MovieChat Forums > Local Hero (1983) Discussion > Nice Cinematography, Beautiful Beach, Bo...

Nice Cinematography, Beautiful Beach, Boring Movie

posted 15 years ago by danielscissorhands
25 replies | jump to latest

I realize I will get a lot of flak for this, because I realize a lot of people who love this movie, REALLY love this movie.
But art is subjective.
And it is my opinion that this movie is a complete waste of one and three quarter hours.
The cinematography was impressive. The beach was beautiful. The fact that Ben didn't want to sell out was something I whole-heartedly identify with. BUT...
This movie was dull. And I want to say pointless, but I suppose that would be an exaggeration. It certainly had a point. But it sure had a circuitous way of getting to that point.
I would love to visit the beach. But I pray I never re-visit this movie.
There are so many better films.

[–] brodieman1977 15 years ago

Clearly you don't get it, which is a shame.

Perhaps you should revisit it.

[–] pounce44 15 years ago

Sometimes subtlety is lost on viewers. What is low key humor to one viewer is mind-numbing monotony to another.

I know I don't get every movie I see the first time.
I had to see Miller's Crossing 3 times before I really understood everything.

But the thing is, with that film as well as a movie like Local Hero, your interpretation of the story, and how much you enjoy it, can be awfully personal.

[–] Nikon11 15 years ago

Sometimes you can "get" a movie, but still think that it's not all that great.

I understand what you're saying, though - Miller's Crossing is one of my all-time favorites, and I always see posts on that board from people who hate it.

Oh, well.

[–] scottythefield 14 years ago

If you didn't like the movie, don't worry about it. No harm in that.

[–] Nikon11 14 years ago

Thanks, Scotty. I've been all worked-up for over a year now.

[–] vimhawk 14 years ago

I didn't like it that much the first time. I think its because I had different expectations having previously seen Gregory's Girl. I was looking forward to Local Hero for ages as a result and when I finally saw it was disappointed probably because it was too different. To say it then grew on me is an understatement, and its now my favourite film ever. Its also the film I go back to as a kind of comfort blanket when I'm down, so its become far more than just a film.

[–] DD-931 14 years ago

Sorry, but if you found this film boring, that is not a flaw on the part of this film. This film accomplishes PRECISELY what it sets out to do, and it could not do that if it tried to please every possible audience member.

[–] Eightythreeyearoldguy 13 years ago

I think this is a film that needs to be revisited. I've watched it once and had the feeling that it was a great movie but that I was missing something due to just not being in the right mood...and so I will be watching it again this weekend.

Life, every now and then, behaves as though it had seen too many bad movies

[–] mclaugb 13 years ago

In my opinion, 'Local Hero' is arguably the greatest feel-good movie ever made about some of the most inherently decent people ever captured on film.

Even after repeated viewings I still find myself barely able to watch the achingly-poignant final scene.

[–] Eightythreeyearoldguy 13 years ago

I can understand it's being boring to younger people, but for us oldsters, it's a beautiful movie. Those in my movie group who are 62 and older (much older in cases like my own) really loved it.

Life, every now and then, behaves as though it had seen too many bad movies

[–] rh86 13 years ago

I'm 25 and I think it's a great film, very well shot and done in a very subtle way, it builds nicely and you get some wonderful scenes.

Wild! I was absolutely Livid!

[–] emncaity 13 years ago

Strange--I haven't talked to too many people who have had the final scene hit them that way, the same way it hit me. Really wistful, to the point of painful; a real sense of loss.

[–] jorgemtrevino 13 years ago

Having watched this movie five or six times (could be more even), I won't ry to add to anyone's opinion of it. I will just say that this is a film that requires being seen more than once.

Actually, its humour is so subtle that you catch many of the scenes after three or four watchings. I've just finished it for the Nth time and keep getting new laughs and smiles out of it.

In any case, the first time I saw it on cable TV in the early 80's I probably thought it was slow and boring too. The second time over my I had an epiphany. It is one of my favorite films ever.

In a very different plane, I thought that Das Boot was boring too, the first time I saw it. Now I've seen the 5 hour version four or five times and it gets better each time around. Loke some great teas that get better with each sobsequent infusion, some films need to be rewatched many times over.

