American Hero (film)
A hard-partying alcoholic gains telekinetic powers and tries to reform.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
American Hero is a 2015 independent superhero comedy film that Nick Love both wrote and directed. It is a British-American co-production. Stephen Dorff plays Melvin, a man who parties hard, drinks heavily, and has the ability to move objects with his mind. After a near-death experience, he decides to try living a more heroic life. The film was released in the United States by Screen Media Films on December 11, 2015.
The story follows Lucille, a man in a wheelchair due to injuries from the Gulf War, as he searches New Orleans for his friend Melvin with a documentary crew in tow. They find Melvin passed out on the street. Melvin is an alcoholic and drug user in a downward spiral, spending most of his time partying. His ex-wife, Doreen, has a restraining order against him and full custody of their young son, Rex. Lucille wants Melvin to get sober, but Melvin only makes empty promises. A community college science teacher named Lucas regularly tests Melvin’s telekinetic abilities, which he can only explain by noting Melvin’s slightly different brain structure. Melvin refuses to see a specialist and instead uses his powers for street shows to fund his drug habit. Lucille blames the local drug dealer, Nathan, for neighborhood violence, a view shared by a cop named Jimmy.
After a night of heavy partying, Melvin’s heart stops. When he wakes, doctors tell him he was clinically dead for several minutes. Changed by this, Melvin announces he will get sober for Rex. Impressed, Jimmy asks Melvin to help clean up the neighborhood. Melvin practices his powers with Lucille and, despite Lucas’s warnings that he isn’t ready, confronts Nathan’s gang. In retaliation, Nathan has Lucille shot. After Lucille tells Melvin to leave him alone, Melvin relapses into alcoholism, terrorizing people and destroying houses. He buys drugs and parties with a recently released friend, falling back into his old ways. Nathan sends men to kill Melvin and his friends, but Melvin protects them by stopping the bullets. After seeing Nathan sell drugs to children, Melvin gets sober again and reconciles with Lucille. They resume training, culminating in Melvin being able to disassemble and reassemble a car with his mind. Melvin tells Jimmy to ignore any calls about Nathan, then attacks Nathan and his gang by launching cars and scrap metal at them and violently dismantling their guns. The fight ends wit
- Release year
- 2015
- Director
- Nick Love
- Starring
- Stephen Dorff, Eddie Griffin
- Genre
- Superhero comedy
- Production
- British-American co-production
- US release date
- December 11, 2015
Lore & Background
The film follows Melvin, an alcoholic and drug abuser with telekinetic powers, who is tested by a science teacher named Lucas. After a night of hard partying, Melvin's heart stops and he is clinically dead for several minutes. Changed by this experience, he announces he intends to become sober for the sake of his young son, Rex. He confronts a local drug dealer named Nathan, but Nathan retaliates by having Melvin's friend Lucille shot. Melvin falls back into alcoholism, terrorizing people and destroying houses, before eventually sobering again and reconciling with Lucille.
Melvin trains his telekinetic abilities with Lucille, culminating in being able to disassemble and reassemble a car. He then attacks Nathan and his gang, launching cars and scrap metal at them and violently disassembling their firearms. The confrontation ends with Melvin chasing Nathan into a building and bringing it crashing down around them, driving the rest of Nathan's gang out of town. Afterwards, Melvin gives Lucille a new sporty wheelchair he created, and approaches his ex-wife Doreen despite a restraining order, handing her child support money and requesting to take Rex home from school. Doreen agrees, and Melvin and Rex are seen riding a bike together.
Reader's Guide
American Hero received mixed to negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, three of ten surveyed critics gave a positive review, with an average rating of 4.5/10. Metacritic rated it 42/100 based on six reviews. Critics noted the film 'has some amusing moments' but suffers from too much filler and 'never quite decides what it wants to be'. Some called it a 'likeable if lightweight indie dramedy' that substitutes filler for drama or character development. The lead character Melvin was described as likeable by one critic and unlikeable by another, with both noting the film is a clichéd comedy-drama with a minor twist. Others praised the film's 'enticingly quirky sensibility' and charm due to strong performances by Dorff and Griffin, while one critic called it 'a flaccid bromantic comedy'.
Did You Know?
- Shooting took place mostly in the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans, Louisiana.
- The film is a British-American co-production written and directed by Nick Love.
- Stephen Dorff plays Melvin, a man with telekinetic powers who is an alcoholic and drug abuser.
- The film was released in the US by Screen Media Films on December 11, 2015.
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