You’ll
notice nobody is calling Melvin “the greatest,” or even relatively good.
Frankly, on a lot of days the “hero” part is a bit of a stretch. Unlike Ralph
Hinckley, he lacks a steady job, but he had plenty of vices. However, he has
largely mastered his powers, but how he uses them is a constant source of
frustration for his friends and family in screenwriter-director Nick Love’s American Hero (trailer here), which opens this
Friday in New York.
Melvin
drinks, inhales drugs, sleeps around, and moves large objects with the power of
his mind, such as it is. He is currently barred from seeing his son, pending a
psych evaluation. This bothers Melvin, but not enough to make him clean up his
act. That in turn bothers his wheelchair bound best friend Lucille—he’s a he,
who suffered a spinal injury during the first Gulf War. A documentary crew is following
Melvin, but it isn’t pretty. Since he is being filmed and all, maybe he will
finally get his wake up call and resolve to put his telekinetic powers to use
on behalf of Katrina-distressed New Orleans neighborhood. Or not.
Considering
how much juvenile behavior it depicts, Hero
is a remarkably sober and mature film. Acting like an Animal House reject just isn’t cute anymore for the people
surrounding Melvin. Love is astute enough to understand that it is not funny.
It’s sad. For a scruffy independent production, the special effects are also uncommonly
polished and professional grade. The film also has a strong sense of place,
capturing the look and rhythm of NOLA life in the outer wards.
Looking
like a lifelong stranger to Schick and Gillette, Stephen Dorff is so
charismatically disreputable, he maintains audience sympathy even at his most
hedonistic nadir. He looks comfortable with the action sequences, but fully
taps into Melvin’s pathos. Eddie Griffin is also dramatically less annoying as
Melvin than his typical screen appearances. That is not to say he does not
induce plenty of cringing, just not to his usual extent. Regardless, they forge
some not bad buddy chemistry together.