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Local Hero

Local Hero

1983
Comedy, Drama
1h 51m
An American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected. (imdb)
Your probable score
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Local Hero

1983
Comedy, Drama
1h 51m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.01% from 649 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(649)
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Rated 22 May 2009
83
77th
Peter Riegert is wonderfully affable, the kind of sardonic everyman that a viewer can instantly identify with. I thought this would be a heavy-handed message film about the kindly villagers up against the evil corporation. But it takes a much lighter approach with gentle satire. Lancaster is terrific as the eccentric CEO with a penchant for astrology and an abusive therapist. I enjoyed this a lot, and although it isn't one of my favorites, I can easily see how it could build up a cult following.
Rated 04 May 2009
89
91st
Not laugh-out-loud funny, but consistently amusing. The setting is gorgeous, the whole film is odd without being over-the-top quirky, and Riegert is just perfect. The overall experience makes this a very pleasant film. The ending is simply perfect.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
85
80th
Perhaps its biggest success is not that it is funny (and it is funny), or how moving it is, but that it is completely unlike everything that you expect when you read the plot synopsis. There's no didacticism, no Nasty Industrial Men vs The Good-hearted Little People posturing, no raving on about the environment (its environmental concerns hit home precisely because they aren't shoved down your throat) - it is a surprisingly subtle, intelligent piece of work, and a damn enjoyable one at that.
Rated 10 Jan 2010
87
92nd
Quite surprised by the soothness, plain yet relaxing story, good easy humour and a great sound score. I didn't expect much, but I really thoroughly enjoyed it - the story was also really great, very easygoing on one side and quite deep as well if you decide to look upon it that way. Not to miss!
Rated 27 Aug 2011
82
85th
A pleasant film, very serene as dramatic tension is present but kept to an absolute minimum, which allows the scenery, music and atmosphere to shine as the stars of the show. In fact this approach is so laid back that it almost seems like the director has missed his mark and forgotten the plot; but ultimately the way it sidesteps the mainstream and gives high concept a wide berth is a crucial part of the film's appeal. The film carries a great message too, and stands the test of time well.
Rated 21 Feb 2008
53
41st
Meh. So-so. It's perfectly watchable, but it really wants to be funny and deep, and it's neither.
Rated 27 Feb 2010
72
78th
(from imdb trivia): "I feel close in spirit to the Powell and Pressburger feeling, the idea of trying to present a cosmic viewpoint to people, but through the most ordinary things."
Rated 17 Jun 2010
55
39th
Unimpressive. If someone like Kitty Farmer forced me to rate this as a satire on a reductive scale I'd have to come down on the side of sucking rather than biting. The humour is supposed to be cleverly subdued, I suspect, but the comedy just comes off as if they didn't bother really trying.
Rated 01 Mar 2011
71
60th
Charming.
Rated 14 Dec 2009
81
64th
Enjoyable film. No, it doesn't have a terribly deep message, and no it won't change your life. For that matter, it isn't excessively funny or sentimental. But it possesses a really nice balance of acting and storytelling. Great script, great cinematography, and lots of charm. Recommended.
Rated 24 May 2010
80
84th
Gently humorous and enjoyable film, with a strong and likeable cast, and a suitable light touch taken to the themes it explores. Nice to hear the Mark Knopfler score belted out at St James' Park on matchdays...
Rated 27 Oct 2008
83
72nd
A very nice film with some great dry humour.
Rated 01 Mar 2008
81
69th
# 384
Rated 23 Feb 2012
50
27th
Most of the bits with Lancaster work, but a lot of the movie just falls completely flat.
Rated 25 Feb 2012
81
77th
Joyous and lovely.
Rated 13 Oct 2009
80
77th
It's just lovely. It's also scary how young Denis Lawson and Peter Capaldi are
Rated 04 Nov 2013
73
71st
Reminded me of Whisky Galore! Great dark comedy.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
96
97th
Uniquely wonderful little comedy that beats its own drum. One of the finest British movies ever made.
Rated 08 Oct 2010
70
60th
Amazing soundtrack
Rated 24 Jan 2016
85
93rd
Funy, wisdom and well tuned movie. This movie is in my comic films top ten list.
Rated 01 Aug 2015
64
69th
Nice, constantly amusing, positive tale. The total lack of cynicism is refreshing. Somehow I'm hardly finding words to describe it, but it is pretty good movie.
Rated 11 Mar 2024
86
62nd
One of those films where my appreciation is likely to only skyrocket with time and rewatches. Local Hero is a diamond in the rough; goofy or somber whenever it wants to be without feeling like it's switching tonal gears, or that there are even gears at all. An engrossing narrative without much narrative, without much conflict, and yet it never stalls. It's kind of incredible, actually.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
26th
Over-praised schmaltz; catchy guitar soundtrack by Knopfler.
Rated 30 Nov 2011
75
50th
#495
Rated 19 Dec 2008
83
66th
332
Rated 04 Dec 2012
90
91st
1 point extra from my previous score for the BEAUTIFUL restoration done on this film.
Rated 19 Oct 2010
81
66th
Really heart-warming and rather important film that has some genuinely beautiful moments, like the sky-shower scene. A nice and easy watch; see it with your Nan.
Rated 04 Sep 2010
50
47th