[–] MeMichelfAndI 12 years ago

OP--Thanks for expressing your opinion. A movie is a very subjective experience, and one person's Magnum Opus is another person's Meh. Thanks to the other posters for not jumping all over the OP, like so often happens in this situation. Perhaps a testament to fans of a movie that celebrates gentle decency and a deep fondness for fellow human beings.

OP--I agree with the many here who recommend another (or more!) viewings, even over a period of years. There are SO many subtle touches that just get funnier on each viewing. Lots of lines or looks or gestures that my husband & I just wait for and crack up over or say along with or whatever.

Regarding age, my husband and I saw this in the theater when we were 23, and loved it. Thirty years later, it is still "our movie".

Regarding the ending--One of the most sublime in cinema. Heartbreaking, yet hopeful. Perfect.
And did you notice that the drum sting at the end of the credits is used in the Knox promo at the very start of the film? And the opening credits tune as Mac drives through "his" city is a twangy version of the celiedh music? Texas and Scotland, not so distant after all, woven together end to end.

And yeah, "Das Boot" is awesome too, either in English or German. And although I'm not that crazy about "Miller's Crossing", "Raising Arizona" is a VERY close second to "Local Hero" as our favorite film. Coen Brothers films in general are a good analogue to LH--lots of subtle stuff that gets funnier and dearer each time. Hmmm--Maybe I need to give "Miller's Crossing" another look after all.

[–] rthomp-8 12 years ago

MeMichelfAndI - I loved your various posts. I was struck by another coincidence. My wife and I saw it in 1983, when we had been married for a year and we were aged 23 and 24. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last year. It's my favourite film and right up there for my wife too. We didn't watch it in Cincinnati though - we saw it at a cinema in the Northwest of England.

As a child, my parents used to take me and my sister on holiday to the the area of Scotland where the beach is. It's a very magical place. 2.5 years ago, we took my father back there with our older soon too. We made a point of finding the actual beach used in the film. It's absolutely glorious and I now have a big picture of the beach with the islands of Eigg and Rhum floating in the sky on our wall at home. If you are ever in the UK, go and visit it.

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[–] Colm123 13 years ago

A movie with magic,myth and moral. Truly brilliant and it has me captivated every time. No CGI either. :-). The beauty of making a point in any art form is that it can take different routes to do so rather than hitting you in the face with it. I love Scotland anyway so I'm slightly converted :-).

[–] Druff 12 years ago

Whether something is boring or not is 100% subjective. You're obviously entitled to your opinion. You've had your say. All I can say in response is that I genuinely pity you and anyone else who can watch this movie and not be tickled by its humor and not touched by its heart. I like to think that one day, when you're more mature, you'll be able to enjoy it. Cheers.

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[–] Jamesir_Bensonmum 11 years ago

All I can say in response is that I genuinely pity you and anyone else who can watch this movie and not be tickled by its humor and not touched by its heart.

Correct. And not only is the humor very subtle, but the "heart" part of it is subtle, also. The heart of this film could be missed by someone who is not invested in "getting into" the film.

As I said in another post (and as some others have mentioned), the heart of this film is the transformation of Mac -- and, by extension, the transformation of the audience, since we are experiencing what's going on through Mac's experiences. We can see how through the course of the film, Mac comes around to actually almost being one of the residents of the fictional Ferness.

However, that transformation is subtle as it goes along from scene to scene. It's so subtle that you don't realize it happened until you compare Mac at the end of the film to Mac at the beginning of the film (which is what the last scene helps us do by using Houston as bookends).

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Owlwise 11 years ago

It's popular because a great many people saw it, loved it, cherish it.

[–] rindercella 10 years ago

Not boring to me at all. People seem too hyper and worked up to enjoy a film with dialog. It's amazing.

This film is in my top 10 of favorites.

"Meet me in Montauk." ~ Clem, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

[–] Jamesir_Bensonmum 10 years ago

It's a film that "happens to you" as you watch it. The events unfold so subtly that you hardly notice, but they do unfold.

As I mentioned in other threads, we (the audience) experience what Mac is experiencing as he slowly transforms from "Oil Company Real Estate Guy" into one of the Ferness villagers.

There isn't one specific "aha!" moment when we see this happen, it just happens. By the end of the film (a great ending, by the way, that wraps up the theme of the film beautifully), we suddenly realize that the transformation happened sometime during the film, but there is no way for us to put our finger on the exact part of the movie that it did.