Hesher

Play trailer

Hesher

R

2011

1h 40m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

55%

Tomatometer

77 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

An anarchist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) shakes things up after moving -- uninvited -- into the garage of a troubled youth (Devin Brochu) and the kid's father (Rainn Wilson).

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

It has a dark sense of humor and a refreshing lack of sentimentality, but like its title character, Hesher isn't really interested in going anywhere.

Read Critics Reviews

Leonard Maltin

leonardmaltin.com

05/13/2011

1.1/2

Some indie films seem to exist as exercises in strangeness, just to see how far they can go-and how long audiences will watch before screaming and running up the aisles. I stuck with Hesher till...

Go to Full Review

Tom Long

Detroit News

05/13/2011

B

Happily, Hesher never lays things out too clearly. Just as you never know where he came from, it's hard to grasp where he's going, or even what he's doing in the moment. But you know he fits somewhere. And that's satisfaction enough.

Go to Full Review

Brian Tallerico

HollywoodChicago.com

05/13/2011

1/5

Like a knock-off of Chuck Palahniuk produced by people raised only on Sundance films, "Hesher" is a mess.

Go to Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11

4/5

It's a risky move to make a movie with a protagonist as unlikable as Hesher does, yet that gamble paid off in this unconventional coming-of-age movie.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

06/07/2023

2.5/4

If only the film upheld the confronting emotions and entertaining recklessness so shocking early in the film with an appropriately downturned ending, the result might not feel so inharmoniously optimistic upon reflection.

Go to Full Review

Jack Fleischer

Battleship Pretension

03/24/2021

At the very least I would totally say it's worth a matinee admission. Go and see it, and tell me what it is that I just don't get.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Tommy L.

@tommylane Apr 5

Some parts made me cringe. Other parts were heart warming. Hesher is a complicated character who weaved his way into a family’s home effortlessly. Very crass person who didn’t ask for things. He just took charge in a hippie sort of way. The acting was very good. I appreciated the last few scenes ultimately.

See more

Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 19

Extremely offbeat, but interesting. It was funny seeing Gordon-Levitt be this kind of character. "Now you've got more channels"!!!!!

See more

Aldis H

@plever 05/29/2025

I've known since before I got the first hair on my pec*** that critics have things stuck up their as*** and don't appreciate madness. I've watched this three times. Sure, it's disjointed, it's got a completely stupid twist, nevertheless, I love it, mainly because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

See more

Faiz D

@RT95588871 05/13/2025

dafuq JGL? The only only good thing about this movie was the character of the boy's Grandmother.

See more

Kirk N

@RT93200817 02/01/2025

This is a unique movie, have seen nothing else like it. Hesher is a magical character with a filthy mouth, personally I really enjoyed his inventive obscenities but probably best not to watch with the kids. For a movie about dealing with grief, it manages not to drag you down, but get your adrenaline pumping.

See more

mark g

@Mark_Alan_G. 07/16/2024

When you're an hour into the movie and realize you haven't enjoyed one second of it, you have to ask yourself, should I continue? I mean, shouldn't there be some payoff by now. I like indies, but have a point.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Spencer Susser

Director

Natalie Portman

Nicole

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Hesher

Rainn Wilson

Paul Forney

Devin Brochu

T.J.

Piper Laurie

Madeleine Forney

Hesher: Official Clip - Angry Dinner

2:32

Hesher: Official Clip - Fender Bender

3:20

Hesher: Official Clip - Dirty and Wet

2:56

Hesher: Official Clip - I Lost My Nut

2:37

Hesher: Official Clip - I'll Smash You in the Face

2:52

Hesher: Official Clip - Stalking That Chick

2:40

Hesher: Official Clip - You Think This Is Funny?

2:44

Hesher: Official Clip - Car Burning

2:02

Hesher: Official Clip - The Granny Killer

1:53

View more videos

Beautiful Boy

71%

56%

Beautiful Boy

Watchlist

You Will Be My Son

89%

69%

You Will Be My Son

Watchlist

Margaret

75%

49%

Margaret

Watchlist

Into Temptation

80%

71%

Into Temptation

Watchlist

Little Birds

59%

42%

Little Birds

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Critics Consensus: Priest is Without a Prayer

Sundance 2010: RT’s 10 Most Anticipated Movies

View more photos

Synopsis

An anarchist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) shakes things up after moving -- uninvited -- into the garage of a troubled youth (Devin Brochu) and the kid's father (Rainn Wilson).

Director: Spencer Susser
Producer: Lucy Cooper, Matt Weaver, Scott Prisand, Spencer Susser, Natalie Portman, Johnny Lin, Win Sheridan
Screenwriter: Spencer Susser, David Michôd
Distributor: Wrekin Hill Ent.
Production Co: American Work, Inc., Last Pictures
Rating: R (Drug Content|Disturbing Violent Behavior|Some in Presence of a Child|Graphic Dialogue|Pervasive Language|Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 6, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $382.9K
Runtime: 1h 40m