Local Hero is charming, offbeat comedy from Scottish writer/director Bill Forsyth, who also wrote and directed the cult film Gregory's Girl. Although the basic, fish-out-of-water plotline of the film is not necessarily original -- big city man is forced to go to small, backwards town and ends up falling in love with the place -- everything else about the film, including the characters, the understated humor, and the setting, seems fresh and new.

Peter Riegert stars as a Texas oil company junior exec who is sent to a small, seaside village in Scotland to buy the town away from its residents and, thus, secure oil drilling rights off its shores. As negotiations develop and drag on, Riegert's character, the uptight city slicker who prefers to do deals by phone, gradually falls in love with the slow, eccentric lifestyle of the sleepy little town. And, as Riegert's character falls in love, so do we.

The town is filled with offbeat, quirky characters, and yet Forsyth does not go overboard with their portrayals. They are BELIEVABLY off-beat and quirky. The film moves along at its own pace, yet it never drags down or gets boring. Subtlety is Forsyth's forte, and nearly everything in the film, with the exception of a silly subplot involving the oil company president (Burt Lancaster) and his annoying psychiatrist, is underplayed and understated. Mark Knopfler's dreamy soundtrack is an additional treat.

In addition to Riegert and Lancaster, the cast includes Scottish actors Denis Lawson, Peter Capaldi, Fulton MacKay, Jenny Seagrove, and Jennifer Black.

Recommended:
Yes

Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older