Hero (1992)

A not-so-nice man rescues passengers from a crashed airliner, only to see someone else take credit.

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Laura Ziskin (story), Alvin Sargent (story)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, Andy Garcia

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dustin Hoffman	...	Bernie LaPlante
Geena Davis	...	Gale Gayley
Andy Garcia	...	John Bubber
Joan Cusack	...	Evelyn
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Chucky
Maury Chaykin	...	Winston
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Wallace
Christian Clemenson	...	Conklin
Tom Arnold	...	Chick
Warren Berlinger	...	Judge Goines
Cady Huffman	...	Flight Attendant Leslie
Susie Cusack	...	Donna O'Day
James Madio	...	Joey
Richard Riehle	...	Robinson
Daniel Baldwin	...	Fireman Denton (as Daniel Leroy Baldwin)

Storyline

Bernie LaPlante is having a rough time. He's divorced, his ex-wife hates him, and has custody of their son. The cops are setting a trap for him, then to top it all, he loses a shoe while rescuing passengers of a plane crash. Being a thief who is down on his luck, he takes advantage of the rescue, but then someone else claims credit for it.

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Plot Keywords:

unlikely hero | reluctant hero | stealing credit | firefighter | bartender | 

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Taglines:

We're all heroes if you catch us at the right moment. Even Bernie LaPlante.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for uses of strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 October 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hero and a Half

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,210,875, 4 October 1992

Gross USA:

$19,507,345

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,507,345

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, Dustin Hoffman didn't get along with Director Stephen Frears, to the point, where on one occasion Hoffman yelled for everyone to hear, "Directors who listen to my advice win Oscars, and those who don't go direct Havana (1990)", a jab at Sydney Pollack, who directed Hoffman in Tootsie (1982), another director, with whom he didn't get along. However, whatever happened between Frears and Hoffman was probably forgotten. They got back together many years later, on The Program (2015).

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Goofs

In one exterior shot of the plane the firefighters are seen fighting a fire at the open doorway, yet in the next (interior) shot there is no fire coming from there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Judge Goines: Mr. foreman, have you arrived at a verdict?

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to the people of Piru and Filmore, California; the people of Cook County, Illinois.

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Connections

Referenced in Decker: Sonrise (2017)

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Soundtracks

Theme from 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
(1977)
Music by John Williams

User Reviews

Highly underrated

This film is terribly misrepresented by critics. True, it is not an insightful social critique. It is not a moving analysis of human nature. It is not a philosophical masterpiece. But it makes no pretensions to be any of these things. Hero is pure Hollywood, and is the very best of what Hollywood means, or meant at the time. The plot is clever, the writing is witty, the characters are interesting, and the acting is decent (Dustin Hoffman is great). The development is not meant to expose new subtleties of human emotion, but rather strongly to evoke obvious ones -- in this case, pride. In other words, it is meant to make you happy. That is not to say that the audience is barraged with heavy-handed judgments, merely that it does not require a degree in theater to like the film. It is interesting enough to be enjoyable after several viewings, but not subtle enough to require serious study.

Hero is perfect for the intelligent moviegoer who wants to watch a film for fun, and that is the context in which it should be understood. It is Hollywood at its best.