Trots along nicely enough but in attempting to be nothing more than a character-based comedy it really misses a trick in realising its potential by not introducing some much-needed drama in a tighter plot. Light and fluffy and everyone's happy in the end: probably a good one to watch if you're feeling depressed.
Rated 23 Mar 2014
88
95th
88.000
Rated 21 Feb 2007
65
73rd
Good film.
Rated 31 Jan 2010
100
97th
Really great. Whimsical, funny, and one of the best soundtracks of all time. Burt Lancaster is perfect.
Rated 14 Jan 2010
78
56th
450
Rated 12 Nov 2014
87
94th
The milk of human decency runs through this film. I chuckled contentedly from beginning to end. Somehow manages to be touching & sweet without being overly sentimental. Some slight missteps in terms of comedy but it put me in a mood to forgive them. I loved it.
Rated 30 May 2014
80
86th
Cinematic valium. That will only sound negative to people who have never taken valium.
Rated 22 Mar 2007
100
95th
Strange, funny, absolutely unique film. Very low-key. _Animal House_ fans are advised to stay far away from something this grownup
Rated 15 Jan 2010
47
7th
Great idea and some really great dialogues, but everything is just so slow...
Rated 30 Dec 2015
40
55th
a weird sense of humour
Rated 31 Aug 2011
70
63rd
Charming, well-shot and well-acted. Still, I struggled a bit with the sense that this is one of those cutesy quirky postcard films that become surprise hits every few years. However, while it did not meet my expectations by a long shot, I still enjoyed it. I also was a bit too tired to fully get into it, so I'll give it another shot some day.
Rated 21 Nov 2007
99
0th
One of my all time favourites. Quirky funny look at North American urban life versus rural life in north of Scotland. Low key and hysterical. Typical Forsyth film. I would reccommend all his movies.
Rated 08 Jan 2009
100
90th
A highly unique and adorably weird little gem. Fantastic. Mark Knopfler's brilliant soundtrack accents it perfectly. One of the best British films I've ever seen, and I'm thoroughly surprised I hadn't heard of this before.
Rated 10 May 2012
89
89th
88.625.
Rated 14 Nov 2022
72
72nd
A strange film. Forestalls any dramatic tension, whatsoever. Constantly sets up expectations only to tear them down. Every character plays a role opposite to the one you might expect. Seems gentle and rather hapless, but it’s really quite composed. Pay attention, in particular, to the weird editing.some of the hard cuts between scenes are just perverse.
Rated 15 Sep 2018
85
59th
Viewed September 14, 2018.
Rated 03 Nov 2019
82
80th
Small time drama with a hefty dose of whimsy. Local Hero is wonderful to its characters as it lets each stretch out and breath individually. The setting is stunning, which allows for a very believable small-town quirkiness.
Rated 25 Dec 2019
65
86th
If you are looking for action and excitement, you will not find any in "Local Hero." It's a character study with a slight comic twist and a script that makes it work. If you like movies about people, then this is a movie you might enjoy, I did.
Rated 13 Mar 2020
40
14th
Rather aimless, and Burt Lancaster's character detracts from the subtle moments of real humor.
Rated 17 Nov 2020
80
78th
I've lived in a lot of small towns where there's a weird dynamic: many of the residents will complain that life is too hard and that they'd move for just the right amount of money, yet they're also fiercely proud of their little spot. This film really nails that same feeling. It's not a perfect film, as the quirky residents are more like certain tropes. But there's a nice sentimentality to it without being gushy, and the dry humor usually works.
Rated 30 Jan 2023
25
5th
Disappointing, the plot sounded interesting and potential for laughs but was just very bland overall. The only interesting character is Burt Lancaster's; the rest have no personality so just act inexplicably or in blatant service of the plot, but even the plot seems almost a background concern. Even the jokes (some of which were funny) just didn't seem thought out, the idea for the humour was there but not followed through, as if tryig to be too subtle, and ending up nowhere.
Rated 31 Mar 2021
77
90th
Some of the Lancaster related elements are out of place, but this is a magnetic, largely magical little movie that takes its time and subverts expectations.
Rated 27 Nov 2021
4
72nd
I think change of heart movies are often the hardest ones to do, so to convey Riegert's change of heart just through him becoming increasingly melancholy rather than any sequence of events with consequences, works about as well as it can. Beautiful scenery, ending, Gordon and Stella
Rated 11 Jun 2022
60
31st
Modestly witty feel-good drama where an American oil company lackey attempts to buy off a Scottish village. I say "attempts", but there is very little in the way of conflict. Local Hero is unconventionally quiet, with few stakes & barely any contrived narrative trajectory. A peaceful slice of life that happens to have an inciting incident, as well as a small dash of the zany in the form of an astronomy-obsessed corporation head & his abusive therapist. Oh, & it has Peter Capaldi.
Rated 19 Jul 2022
80
36th
A gem of British filmmaking from the early 80's. Warm, charming and witty, a perfect couch movie for a quiet fall day.
Rated 19 Jul 2023
74
51st
A charming, small story that is well realized and likable with good performances. I didn't find it all that funny, but it has its moments, and the drama elements work pretty well. Lancaster is a lot of fun in a quirky role. Would make a fun double feature with The Wicker Man.
Rated 11 Feb 2024
43
51st
#24#, rw2, ratings, recommended, story, "Project 100-80-60-40-20"-1983#2"

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