Hesher is the kind of guy a lot us film nerds wish we could be: someone who, straight up, doesn't give a flying phantasm fuck about anything.  He shares his deepest orgy stories.  He trashes people's houses.  He bangs Natalie Portman.  He is the sociopathic version of The Dude.

     We come into the movie as T.J. (Devin Brochu) and his father, Paul (Rainn Wilson) are mourning the recent death of their mother and wife.  They are living with T.J.'s grandmother (Piper Laurie) when T.J. meets Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who slowly teaches the family to stand up for itself and to, somehow, feel again.  And, no, not in that 'feel-good' kind of way.

     Sadly, this movie didn't even come close to making back the $7 million it spent to make it.  And that's a damn shame, because what it might lack in a 'true-to-life' narrative, it more than makes up for by letting Hesher guide the way to a confidence we all wish we had.

 

     What Makes This Movie Cool:  Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  JGL is quickly proving that he is true talent in the fake Hollywood world, and it is truly exciting to see a 'real' person portrayed in all of it's honest light.  This movie isn't saying, "Be an asshole to everybody".  It's saying, "Find the confidence in yourself.  Don't be afraid.  And don't let others dictate to you how you should feel or how you should act".