A struggling actor needs to take on ludicrous jobs, such as wearing a superhero costume as part of a publicity campaign. Bravely foiling a robbery on a grocery store, he gets confused with the fictional superhero. Soon the whole city is agog with the news...
"Hero at large" is a pleasantly watchable comedy. It feels a little too bland or too lazy to make a strong impression : there is a sense of missed opportunities, just like there is a sense of insufficient ambition. The movie treats themes such as the need for a collective civic pride, the difference between genuine and feigned heroism and the way in which courage can get co-opted by power.
Another theme is Man's immemorial longing for some kind of guardian angel, patron saint or tutelary deity watching over his community. Since the twentieth century the said longing tends to manifest itself in a desire for a superhero willing to fight crime and injustice.
While not the deepest movie around, "Hero at large" is self-aware and mature enough to ask some pertinent questions about this whole superhero phenomenon. Are we talking, say, about a very human need for escapist whimsy, about a healthy wish for pleasant cities and safe streets and/or about an inspirational call for real-life gallantry ? Or is there something far more insidious hiding behind all these tales about leotard-clad crusaders ?
Part of the story concerns the protagonist's encounter with an attractive female neighbor. Falling in love with her, he begins to woo her. Surely I can't be the only one to find his courtship techniques, well, unpleasantly invasive ? A would-be boyfriend who tries to charm the object of his attentions by showing up at her workplace while she's busy working - now that's a big red flag going up right there.
"Hero at large" is a pleasantly watchable comedy. It feels a little too bland or too lazy to make a strong impression : there is a sense of missed opportunities, just like there is a sense of insufficient ambition. The movie treats themes such as the need for a collective civic pride, the difference between genuine and feigned heroism and the way in which courage can get co-opted by power.
Another theme is Man's immemorial longing for some kind of guardian angel, patron saint or tutelary deity watching over his community. Since the twentieth century the said longing tends to manifest itself in a desire for a superhero willing to fight crime and injustice.
While not the deepest movie around, "Hero at large" is self-aware and mature enough to ask some pertinent questions about this whole superhero phenomenon. Are we talking, say, about a very human need for escapist whimsy, about a healthy wish for pleasant cities and safe streets and/or about an inspirational call for real-life gallantry ? Or is there something far more insidious hiding behind all these tales about leotard-clad crusaders ?
Part of the story concerns the protagonist's encounter with an attractive female neighbor. Falling in love with her, he begins to woo her. Surely I can't be the only one to find his courtship techniques, well, unpleasantly invasive ? A would-be boyfriend who tries to charm the object of his attentions by showing up at her workplace while she's busy working - now that's a big red flag going up right there.