1977 Directed by Jeremy Kagan
A Vietnam veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder breaks out of a VA hospital and goes on a road trip with a sympathetic traveler to find out what became of the other men in his unit.
It is hard to imagine nowadays, but there was a time when Henry Winkler was the most popular entertainer on TV. As the Fonz he basically ruled the airwaves and was the epitome of cool, but he truly struggled to translate his success beyond that character. I can see why he chose HEROES as a chance to do something different, perhaps to be viewed as a more rounded actor than his "Happy Days" role would allow. It proved to be a misstep.
It is not that his performance is bad, although at times he does seem to be straining, he is just woefully miscast as a Vietnam vet suffering from PTSD. There is something inherently decent and nebbishy about Winkler…
I literally only consumed this media to see a snippet of john cassavetes face.
HEREOES (1977) USA, colour, 108m.
Directed by Jeremy Kagan.
Another uncompromising road movie from the GLORIOUS 1970's, this time with an early Vietnam post traumatic stress syndrome.
Henry Winkler is an ex-soldier who escapes from an asylum, to go to one of his former war buddies, played by Harrison Ford.
On the way there he accidentally and reluctantly get in cohorts with Sally Field, who is on the run from her own upcoming wedding.
There is much road moving, some car racing, and much bickering during this odyssey.
I think this was really worth watching.
And, remember; you don't fuck with the FONZ!
The theme song is "Carry on wayward son" by Kansas.
Watched the last half but don’t really think I need to see the rest. It’s heart is in the right place but it just doesn’t ever break through that C-movie level of filmmaking. Genuinely great ending, though. Recommend checking that out instead of whole thing. I love the zeitgeist of the 70s but people from the 70s didn’t like this one. LOL.
Have you ever stumbled upon a movie you never even knew existed and it ended up really moving you? I came across Heroes that way. I must say that i am grateful for it.
Heroes is the story of Vietnam vet Jack Dunne (Henry "the Fonz" Winkler), who escapes from a Veteran's Hospital with a crazy plan to start up his own business using money from his fellow inpatients. Jack sets out on a cross country bus ride to visit three of his buddies from 'Nam, who are also prospective partners in Jack's new business venture. On the way he meets Carol (Sally Field), a runaway bride who can't decide whether she should go back to her fiance or tag…
1977 was a good year for Henry Winkler. He was the most popular television star playing what would become an iconic sitcom character.
It was a good year for Sally Field, another TV star, who finally broke the Gidget and Flying Nun images with a funny, sexy turn in Smokey and the Bandit (the #2 highest grossing movie of the year). This led to a successful big-screen career that, in just the following two years, would earn her her first Oscar.
And it was a good year for Harrison Ford. He found his breakthrough role in a little film called Star Wars (the #1 highest grossing movie of the year).
In 1977, Henry Winkler seized the big-screen opportunity of Heroes…
This film seemed a little over the top at times, but was not a bad movie for Henry.
