Imaginary Heroes (2004)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Dan Harris

Writer (WGA):

Dan Harris (written by)

Release Date:

25 February 2005 (Denmark)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

People are never who they seem to be

Plot:

The Travis family façade is destroyed by an event incomprehensible to them -- an event which will open...

Plot Keywords:

Irreverence | Nose Bleed | Ecstasy | Sexual Awakening | Coming Of Age

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sigourney Weaver	...	Sandy Travis
Emile Hirsch	...	Tim Travis
Jeff Daniels	...	Ben Travis
Michelle Williams	...	Penny Travis
Kip Pardue	...	Matt Travis
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Marge Dwyer
Ryan Donowho	...	Kyle Dwyer
Suzanne Santo	...	Steph Connors
Jay Paulson	...	Vern
Luke Robertson	...	Jack Johnson
Lee Wilkof	...	Mitchell Goldstein
Terry Beaver	...	Dr. Montey
Sara Tanaka	...	Shelly Chan
Ned Benson	...	Undercover Hippie
Larry Fessenden	...	Store Clerk

MPAA:

Rated R for substance abuse, sexual content, language and some violence.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Belgium

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 (re-rating) (2005) | UK:18 (original rating) | Germany:12 | Brazil:16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chatham, New Jersey, USA

Company:

ApolloProMedia GmbH & Co. 1. Filmproduktion KG (I)

Trivia:

At an assembly, a student reads "original poetry" by another who had recently killed herself. The poetry is actual an excerpt from the lyrics to "Alive" by Pearl Jam.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Matt's swimming time at the start of the movie is 44.3 for a 100 meter long course swim. This time would better the world record of 47.84. If he had been swimming in a short course yard (instead of long course meters) pool this time would have been a great time, but not a world record.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tim Travis: Matt Travis was a great swimmer. But it wasn't just that he was a great swimmer, it was simply that he was greater at swimming than anyone I ever knew was good at whatever they were good at.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Die unendliche Geschichte (1984)

Soundtrack:

Lose Your Mind

mature work from a very young script-writer and director

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.