User reviews

It is hard to judge 'Imaginary Heroes' without referring to the fact that director and script writer Dan Harris is only 25. You can hardly believe seeing this film, which is not only a mature piece of work, professional and deep, but also with some of the defects of routine specific to older directors.

The setting is the American suburb, too familiar from 'American Beauty' or 'Desperate Housewives'. As in 'American Beauty'the film turns around a suicide, but here it happens at the beginning of the movie, and we are left watching a mid-class family coping with the death of the gifted sportsman brother and son. Emile Hirsch plays the younger brother, Sigourney Weaver is the mother, both are excellent trying to cope with the loss, to find the reason and motivation to survive. Harris drives his actors with a sure hand, and the first two sections of the film (there are four in total, as the seasons of the year) build a wonderful tension, with credible dilemmas and real questions. It is the second part of the film that disappoints slightly, it looks too tired and conventional, and I suspect that the producers may have interfered in the work of the young script-writer and director, trying to bring him closer to the Hollywood convention. That's how this film fails to be a somber version of 'American Beauty', with a different focus. I am sure however that we will hear a lot about Dan Harris in the coming years.

The Kinks warned about media heroes. Outside the movies, most heroes are also "Ordinary People." Society demands some role playing, but what happens when that extends to the parent-child relationship? Do some parents try to improve themselves through their children rather than vice versa? How do you provide a role-model but not a role? A brilliant swimmer who hates to swim; a brilliant musician who won't play. Offbeat, funny (despite depiction of "serious" problems), very good multi-dimensional acting by everyone. Lots of plot twists complement the emotional tension. Celluloid heroes never feel any pain. I don't recall ever being disappointed in a Sigourney Weaver film (I even liked "The Village"!).

IMAGINARY HEROES (2004) **1/2 Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams, Kip Pardue, Deirdre O'Connell, Ryan Donowho, Suzanne Santo, Jay Paulson, Luke Robertson. (Dir : Dan Harris)

"Ordinary People" Meets "American Beauty" by way of "The Ice Storm"

Just what is it about the suburbs that have been portrayed as an American cousin to Norway's fjords in which nothing but despair, suicidal tendencies and infidelities run rampant at the corner of Angst and Anomie?

In the latest endeavor by Harris, a screenwriter who shared credit for the first "X-Men" film and several other comic book hero adaptations down the pike, makes his directorial debut questioning just that: Why does a family fall completely apart when a serious crisis occurs?

Well in the case of the Travis family it is the shocking, out-of-nowhere sudden horrific suicide by their eldest son Matt (Pardue), a star athlete with nothing but a bright, shiny future ahead who inexplicably offs himself sending his relatives into a whirlwind of emotions (and lack of to boot). Sharp tongued yet surprisingly loving mother Sandy (Weaver, the best thing about the film) resorts to smoking marijuana when she's not dodging the next door neighbor (O'Connell) ; ineffectual father Ben (Daniels in the trickiest performance – making an asshole likable) whose undying love for his dead son sends him into the deepest depths of depression and lashes out at his remaining brood; college age sister Penny (Williams) who attempts to anchor her grief in brief return visits only to party with blinders on and namely middle son Tim (Hirsch) who just is trying to move on with the whole affair and not dwelling on it as best he can yet still getting himself into a series of situations leading to a fall he may not be able to recover from.

The black comic pitch Harris attempts to filter into the various stages of grief are a mixed bag but often leave their marks of ridiculous moments of suburban oddness with a few brief elements of genuine loss and heartbreak. Leavened with a good dose of humor the film none-the-less is a listless addition to the quasi -genre of suburban angst films.

This film does not have the outstanding visuals that American Beauty or The Ice Storm offered and because it was made after those films, it cannot be marked as very original either: the music, though subtly brilliant, sounds very much like that of American Beauty.

The story has some similarities with The Ice Storm in particular (besides Sigourney Weaver). Without intent perhaps, the film seems to try to recreate the success of the two aforementioned movies too much. At times, the story tends to stay a bit more shallow than it's bigger, more successful "brothers" by having too much going on, or by not delivering the most effective dialogs. Here, the writing cannot measure with that of American Beauty. But that can be said about most movies ever made, even the best and there is still a lot to like: said music score and (expectable, given the cast) effective performances. Of note is Emile Hirsch who would shine a couple of years later in the outstanding "Into The Wild".

