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Hesher

Play trailer Poster for Hesher R 2011 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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55% Tomatometer 77 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
An anarchist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) shakes things up after moving -- uninvited -- into the garage of a troubled youth (Devin Brochu) and the kid's father (Rainn Wilson).

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Hesher

Hesher

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Critics Consensus

It has a dark sense of humor and a refreshing lack of sentimentality, but like its title character, Hesher isn't really interested in going anywhere.

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Critics Reviews

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Leonard Maltin leonardmaltin.com 05/13/2011
1.1/2
Some indie films seem to exist as exercises in strangeness, just to see how far they can go-and how long audiences will watch before screaming and running up the aisles. I stuck with Hesher till... Go to Full Review Tom Long Detroit News 05/13/2011
B
Happily, Hesher never lays things out too clearly. Just as you never know where he came from, it's hard to grasp where he's going, or even what he's doing in the moment. But you know he fits somewhere. And that's satisfaction enough. Go to Full Review Brian Tallerico HollywoodChicago.com 05/13/2011
1/5
Like a knock-off of Chuck Palahniuk produced by people raised only on Sundance films, "Hesher" is a mess. Go to Full Review Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 11
4/5
It's a risky move to make a movie with a protagonist as unlikable as Hesher does, yet that gamble paid off in this unconventional coming-of-age movie. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 06/07/2023
2.5/4
If only the film upheld the confronting emotions and entertaining recklessness so shocking early in the film with an appropriately downturned ending, the result might not feel so inharmoniously optimistic upon reflection. Go to Full Review Jack Fleischer Battleship Pretension 03/24/2021
At the very least I would totally say it's worth a matinee admission. Go and see it, and tell me what it is that I just don't get. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Tommy L. @tommylane Apr 5 Some parts made me cringe. Other parts were heart warming. Hesher is a complicated character who weaved his way into a family’s home effortlessly. Very crass person who didn’t ask for things. He just took charge in a hippie sort of way. The acting was very good. I appreciated the last few scenes ultimately. See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Nov 19 Extremely offbeat, but interesting. It was funny seeing Gordon-Levitt be this kind of character. "Now you've got more channels"!!!!! See more Aldis H @plever 05/29/2025 I've known since before I got the first hair on my pec*** that critics have things stuck up their as*** and don't appreciate madness. I've watched this three times. Sure, it's disjointed, it's got a completely stupid twist, nevertheless, I love it, mainly because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. See more Faiz D @RT95588871 05/13/2025 dafuq JGL? The only only good thing about this movie was the character of the boy's Grandmother. See more Kirk N @RT93200817 02/01/2025 This is a unique movie, have seen nothing else like it. Hesher is a magical character with a filthy mouth, personally I really enjoyed his inventive obscenities but probably best not to watch with the kids. For a movie about dealing with grief, it manages not to drag you down, but get your adrenaline pumping. See more mark g @Mark_Alan_G. 07/16/2024 When you're an hour into the movie and realize you haven't enjoyed one second of it, you have to ask yourself, should I continue? I mean, shouldn't there be some payoff by now. I like indies, but have a point. See more Read all reviews
Hesher

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Cast & Crew

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Spencer Susser

Director

Natalie Portman

Nicole

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Hesher

Rainn Wilson

Paul Forney

Devin Brochu

T.J.

Piper Laurie

Madeleine Forney

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Hesher

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Hesher

Natalie Portman as Nicole in "Hesher." Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Hesher in "Hesher." (L-R) Rainn Wilson as Paul Forney and Devin Brochu as T.J. in "Hesher." Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Hesher in "Hesher." Spencer Susser and Natalie Portman on the set of "Hesher." Devin Brochu as T.J. and Natalie Portman as Nicole in "Hesher." Natalie Portman as Nicole and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Hesher in "Hesher." Devin Brochu as T.J. and Natalie Portman as Nicole in "Hesher." (L-R) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Spencer Susser on the set of "Hesher." (L-R) Spencer Susser, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman on the set of "Hesher." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An anarchist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) shakes things up after moving -- uninvited -- into the garage of a troubled youth (Devin Brochu) and the kid's father (Rainn Wilson).
Director
Spencer Susser
Producer
Lucy Cooper, Matt Weaver, Scott Prisand, Spencer Susser, Natalie Portman, Johnny Lin, Win Sheridan
Screenwriter
Spencer Susser, David Michôd
Distributor
Wrekin Hill Ent.
Production Co
American Work, Inc., Last Pictures
Rating
R (Drug Content|Disturbing Violent Behavior|Some in Presence of a Child|Graphic Dialogue|Pervasive Language|Sexual Content)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 13, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$382.9K
Runtime
1h 40m