This is quite possibly my all-time favorite film. I have watched and re-watched this and discover something new every time. At it's most basic, Imaginary Heroes is a dissection of an upper middle- class family struggling through a major loss of a loved one. As the various - and brilliantly portrayed - characters deal with this loss, the various layers of the story are peeled away, revealing issue upon issue in this seemingly normal suburban household.Sigourney Weaver is as mesmerizing as always but it's Emile Hirsch who steals the show here, and who absolutely stole my heart with his portrayal of a troubled teen pianist. And before you jump to conclusions and roll your eyes at the 'troubled teen' cliché, just know that this movie is incredibly brave, broaching themes and topics I have never seen before or since in a film.Just writing this review makes me want to re-watch this outstanding movie for the umpteenth time. If you're a fan of dramas and don't mind sniveling into a tissue or two, then I cannot recommend this film enough!

"Imaginary Heroes" takes us through that often treaded path of a suicide in the family and its aftermath. Dan Harris directs a strong cast which manages to redeem his extremely lacking screenplay. It's a screenplay littered with holes and devoid of any real emotional logic. But still I found myself watching till the end, largely thanks to the performances.Jeff Daniels is in unshaven, hangdog mode. We've seen in all before, but it is effective. Emil Hirsh basically reprises his role of both "Wild Iris" and "The Mudge Boy". Yet another teenage boy detached and lost following a death in the family, with the added twist of an uncertain sexuality. He's an appealing young performer and does well in the role, but it is definitely time to let go and try something else.And then there's Sigourney Weaver. After too many forgettable roles in equally forgettable movies, one could be forgiven for forgetting just how good she can be. Somehow in this deficient vehicle, Weaver manages to create a wonderfully accurate characterization. It's a subtle, often humorous and always convincing performance and the only real that I stuck with "Imaginary Heroes" to the end.

The NYT review says that Sigourney Weaver's character is taut and frustrated, and, later, that she could be the sister of MTM's character in Ordinary People. Say, WHAT? No way. This lady was quirky from the start. NOTHING like MTM in Ordinary People. Sorry.Next, the NYT goes on to say that Sigourney Weaver's Sandy Travis and Jeff Daniel's Ben Travis are 40-something year olds, "children of the 60s." Ms Weaver must be dancing a jig. I believe at the time she made Imaginary Heroes she was in fact 55 years old. She was born in 1949.NYT perception corrections aside, this was a pretty good movie considering it was made by someone so young. Obviously Sigourney Weaver thought so, and so did Jeff Daniels. The young man playing Tim was outstanding.There are some critical comments I could make about the script. Such as that I never really got a good sense of why Sandy Travis missed her son. Her sort of blown apart behavior was perhaps triggered by his death, but that such behavior lasted ¾ of the way through the film I felt had more to do with her stagnation marriage, her relationship with Tim, and where he really came from, and other unresolved issues, than from any mourning of her elder son. Ben's mourning was much more clear.So Matt Travis was an asshole. Did his mom think so too? Still, a very watchable film. What is becoming clearer and clearer is not that there are no roles for women over a certain age, rather that what it takes is a director such as this one to be so clearly in love with an older woman (Ms Weaver) and to almost make his film an homage to her. Sort of an anti-Woody Allen.

This is a fantastic movie revealing the truths about family under severe stress. This was such a touching movie. It is so honest. It's very memorable and I'm recommending it to you.Your own experiences with family life will probably be similar, however less dramatic. The strength of a family is tested here and they attempt to find strength in their own weaknesses working through grief and denial. If you have ever felt alone in your world, you'll be able to connect. It's a refreshing perspective on reality that will give you a wide range of feelings most movies neglect to attempt. Watch it, you'll love it.