Overall I can recommend this film if you like suburban dramas though it's not the first one on a list of must-sees, which would be topped by: 1 American beauty 2 The Ice Storm 3 Little Children.

After you've seen and liked those, check out this one.

This film is chock-full of little surprises, many of them funny. The fact that it's written and directed by a 24-year old blows my mind. Some of the scenes where the high school kids are using ecstasy made me very uncomfortable because I have a kid that age and I could picture her using it. As parent of a teen, I found the depictions of the parent-child interactions to be dead-on accurate.

I enjoyed the film's many little jokes, and I enjoyed the fact that not everything made perfect sense and not all the issues were resolved by the end. To paraphrase Mark Twain, truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction is required to stick to that which is possible, while truth is not.

This is a film which plays with the viewer, allowing us believe that people are what other people think they are, only to allow us later to realize that the folks we assumed were right were completely ignorant of the real situation. One of the film's strongest scenes, a scene about which we feel very relieved and sympathetic about what the character is doing, turns out to be based on a completely wrong assumption, and the character, while admirable, is totally wrong. It's very subtly done, I think. Very realistic.

I liked the score a lot -- I thought it really aided the film, really helped set the mood -- the film has a couple of screwball moments, and the background music helps establish that.

The valedictorian speech is a hoot and a half -- got a big laugh! The movie is really in my head right now -- saw it this morning. Will try to see it again, time allowing. Tens are hard to come by, but a solid nine in my book.

Another slice of darkness and denial hiding beneath the surface of American suburbia, Imaginary Heroes chronicles the lives of the Travis family, all recovering following the suicide of their eldest son.

The pair at the center of the film is mother and son Sandy (Sigourney Weaver) and Tim (Emile Hirsch), both acting out in different ways as a result of the death. While Tim experiments with prescription medication and his own sexuality, Sandy regresses to her former self, smoking marijuana and coming to terms with an old act of infidelity.

The relationship between Sandy and Tim is explored well, especially when references are made to both of them being outcast from their own family: Sandy due to her affair and Tim, initially, due to always being in the shadow of his more successful older brother. Considerably less time is allowed for Sandy's husband Ben (Jeff Daniels) who, in a devastating depiction of denial, orders Sandy to make an additional plate of food for his dead son and place it in his old spot at the dinner table. Michelle Williams' older sister Penny is underwritten and could easily be taken out of the film.

Despite its long runtime, Imaginary Heroes doesn't explore its many subplots as much as the individual stories deserve, while some of the movie's black comedy doesn't translate as well as writer/director Dan Harris may have liked. And the depiction of a disturbed family dynamic isn't depicted as strongly as the many other films out there with similar ideas. But despite some issues, the central performances from Weaver and Hirsch are stunning, and easily carry the film to its successfully subdued conclusion.

Rating: B-

This film is a powerful commentary on family life in North America today. The story is so well constructed, it almost feels like its happening across the street, right now! If you are connected with your family and community in any way, this film will grab you and transport you to the Travis' home and not allow you to leave until the credits are done.

Our imaginary heroes, through a myriad of innocent circumstances, often unwittingly, lead us down a path of sorrow, confusion and isolation. The Travis family, after a terrible tragedy, invite each of us; father, mother, brother and sister, into their respective lives to share their experience in a dynamic set of circumstances that just doesn't quit. We see all of the above and eventually the joy, in powerful performances by the major players and the rest of the cast, making this film a movie-goers absolute treasure.

In a film so well done as this, it is usually difficult to to find something special, but Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of Sandy Travis was outstanding. I would be surprised if others didn't recognize it as such.

Clearly a 10. Well done!

Not exactly the happiest movie, it's a suburban drama along the lines of The Ice Storm or American Beauty combining dark humour with tragedy just not quite as well as those movies did.

Still strong performances especially from Sigourney Weaver who gives a penetrating portrait as the mother of this dysfunctional clan as we follow year in the life of her family, left devastated by the suicide of the eldest son, a champion swimmer. Jeff Daniels is, wow, quite an a-hole here. Very unlikeable and unredeemed by the end. He shows his pain by verbally striking out at his family. Emile Hirshe is young here but does a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the relationship he had with his mother. 8/20/14

Wow. When I went to this film at the Toronto film festival I had no idea what I was in for. This movie takes you on an emotional roller-coaster in the best sense of the term. Sigourney Weaver was better than I've seen from her in years; Emile Hirsch was great and Jeff Daniels broke my heart. I can see how this won't be every person's cup of tea, as at times it deals with some pretty harsh things that can happen to a family. Don't get me wrong -- it's really funny too -- at my screening the audience burst out in applause after laughing over and over again. I just think if you're open to examining your own life, Imaginary Heroes will sincerely touch you. I can't wait until it comes out in theaters.

"Imaginary Heros" takes a long, hard look at a middle class family of five which, following the suicide of a son, goes into a sort of interminable funk with family members wandering around in a fog coping with grief while we sit wondering it they're ever going to get the "dys" out of their dysfunction. Weaver registers an excellent performance in what is a reasonably good but not great indie flick by a promising auteur. Most likely to be appreciated by younger adult audiences who, like the auteur, have not sufficient life experience to see the absence of depth in the characters. However, may not play well wit the 30 something crowd who have just reached the age of disillusionment. Worth a rental for anyone into a big dose of depressing minimalism with nihilistic overtones. (B-)

The somewhat-belligerent brother of a suicide finds that he and his mother grieve in much the same way (by acting out) but that Dad is morose and blaming himself. Writer-director Dan Harris gives us a dysfunctional family torn at the seams, characters with question marks hanging over them, and then lays all the story-points out in the most obvious terms: Suicide! Secrets! Gay shame! Family sickness! Ultimately aiming to wrap things up with a tidy bow, Harris wants to make sure we don't miss a trick, initially giving us thoughtful material to ponder but then spelling everything out in an elementary, sentimental fashion. Sigourney Weaver's bemused performance as the family matriarch is dryly disengaged and she's a joy--that is, until Harris gives her a make-over (complete with sensible new hairstyle). It's the cinematic equivalent of a condescending pat on the head. ** from ****

Imaginary Heroes is clearly the best film of the year. It was a complete and utter joy to watch. I was riveted. The whole audience up at the Sunset Five was riveted, when the film ended no one moved, spoke, nothing. I think this film is a perfect example of the of the power that drama has. Especially in so much as it sets an example of the quality of drama/ work of this younger generation.

There were moments in your film, many, like at least seven, where I was struck by such a great amount of beauty, emotional beauty, that I actually couldn't breathe for a while. And for a catharsis junkie like me, that's about the best censorial experience I could ask for. It is the result of powerful, masterful storytelling and direction. Like heavyweight stuff, like Burtolucci and those guys.

Each element of the film fit tightly together. There were no missteps at all. The cast was amazing. I have been a huge fan of Emile's and Ryan's for a long time, and I thought they have never been better. I was/am/will be continuously stunned by this film. And I promise I will drag every person I know to see it. It should be seen. It should win awards.

It was the writer and film theorist Wheeler Winston Dixon who wrote harsh things about 1999s American Beauty, labelling it "relentlessly teen driven; a film in which Kevin Spacey smokes marijuana and regresses into his supposedly idyllic teenhood. Substance, depth and characterisation are ruthlessly stripped down in favour of instantly readable icons." To a degree; that's exactly what happens in Imaginary Heroes, a film in which Sigourney Weaver plays a mother called Sandy Travis – a mother who smokes drugs after a tragedy strikes a typical suburban American family.

But this is a film where we do not spend enough time with the Travis family in question to know weather they were this dysfunctional before the tragic event that altered everyone's lives. The study in Imaginary Heroes is of loss and coming to grips with that loss. The son Tim (Hirsch) plays his role as if he is auditioning for Donnie Darko but does really well in getting across the whole 'alienated teen' characterisation. Along with this, the father and husband Ben (Daniels) shows the exact opposite mentality to that of his wife, Sandy, in the sense he is devastated and rather than take drugs in order to get reintroduced to his youth, he uses days at the park to try and kill off his sadness. I got the feeling Imaginary Heroes was supposed to be somewhat of a comedy, perhaps no coincidence that American Beauty was also a comedy but whilst I'm not saying I agree with Dixon, if Imaginary Heroes was trying to be funny I cannot see how someone can laugh at a film that includes students committing suicide, taking Ecstasy and self harming themselves.

I think the mere idea of Sigourney Weaver smoking drugs, getting high, hurling snowballs at the glass windows of abandoned buildings, getting arrested, taking down phone numbers of those younger than her and generally getting back into touch with her youth is enough to make anyone chuckle but this is where casting and ideas come into play. Firstly, I think we are supposed to laugh at Sigourney's antics; we are supposed to laugh at Tim's little misadventures and his little depressed teen one liners he springs out. I also see the filmmakers sort of telling us they realise this by making Jeff Daniels' character the most serious and as a result unfunny character of the film; odd how the one person in the cast who perhaps might just be the one to make us laugh is, not relegated, but placed in the position of one who will most definitely NOT make us laugh. Take 1994's Speed as an example; a serious and down to earth action film but one of which has Daniels crack the odd one-liner; we look to him for the comic relief after the life or death situations, and he delivers. However in this film, he is the most serious and as a result, best character on offer – there is no funny jibe; there is no one-liner, just pure emotion and character study which borders on mental illness.

Like I said, the film is a study of loss and a study of how people deal with loss. In American Beauty, which is strikingly similar, Spacey's character is depressed and fed up with life and uses drugs as a means to escape it all. Although Imaginary Heroes attempts to relegate American Beauty because it gives its characters actual reason to do the things they do. American Beauty begins with a monologue of how fed up with everything Spacey actually is, a monologue that makes us laugh and perhaps associate with the character; Imaginary Heroes begins with a suicide – boom, end of. And yet Imaginary Heroes goes on to have its protagonist lie on their lawn and look at the stars as they dance around; the next door neighbour has to use a hose to wake her up and then everything's alright again. Spacey's character and his descent through life is better and more interesting, with real reason to chuckle once or twice; by comparison, by the time we've seen Sandy get arrested some of us have probably forgotten all about the suicide at the beginning.

But while the film confuses its ideas in genre, it remains a great study of loss even if I would've liked to have seen more of Ben than I did of Sandy. Tim plays a teen who seems to be holding some black secrets but at the same time, we must see him progress through his own personal 'coming of age' hell of bullying and girls at his school. There is also room for the film to make a statement at the very end on America's gun culture and problems that arise with that; when a certain character pulls out a revolver near the very end, it feels as of we are supposed to have a sharp jolt happen to us, a reaction of some kind; but in the end it just confirms how unhappy that person was before the film's events had even started. The film may be a comedy, a tragedy and a study of human emotion but one thing it certainly isn't is uninteresting to read into.

This film is about a family coping with the sudden and unexpected suicide of the eldest son, who was a star athlete in high school with everything to live for.

"Imaginary Heroes" has a touching plot, which is delivered effectively. It is interesting to see how each family member deals with grief in different ways. However, Michelle William's role is so small and underdeveloped, that she could have been deleted from the story altogether, which is a pity.

"Imaginary Heroes" has great performances by the main actors. It's engaging and it deserves more attention.

A real honest-to-god dog turd of a movie. And the worst part is it didn't have to end up so craptastical... The earlier scenes between mother and son were the definite highlight and made me hope for something good. But the second half a)drags b)is entirely too sappy for the mood set up in the first half and c)is pretty shite-a-riffic. It's really too too bad.

If you wanna see Jeff Daniels in a GOOD dysfunctional father role, watch "The Squid and The Whale", he actually had something to sink his teeth into. On the other hand, if you liked "Stepmom", you'll luuuv this heaping pile of gooey emotional discharge.

IMAGINARY HEROES is one fine little film! Written and directed by Dan Harris this story is classic theater, weaving comedy and tragedy together so tightly that the climax of the film takes your breath away.

