Sam Elliott’s voice deserves a stand alone lifetime achievement award for being one of the most comforting voices in the history of voices. It flows like caramel and is an auditory blanket to keep you warm at night. That said, his voice kicks off the first trailer for the drama THE HERO, which has been making its festival run for the past couple of months. The beginning of the trailer has Elliott doing some voice over work for a BBQ commercial. We later learn that he is an iconic Western actor who had one big hit film titled The Hero. With his golden days as an icon behind him and a surprise cancer diagnosis, he goes a new journey to leave behind his new legacy.
The film played at Sundance and at SXSW and I’m kind of kicking myself for not seeing it at either fest. The film was getting tons of love and many celebrated Elliott’s performance. The film has all the ingredients for an emotionally-driven story about the “rise of a fallen star” and I’m assuming that this is commentary about being of a certain age in the industry. Plus, there’s the element of an estranged daughter (Krysten Ritter) and a How Stella Got Her Groove Back-esque relationship via a stand-up comedian played by Laura Prepon. Also, Nick Offerman pops up as a trusty comrade — and the world can never get enough of Offerman.
The Hero seems like a different kind of coming-of-age story, but at the same time puts a deserving spotlight on Elliott…and that beautiful bass voice, obviously.
Dino-Ray Ramos | Staff Writer
