Rating: 
Summary: See this movie.
Review: This is the most non-sentimental, "sentimental" movie I've seen. Quiet, low-key. Fabulous dead-pan humor and jokes you won't spot until the the second or third time you watch. Complete with a mermaid (who denies the existance of mermaids), a baby who belongs to everyone and no one, an African minister on a mission to Scotland, scotch that's "old enough to be out on its own", and characters that feel like old friends. I have lots of personal "top 10" movie lists, and somehow this movie ends up on every single one of them.
Rating:
Summary: Either you get it or you don't
Review: This beautiful, quirky movie is the story of an unlikely man who falls in love with an unlikely place. Here's what the movie isn't: it contains almost no sex, no violence, no comedy highjinks, no car chases, little suspense, no cops, no boy-meets-girl plotline. The plot of the movie, such as it is, could be laid out in a paragraph. It's about the characters, to a point, though we really only get a glimpse at who these characters are, or seem to be. The film's neither happy nor sad, but a bit of both. The movie must be seen to be understood. Mack, a slick Houston oil-company executive (Peter Riegert), arrives in remotest coastal Scotland to discreetly negotiate the purchase of a village, so his company can build a huge oil facility there. Though Mack believes his mission is secret, the canny villagers all know why he's there, and prove to be shrewd negotiators themselves. Unbeknownst to Mack, the locals can "smell the money," and are overjoyed at the prospect of selling out and getting away. Riegert's character is at first annoyed by his circumstance and his surroundings--having to waste time dickering with the village locals (he resentfully observes that he could have sewn up the deal in an afternoon over the telephone). The place seems backwards and remote, has only one pay phone, and is far removed from the glossy, fast-paced life of money and convenience to which he is accustomed. But the place is beautiful, and haunting, and Mack--impatient to wrap up his business and leave--begins to realize that he should be happy for the chance to linger there. In one scene, Mack telephones his Houston office from the village's one pay phone, and finds that he has little to say to the person on the other end of the line, and that he isn't missed much. The place changes the all-business Mack, who symbolically loses the use of his briefcase, then loses his wristwatch, then his necktie, and finally seems to lose some interest in completing the business he was sent to conduct. As the negotiations appear to near an end, he is visibly somewhat saddened: in a moment of drunken clarity, he realizes that he wants to stay---and that his moneyed life back in Houston is rather lonely and empty, and doesn't want to go back to it. And he half-realizes, perhaps more than the locals the company wants to displace, that the people of the village might be better off without the oil company's money. There is a gently wistful quality to the film, and countless examples of quiet irony as well: Mack, at first bent on impressing others (with pictures of his Porsche, for examle), finds he envies those he's trying to impress. Mack is struck by the cheerful friendliness of the locals, not quite realizing that some of the locals are only so friendly because of the money he can offer them. And only too late does Mack understand that an apparently homeless, eccentric old beachcomber is the sanest, wealthiest, wisest soul in the film. The movie is funny, subtle, understated, intelligent, and as light or as deep as you want it to be. It bears repeated viewings, and only gets better the second and third time. I recommend it without reservation. Truly a fine film.
Rating:
Summary: Deceptively Simple
Review: This seemingly simple and charming film merits repeated viewing for its surprising depth. We've all heard the expression "He knows the price of everything and the value of nothing". The difference between the two is the theme of this gentle comedy. It is on its face an amusing clash between the modern and the traditional; in its heart, an ecological allegory involving earth, sea, and sky. Elementals, seekers, and a wise steward inhabit the plot, which, while easy enough to follow, is worthy of a Shakespearean comedy in its peculiar twists. The film is one of those rarities that is as deep as the viewer. Incidentally, if this movie makes you want to visit Scotland (and it will), Camusdaroch Beach (Ben's Beach) south of Mallaig is a lovely place; but for real West Highland charm, skip Pennan, where the town scenes were filmed, and try Plockton, Ullapool, and the rest of the wild west and north coasts instead.