The Travis family is an odd bunch: no member is who each appears to be. Beginning with a suicide of the reluctant 'hero' child swimming champion Matt (Kip Pardue), the father Ben (Jeff Daniels) falls apart and isolates himself from his family and himself while the mother Sandy (Sigourney Weaver) turns to pot and rage and sarcasm, the daughter Penny (Michelle Williams) returns from school repulsed by her family's behavior, and the remaining son Tim (Emile Hirsch) takes the brunt of all of the above by avoiding his classmates, girlfriend, and teams with his neighbor Kyle (Ryan Donowho) to leap into drugs and sexual experimentation. Throughout the film Tim tries to hide bruises on his body that have a secret all their own yet lead his girlfriend to feel rejection, his mother to rage against the trailer park trash bully she believes is the cause, and finally open the window to the deep scars this family has suffered for years. Secrets and lies, here, and the resolution of them is painfully dramatic.

This may be Sigourney Weaver's finest role, although Emile Hirsh, Jeff Daniels, Ryan Donowho, and Kip Pardue (despite the brevity of his role) all contribute top-notch performances. The story begins slowly and seems to meander and that fact may lose some viewers' attention, but stay with this little powerhouse film and the impact of the work will stun you. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp

I was a little bit disappointed when watching this film. Although many people enjoyed the story and the premise of the film, I did not feel as if the film was as clear and direct as it should be. The film gets tangled up in subplot after subplot and loses track of many occurrences. Things that happen in the film seem to sometimes be without rhyme or reason.

A good job is done of portraying the profound sadness of the family, and the desperation that they have as a whole, and a very good job of acting is done by everyone. But other than this, I felt that the film dragged on as each scene began having predictable consequences and all of them ended up going down the same road.

I can see why the film is lauded, and I could see why anyone who enjoys independent film would greatly like this film, but even amongst independent-style film it does not rank too highly for me. Overall, a decent film but due to the lack of direction and the predictable, overall unprovocative nature of the story, I am not too fond of it overall.

Have just seen this film, in Australia on satellite. As i have been avoiding the news more so than usual over the last week coming from the US of A regarding gunmen, well to be absolutely blunt, this film is a prescient gem. A big bravo to all involved. i had only a small idea of what the film entailed as is most often the case for good effect and this certainly came up with cinematic goods. the setting of the scene is effective in the truest sense of the word, with all the hairy confronting subjects of today's world in relation to one's own faltering family, albeit suburb. The first forty minutes sets such a professional theater i was not ready for the out loud laughs when they came. Although the cathartic moment built via comedy and character as the family and neighbors came together in an extraordinary way.

All in all a foreseeing of who and what we are. A most meaningful film and a must see.

please note the date of this review.

"Imaginary Heroes" is a 2004 film starring Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Emile Hirsch, Michelle Williams, and Kip Pardue.

The story concerns a dysfunctional family that becomes even more dysfunctional when the oldest child (Pardue) commits suicide.

"Ordinary People" has been mentioned often in relation to this film; it's sort of "Ordinary People" with a role reversal. The mother in this case, Sandy Travis (Weaver) is more accessible than the father, Ben (Daniels) who is clearly devastated and unable to cope. Like "Ordinary People," the younger son Tim (Hirsch) is the focus of the film.

For me, the film was absorbing enough to keep watching but has a curious detachment about it. There were some wonderful interactions - mother and son, mother and neighbor, brother and sister (Williams) and some good offbeat moments. What never clicked was Ben being any part of that family or having any chemistry with Sandy. This seems to have been the goal of director/writer Dan Harris. In one scene in a grocery store, the checkout kid assumes Sandy is "about 30" and gives her his phone number. In almost the next scene, Daniels asks Sandy if she wants plastic surgery for her birthday. Weaver was 55 when this film was made, actually probably 54, and looks phenomenal. So what is Ben looking at? However, there's something askew about Ben's complete detachment because the viewer doesn't really see how Daniels ever WAS attached to that family.

The end has a couple of twists and also some very touching scenes. Everyone is very good, with Weaver and Hirsch being the standouts.

There's not a tremendous amount of dialogue in this movie and lots of stares. The script could have been sharper. But "Imaginary Heroes" is a good effort.