers and yells obscene things at him. The next day, as T.J. is riding hom, Dustin pulls up next to him and screams at him. We see that his car has been vandalized and he believes T.J. is responsible. Dustin chases T.J. to a grocery store and he begins to fight with him. The two are broken up by Nicole (Natalie Portman) and Dustin flees. Nicole sees that his bike is in need of repair and offers T.J. a ride home. When she lets T.J. out at his house, Hesher's van can be seen barreling down the street. Nicole leaves and Hesher invites himself into T.J.'s home. He begins to do laundry and makes himself at home. Hesher, acting as a foul mouthed and dirty Mary Poppins, shows T.J. and Paul that they still have each other and that they need to cherish that.

I honestly though that it was going to be revealed that Hesher was an imaginary person ala Tyler Durden. I thought that in order for T.J. to cope with his mother's death and the bullying at school, he created Hesher as a means of self preservation. This theory is nixed early on when Hesher is shown interacting with other people while T.J. is in the same room. I feel that the most compelling reason to see Hesher is that you get to see actors outside of their norms. For instance, this is what JGL usually looks like:

I'm super straight but come on, he's gorgeous.

This is what JGL looks like as Hesher:

Somethings a little off, wouldn't you say?

Likewise, Rainn Wilson is known for portraying the lovable dweeb Dwight Schrute on The Office. He typically looks like this:


This is Rainn Wilson as Paul in Hesher:


Gordon-Levitt continues to prove that he doesn't have a role preference. He could do any role and it would feel completely natural. Wilson has tried this as well but the Dwight expectation is usually too great, and it seems to interfere with his performance. That is not the case in Hesher. Wilson's performance was fantastic. After the initial schock of "hey, it's Dwight" I completely accepted Wilson as Paul. This is the trailer for Hesher. It shows a brief look at how different the two are in their roles.


Young Devin Brochu also shows that he has the chops to share the screen with the giants he is co-stars with. He acts twice his age and we don't think twice about it. In conjunction with the great performances, I stated that Hesher behaves like a Nihilist version of Mary Poppins. He invades the Forney's lives and ends up changing them due to his unusual methods of getting things done. He seems larger than life and that he will, somehow, outlive everyone. He then does this: **WARNING** The scene linked here is a mild spoiler and is littered with foul language. I chose to share it because it wraps up the meaning of the film quite nicely.


No BS

Hesher is foul and unbelievably crude but is actually enjoyable. Underneath the vulgarity there is actually a pretty great message: cherish the time you have with your friends and family.

My Score: 6.5/10