American Hero

American Hero

For those interested in seeing Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere” because Stephen Dorff is in it but who were put off by its divisive, artsy-fartsy DNA, “American Hero” is that film’s Chronicle or Hancock version except for one thing. Coppola’s movie took advantage of Dorff’s grizzled charisma by featuring the former Hollywood star as a person coming down to anonymous LA from egotistical stardom.

Writer/director Nick Love’s “American Hero” barely gets a hundredth of that mile out of Dorff as an underdog if nothing else (he doesn’t decide to use his busking-magic-trick telekinesis for good until 40 minutes into the film). There has always been something compelling about Dorff as an outsider; he is a student of the unapologetic-always-slightly-meta approach (which Nicolas Cage has mastered). But “American Hero” is like watching an obnoxious rock star moment, with images of Americana apparently lost in translation by an outsider British director.

Melvin (Dorff) is a slacker and deadbeat dad in New Orleans who spends most nights drinking, partying basically doing nothing. But here he’s our hero, trying to get it together so he can see his estranged son Rex again after his ex-wife had the court give her full custody. With the help of his wheelchair-bound friend Lucille (Eddie Griffin), Melvin tries to sober up but eventually boomerangs back despite NOLA sunsets’ positive vibes or running up and down aisles at gospel churches’.

Oh yeah and he can control stuff with his mind, which he does in a mask sporadically for street audiences (with hyping help from buddy Lyle played by Luis Da Silva Jr.) and sometimes just to take money from imbecilic convenience store crooks etc. After partying too hard (a.k.a a cardiac arrest) nearly kills him in the middle of “American Hero,” Melvin elects to maybe use his abilities to help the community, which is being directly harmed by drug dealers selling to kids.

Being a Dorff sideshow first and foremost, “American Hero” is too casual with Melvin’s character arc, and superhuman abilities’ appeal. Love doesn’t just downplay them by presenting them casually; it’s more of a shallow afterthought the pacing kills any chance for even light amusement or sporadic visuals of hands moving, car doors getting thrown 100 yards by Dorff.

“American Hero” doesn’t have a large thematic scope to hold its jarring shifts from his super partying to super self-pitying together, making punchline-less jokes out of Dorff doing Dorff. In one scene he raves about a Tchaikovsky concerto: “The changes! The notes! The way it crescendos!” In another he reads a passage from Guy de Maupassant then says to the heavens, “I dig you, man!” What does this movie think of Melvin? Needless to say, “American Hero” often seems at odds with self-awareness.

The whole proceedings are captured on film by an always-on documentary crew that has its narrative usage as inconsistent as any uninspired single-camera found footage movie.

While its action takes place, the “crew” grabs some nice wide shots of the New Orleans skyline. It also has a few lengthy sequences that feature seamless visual effects Melvin’s ultimate showdown, a telekinetic free-for-all in one take despite the fact that three years and 800 superhero films ago there was another movie with similar shenanigans called “Chronicle.” But even in moments this focused and fast-paced, another kind of logic falls apart: What documentary crew would follow Melvin so casually into these life-or-death scuffles, especially when gang members try to spray everybody with bullets?

With heroes this weak and villains even weaker, “American Hero” above all else makes you worry about what safety standards a director didn’t set for their crew on and off-screen.

It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to call writer/director Nick Love a total outsider to his subjects and setting. In the film’s press notes, the British director explains why he shot in New Orleans with the sentimental answer of “for the tax breaks,” before admitting that he did end up falling for the place (possibly because of the tax breaks?).

His movie happens to wear America Face as it essentially “documents” post-Katrina New Orleans through cringing racial stereotypes and gender ideas centered around a generic idea of the new cowboy. The movie doesn’t want to just be American; it wants to be All-American. And proving its title has no wink behind it, “American Hero” does us (or at least U.S.) very few favors.

Watch American Hero For Free On Gomovies.