The Hero
Lionsgate Home Entertainment | Release Date: June 9, 2017 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
61
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
9
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
The Film StageDan MeccaJan 28, 2017
The cancer-diagnosis plot device is certainly well-worn and can often be viciously maudlin, but Haley does well in utilizing it as a means to work on something a bit more nuanced. Read full review
83
The PlaylistKatie WalshJan 28, 2017
The Hero feels looser, more abstract, and more symbolically ambitious than the winsome “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” and at times you wish for a bit more narrative rigor. But it’s nonetheless a resonant depiction of a man fearlessly reckoning with his life, his image and, most importantly, his heart. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJun 8, 2017
This film belongs to its star. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldJun 22, 2017
It plants its gaze on Lee — and on Elliott, who takes The Hero in his hands and makes something quietly moving from it. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJun 15, 2017
Thanks in large part to Elliott (and Offerman and Prepon and Ritter, among others), The Hero survives some bumpy, well-worn clichés. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJun 15, 2017
Like Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart," this is an opportunity for a sometimes-underrated actor (Elliott has never been nominated for an Oscar) to show his range and capabilities. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJun 14, 2017
In The Hero, as elsewhere, Haley really is dealing with the subject of heroism, but the kind of heroism not usually found in movies, the heroism of daily life. Read full review
75
Rolling StoneDavid FearJun 12, 2017
It's not perfect, but it is a gift to Sam Elliott – and to us. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzJun 15, 2017
What the filmmakers are interested in is Elliott, and it’s easy to see why. He’s outstanding playing with the various aspects of his life and career, and he brings some at-times unexpected emotion to scenes that he elevates. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekJun 8, 2017
Director Brett Haley, who co-wrote the script with Marc Basch, brings enough understated sympathy to Lee's character to make the picture work--it throws off a gentle, sweet-spirited energy. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschJan 28, 2017
Luckily, Elliott succeeds in pulling you into Lee's emotional orbit and holding you there even when the movie falters. Read full review
69
Paste MagazineKenji FujishimaJun 13, 2017
If The Hero works at all, it’s because Elliott brings a measure of emotional truth to even the most sentimental of plot developments, and because Haley exudes such warm patience for his lead actor’s rhythms and cadences. Read full review
67
IndieWireEric KohnJan 28, 2017
With Elliott front and center of every scene, The Hero pulls off the kind of acting showcase that its fictional star can never achieve. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonJun 29, 2017
Perhaps the only reason to see it is Elliott, who’s terrific as a man who’s desperate to make amends for his shortcomings. It’s one of his finest and most memorable performances. Unfortunately, the script fails to rise to the level of Elliott’s artistry. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Johanna SchnellerJun 22, 2017
The best thing about the film is the bromance between Lee and his weed dealer, Jeremy (Nick Offerman), which deepens into loveliness in one memorable scene. Read full review
63
Washington PostAnn HornadayJun 15, 2017
Even at its most contrived, The Hero exerts a soothing attraction not unlike the man at its center. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy BurrJun 14, 2017
The Hero may not be a great movie but it’s a welcome tribute to a lanky, taciturn presence — a love letter to an actor that reminds us of why we ought to love him, too. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJun 5, 2017
Brett Haley’s film captures Elliott in all his majesty, his twinkle dimming as he casts his eyes out over the mountains beyond his house or the rocky beach down the hill. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangJun 8, 2017
Haley’s movie is ultimately a feature-length valentine to his star, and as such it’s something of a mixed blessing. Read full review
60
We Got This Covered Matt JosephJan 28, 2017
Anchored by a top-notch performance from its lead, The Hero surpasses its cliches and becomes an ideal vehicle for its star. In Sam Elliot we trust. Read full review
58
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJun 7, 2017
A film that generously gives Elliott one of the few lead roles of his lengthy career, but mostly asks him to embody clichés, without providing any sense of how he might improve upon them. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJun 26, 2017
Every fallen-star cliche director/co-writer Brett Haley employs goes down smoother with Elliott's baritone and unforced cool. He has deserved a spotlight role for years and now deserves a finer one. Read full review
50
ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerJun 12, 2017
It’s odd to see Elliott in a performance that involves him appearing so adrift, but the actor mines Lee’s insecurities for a naked honesty that makes his arguments and apologies alike ring with a lifetime of remorse. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJun 9, 2017
Sam Elliott is Sam Elliott as Sam Elliott in The Hero, a sentimental and sporadically effective celebration of the veteran character actor. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineKeith WatsonJun 5, 2017
Sam Elliott’s calmly affecting performance is overwhelmed by a doggedly conventional screenplay that often plays like end-of-life wish-fulfillment fantasy. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeJan 28, 2017
Haley and Basch have mistaken what the AARP calls “movies for grownups” for a kind of mushy feel-good pablum, throwing together a handful of familiar clichés in the hope that Elliott’s charm will carry the day. Read full review
40
VoxAlissa WilkinsonJun 8, 2017
Unfortunately, the thinness of The Hero gives Elliott little to work with, and he’s already a subtle actor, with a mustache and hound dog visage that tends to obscure facial expressions anyhow. Read full review
35
TheWrapRobert AbeleJan 28, 2017
It’s as if Haley viewed his star’s strengths — laconic wit, unforced masculinity, polite romanticism — as the only elements needed for a Sam Elliott showcase, rather than as the building blocks from which to mold an original character. Read full review
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