Stars:
Sigourney Weaver,
Emile Hirsch,
Jeff Daniels,
Deidre O'Connell,
Kip Pardue,
Ryan Donowho,
Michelle Williams,
Suzanne Santo
Director:
Daniel Harris
Summary: This realistic family film starring Sigourney Weaver and Emile Hirsch as a loving mother and son asks some deep questions about mortality, the risks of depression, and staying together verses splitting up. Living in a beautiful house in a manicured suburban neighbourhood, the Travis family seems flawless at first glance. That is, until the handsome eldest son (Kip Pardue), a star swimmer, commits suicide, leaving the family in pieces. The father (Jeff Daniels), rejects the other members of the family, becoming distant and aloof. The college-student daughter (Michelle Williams), rarely visits home any more. The mother (Weaver), resorts to petty quibbles with her next-door neighbour (Deirdre O'Connell), and develops a minor but highly amusing marijuana habit. And the youngest son, Tim (Hirsch) who is the protagonist and the real victim in the story searches for meaning, identity, and solace from the chaos that surrounds him. Tim's best friend Kyle (Ryan Donowho) experiments with drugs and sex, providing for some understated and poignant coming-of-age situations. But for the most part, it is the chemistry between expert actors Weaver and Hirsch that carries the film, making IMAGINARY HEROES a lovely, sensitive meditation on the mid-life family crisis.