Harris picture-frames a family in mourning.
For those unfamiliar with the name, this newest piece seems a little out of place considering that as Hollywood’s newest wunderkid has had a hand on a number of comic book projects from the Bryan Singer camp. For writer, and now director Dan Harris, the directorial debut sidesteps mainstream for the sort of tragic comedy that is less involving and feels less burdening than say a Door in the Floor and is far less cynical and less biting than Sam Mendes’ American Beauty. Imaginary Heroes digs into the psychological, and then the physical marks that come to surface in a family’s full year of grievance but comes across as 3-way account that jerks around a little not knowing what direction to take.
This new leaf on an old branch treads through the familiar movie terrain of disconnected and dysfunctional suburbanite pathos as in the likes of Ordinary People. Much in the same tonality as her personage in The Ice Storm, Sigourney Weaver delivers a yummy performance as a hollowed-out mother turning back her mental clock with a puff or two. Each moment in which Weaver graces the screen there is an instant amplification of delight, which unfortunately can’t be said about Jeff Daniels’ wasted performance. Unlike a recent exposition on a family struggling with death in Winter Solstice, here the characters are armored with a sometimes edgy, well-written dialogue which despite the fun prose comes across as either too fitted or too self-aware – especially in the conversations between mother and the young adult son protagonist (Emile Hirsch – Lords of Dogtown) which hardly sound as anything plausible.
Visually speaking, cinematographer Tim Orr’s approach to the subject matter seems apt – but overall, the tone of the script hardly matches the collage of shots – the framing allows viewers to take the plunge in the cynical and alienated worlds of an amputated family – but the script doesn’t investigate matters further. While the film offers a Weaver in fine form and does offer the passive, non-aggressive humor – there are perhaps one too many moments that come across as too scripted. Imaginary HeroesRating 2 stars
