Burt Lancaster just keeps turning up. Even when I don’t go looking for him, there he is. That is quite a feat for a man who has been dead for some time. Nevertheless, it’s true. Having just watched his marvelous performance in The Swimmer, I saw Local Hero, a movie that came highly recommended from a friend. And who’s there? Burt Lancaster. I hadn’t realized he was in this movie, but seeing his name in the opening credits was a pleasant surprise. This time around he takes a back seat to Peter Riegert, whose major claim to fame at the time (1983) was that he played Boon in Animal House. That’s right, Burt Lancaster takes a back seat to a guy from Animal House. But that’s the way it goes in Hollywood, the older a performer gets, the smaller their roles often become. Too bad, too, for younger absolutely does not mean greater screen presence, certainly not in this case.

Local Hero opens with a boardroom chock full of suits, all discussing a lucrative prospective new deal for Knox Oil Company. As a slide presentation ends, it becomes apparent that Felix Happer (Lancaster), company head, has fallen sound asleep, snoring loudly. The meeting continues as the other board members try not to wake him. The general consensus is that in order for the new deal to happen, someone will have to go to Scotland and acquire the coastal land (actually an entire village) necessary to build a new refinery. In perfect corporate style, the board chooses our protagonist “Mac” Macintyre to be the front man. Because he has a Scottish name, of course. Too bad Mac is actually Hungarian and has no field experience, fancying himself more of a “telex guy” who closes deals quickly, and not in person. Too bad for Mac, however, because Happer thinks him a brilliant choice, and sends him off to Scotland with instructions to watch the night sky for comets (Happer is quirky, you see).

So Mac heads to Scotland, where he is met by Danny Oldsen (Peter Capaldi), the Knox representative assigned to assist him during his stay. They head off to the doomed village, only to get stuck in the fog and acquire a rabbit they have injured along the way. Throughout this opening section, the dialogue is quite witty, and the situations absurd enough to be funny without being ludicrous.

What our hapless duo discover once they reach the village is that the folks have been eagerly awaiting their arrival. There is no existential angst over the loss of heritage or community, these people are barely making a living, and want the money the oil company has to offer. They put their fate in the hands of one Gordon Urquart (Denis Lawson) to get them the most money he can, their sublime shoreline be damned. The only people with any concern for preserving the area are a lovely and rather odd marine biologist and Ben Knox (Fulton Mackay), a beach dweller who literally lives off and on the beach. Mac begins to learn more of the town and its denizens, and witnesses amazing astronomical wonders like a meteor shower and the Aurora Borealis, all of which he dutifully reports to the ever more eccentric Happer. The story plays out with Mac and Gordon trying to make a deal amidst seemingly endless quirkiness and obstacles.

I could literally spend thousands of words describing the locals and their habits contained within Local Hero, not to mention the oddities to be found in virtually every character in the film, but I won’t. That’s half the fun, meeting these oddball people and seeing them fit together into some semblance of a community. Local Hero was made long before the quirky character dramedy was a full blown entity in American film and television. What it most reminds me of is the television series Northern Exposure with an out of place city boy caught against his will in a place he feels both superior and humbled. And unlike other films of the “corporation tries to take heritage from locals” model, these locals want their heritage to be bought and paid for. The movie doesn’t make this town some quaint little village with centuries old roots and traditions; it makes it a rather squalid place where people are just getting by. As far as they are concerned, this money is the answer to a whole host of problems, and they really don’t care what happens to the village once they are gone.

The single subplot that absolutely fails, unfortunately, is that of Lancaster’s character, Happer. He is most definitely an odd man, spending quite a bit of time in his corporate office either staring at his own private planetarium or receiving “abuse therapy”. It is only when this therapy becomes a bit more than he bargained for that he finds his way to Scotland. This part of the film is in jangling discordance to the rest, and why it is included is a mystery.

All of the various subplots involving the townspeople are funny and usually quite sweet. The film was shot on location in Scotland, and the photography by Chris Menges of the shoreline is absolutely gorgeous, a beautiful contrast to the grungy and run down town. The score, much of it by Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler, definitely bears his mark, but only to the benefit of the film.

The performances, especially those of the locals, are uniformly outstanding. Denis Lawson as Urquart has the meatiest role, but each plays his part in making the town into a goofy, lovable, offbeat family. Peter Capaldi as Oldsen also performs well as the gangly assistant with a yen for the marine biologist. Fulton Mackay as Ben the beach dweller delivers the required reluctance to give up his life for anything “better”, and he does it with a quiet resolve that is genuinely endearing.

That leaves us with Lancaster and Riegert. I’ll say that Lancaster does all right with what he is given. His character is so bizarre that no amount of acting ability could bring this man into focus, or make him particularly appealing. Something of a waste of talent, although he does seem to have fun with the role.

Riegert is yet another story. His performance is fine. There is nothing actively bad about it at all. In fact, some of his scenes and his dialogue delivery are very funny. He delivers what the character demands, and does so without committing egregious error. Unfortunately, he is simply not really graced with an endearing screen presence. He pales in comparison to most of the rest of the cast, not through lack of ability, but through lack of that intangible quality that makes an actor compelling to watch. And although his character has his own rather bland peculiarities, he generally plays the straight man. A straight man without some charisma is a problem. That special oomph brought to the film by a charismatic actor, regardless of the character, is what Local Hero really needs.

This is not to say that Local Hero is not a good film, it is. Unfortunately, with all it’s good aspects, the lack of presence of the leading man and that one grossly out of place subplot make the movie, well, boring in spots. These things make the pace lag and bring the whole movie down a level.

Overall, Local Hero may well be the first of the modern “dramedies”. With a straight man in a truly quirky and charming setting, the movie has all the components of a real winner. Unfortunately brought down by some weak points, it is definitely still worth a watch. The beautiful photography, wonderful score and frequently clever and funny dialogue help the movie past the slow spots. If nothing else, it’s worth it just for the bright red phone booth. Three and a half stars.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD