Themes: Unlikely Heroes, Members of the Press, Air Disasters
Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia, Joan Cusack, Kevin J. O'Connor
Release Year: 1992
Country: US
Run Time: 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Stephen Frears' Hero is a contemporary re-working of a Frank Capra-styled fable about a two-bit criminal named Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) who saves several passengers from a plane crash and leaves the scene without being identified, leaving only a lost shoe for identification. One of the passengers happens to be news-reporter Gale (Geena Davis) who is intent on finding her savior, and offers a million dollars to the "hero" of the crashed flight. Bernie has since given his remaining shoe to a homeless man named John (Andy Garcia) who decides to cash in on the offer. A handsome, charming man, John wins the hearts of the entire city. Soon, Bernie realizes that he's been cheated out of a million dollars, and he begins an effort to get his proper recognition--and his money. Hero manages to be quite funny and satirical while sticking to a story that is essentially a Hollywood fable. That is to the credit of director Frears and the cast, who turn in uniformly excellent performances. Nevertheless, Hoffman is superb as a bitterly comic and spiteful variation on his classic Ratso Rizzo character. By the way, be on the lookout for Chevy Chase in a very funny cameo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Review
Stephen Frears' fusion of Capra fantasy and Sturges satire is often as sharply hilarious as its models, but veers off the track with an inflated finish. Dustin Hoffman stars as a petty thief who pulls 54 people out of a downed plane, but must allow an attractive homeless man (Andy Garcia) to accept the hefty reward, due to his understandable need to "keep a low profile." The film sets up the grimy reality of the character's life, playing it humorously off his nearly paranoid delusions, while establishing his love for his wife and child. It rolls along beautifully in this mode until the plot forces him to make a bid to get the reward money that he thinks would solve his problems. Instead of wrapping this up quickly (like Sturges et al.), the filmmakers drag out the ending with a fulsomely operatic coda awash in sentimentality. Its Capraesque ending is out of tune with this dark, decidedly non-Capra character. Yet the script is rarely less than smart and entertaining, satirically noting heroism's easy association with looks and charm in a media-saturated age. Until his final few scenes, which he stretches out interminably, Hoffman gives a brilliant performance in the kind of "little man" role that has become his specialty. Andy Garcia is appropriately charismatic as the public's hero, and Geena Davis gives a wonderfully nuanced performance as a tough reporter with a soft heart. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Maury Chaykin - Winston; Stephen Tobolowsky - Wallace; Christian Clemenson - Conklin; Tom Arnold - Chick; James Madio - Joey; Fisher Stevens; John Ackerman - Bag Man; Daniel Baldwin - Fireman Denton; Julia Barry - Kelly; Warren Berlinger - Judge Goines; Jordan Bond - Richie Fletcher; Henry Brown - Hospital Guard; James Callahan - Police Chief; Katrina Cerio - Makeup Artist; Milton L. Cobb - Vietnam Vet; Bobbi Collins - Mendoza; Kody Cullum - Child in Hospital; Susie Cusack - Donna O'Day; Vito D'Ambrosio - Another Wannabee; Collins Williams Daniels - Rasta Prisoner; Darryl David - Tough Prisoner; Sam Derence - Reporter-Channel 8; William Duff-Griffin - Mr. Brown; Mandy Duncan - Teen in Hospital; D'Angelo Ferreri - Child in Hospital; Raymond Fitzpatrick - 2nd Bailiff; Tony Fitzpatrick - Fighter Wannabee; Jeff Garlin - News Vendor; Don Gazzaniga - Fire Captain; Marita Geraghty - Joan; Cordis Heard - Nurse Roberts; Edward Herrmann; Paul Hewitt - Parker; I.M. Hobson - Waiter/Captain; Cady Huffman - Flight Attendant Leslie; Kevin Jackson - Inspector Dayton; Leslie Jordan - Court Official; Dev Kennedy - Tall Wannabee; Lance Kinsey - Paramedic; Jeff Klein - Street Kid; Darrell Larson - Flight Attendant Freddy; Jay Leggett - Mud Face Wannabee; Clea Lewis - Sylvia; Barney Martin; Heidi McNeal - Teenage Girl at Hospital; C. John Merrill - Street Kid; Rom Milanovich - Guard at Jail; John Mohrlein - Fighter Wannabee; Richard Montoya - Vargas; D David Morin - Fireman on Ledge; Marnie Mosiman - Susan; Michael Mullen - Child in Hospital; Terry Muller - Tough Prisoner; Robert Munns - Doctor; Gerardo Murillo-Carr - Teen in Hospital; William Newman - Millionaire; Harry Northrup - Mr. Fletcher; Michael O'Dwyer - Cop at Hospital; Lynn Oddo - Buxom Woman; Robert Pabst - Vietnam Vet; Janis Paige; Shirley Pierce - Anchorwoman-Channel 4; Rick Plastina - Reporter-Channel 13; Eric Poppick - Mr. Smith; Richard Riehle - Robinson; Peggy Roeder - Bag Lady on TV; Margery Ross - Barbara Bush Look-A-Like; Ricardo Salinas - Mendoza's Friend; Ed Scheibner - Donna's Boyfriend; Martin Schienle - Allen in Coma; Herbert Siguenza - Espinosa; Michael Talbott - State Police Officer; Tamar Teufenkjian - Child in Hospital; James Alfred Whitaker - Tough Prisoner; Lee Wilkof - Prosecutor; Don Yesso - Elliott; Don S. Davis - Probation Officer; Don Pugsley - Jury Foreman; Jose Reyes - Child in Hospital; Juliet Taylor; Howard Feuer; John M. Watson, Sr. - African-American Wannabee; Steven Elkins - 1st Bailiff; Dan Healy - George Bush Lookalike
Credit
Leslie McDonald - Art Director, Juliet Taylor - Casting, Howard Feuer - Casting, Richard Hornung - Costume Designer, Louis D'Esposito - First Assistant Director, Stephen Frears - Director, Mick Audsley - Editor, Joseph M. Caracciolo, Jr. - Executive Producer, George Fenton - Composer (Music Score), Christina Smith - Makeup, Monty Westmore - Makeup, Dennis Gassner - Production Designer, Oliver Stapleton - Cinematographer, Laura Ziskin - Producer, Nancy Haigh - Set Designer, Gina B. Cranham - Set Designer, Lawrence Hubbs - Set Designer, Keith Shartle - Special Effects, Steve Maslow - Sound/Sound Designer, Billy Bates - Stunts, Christine Baur - Stunts, Troy M. Gilbert - Stunts, John Gillespie - Stunts, Gene Hartline - Stunts, Michael Carr - Stunts, Tony Cecere - Stunts, Mickey Gilbert - Stunts, Dennis Madalone - Stunts, Donna Evans - Stunts, Hank Calia - Stunts, Ray Saniger - Stunts, Jimmy Lewis - Stunts, Doug Coleman - Stunts, Kenny Bates - Stunts, Simone Boisseree - Stunts, Eric Edson - Screenwriter, David Peoples - Screenwriter, Alvin Sargent - Screenwriter, Laura Ziskin - Screenwriter
Hero is the story of Bernard 'Bernie' LaPlante, a pickpocket (played by Hoffman) who anonymously rescues survivors of a plane crash. Homeless Vietnam veteran John Bubber (Garcia) whom Bernie had briefly met earlier in the film takes credit for the rescue when Bernie turns out to be too involved in his criminal activities and troubled life to realise the media have stirred up a frenzy trying to find the unknown hero. Meanwhile TV reporter Gail (Davis) who was one of the crash survivors has been hoping for an investigation that's not about exposing human weakness but one that discovers layer after layer of human goodness. She soon grooms Bubber's public image as a hero and even falls in love with him, all the while under the impression Bubber is the hero. The irony that constantly feeds the film is that Bernie who is a real sleaze has done an uncharacteristically noble thing and suffers greatly for it whilst John Bubber who is truly noble and virtuous has been living a terrible life until he does an uncharacteristically sleazy thing in claiming it was he who saved the people on the plane and accepting the reward. The story is actually more than the story of LaPlante and Bubber: it's an intense satirical attack on hypocrisy in the media and in US life.