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Summary: A Must See!
Review: I just finished watching "Local Hero" for the 100th time! I love it, I love it and I love it. It never gets old, the story remains fresh. Few questions that I've yet to answer after all these viewings... 1. Whose baby was that anyhow? 2. Whats with all the women swooning over the Russian? I will continue to watch until I have solved these mysteries! Thankfully, I think they are unsolvable! Watch this movie, you will not regret it.
Rating:
Summary: A very Touching Film
Review: It is hard to say anything bad about this film. The characters are quirky but also very smart, innocent, yet worldly. The characters are also ambitious yet humane. Peter Riegert plays an aquisition agent for Knox oil and gas who one day finds himself in the midst of some pretty strange characters on the coast of Scotland. Eventually, his love for the place and it's inhabitants overcome his desire to purchase the area to make room for an oil refining and storage facility. His star gazing boss, played by Burt Lancaster in one of his final film apperances also falls in love with the place and in one of the happiest film endings in history decides to build an astronomical observatory and marine biology research center ther instead. Throw in a Russian commercial fisherman an eccentric beach comber, an African clergyman and a lusty innkeeper/accountant and the wonderful cast is compete. For me though, the best part of the film is that it brings back great memolry's of the eighties. I love this film.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Dead Brilliant!
Review: You've read the other reviews of this fantastic movie and I can only echo everything that's been said. The point of my review is to bring awareness to the other movies by this awesome Director. As we know, "Gregory's Girl" is due out soon, but "WHY OH WHY?" did they have to mess around with softening the accents for the American audience. I suspect this will lose much of the charm that has made the movie what it is. Anyway, if you can get your hands on them, also check out "That Sinking Feeling" and "Comfort and Joy"... 2 more classics from Forsyth.
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Summary: A rare gem
Review: After receiving this DVD by mail, I looked it up in a movie encyclopedia. The review ended with the words 'a rare gem', and it is. This is a movie that will give you a warm, happy feeling after the last notes of the superb soundtrack have vanished. Basically, it tells a little story with an enourmous amount of symbolic meaning - of how we still have a chance of turning cold, rigid busininess oriented behaviour into something with a laugh, and lasting value for all. I recommend this highly.
By the way, the story takes place in a small Scottish fishermans village. I have had the privilege of living there for for a few months, and I can state that this is an accurate account of the circumstances out there. Especially where it concerns the state of mind of the inhabitants. Note the little scene where two elderly fishermen discuss the advantages of a Ferrari over a Maserati - that really is important out there!
Rating:
Summary: Pure delight
Review: I have loved this movie since I first saw it. And I have now seen it many times over a 15 yr period. I usually can't even watch most movies more than once, but this one enchants me every time. It was a real sleeper when it first came out in theaters and it's been that way ever since. I kind of wish they'd given it a more memorable title. The scenes in this movie are burned into my memory and I still laugh at the same things each time I watch it again. I agree with the other reviewer who said if you liked Northern Exposure, with its quirky locals, you'll like this movie. I think also if you liked the movie Arthur or similar movies with odd,funny and memorable characters, you'll also like this movie. I too often have told people its among my all time favorites and gotton a blank stare. Very few people know of it. But its up there on my favorites list along with Arthur, Life is Beautiful, Like Water for Chocolate, Tampopo, The Green Mile, The Sixth Sense, As Good as It Gets, and many others of much more recent vintage. I wish more people would view it and introduce their friends and family to it. It's full of British humor yet American sensibilities at the same time. At times its almost Monty Pythonish, but more subtle. It does make you laugh. It's worth owning and watching over and over again. In the same way as Breakfast at Tiffany's, Casablanca, and It's a Wonderful Life, this is a movie to cherish. It's a pure delight.
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Summary: I Once Was Lost But Now Am Found!
Review: I first caught this gem on HBO many many years ago and was totally enthralled with it from the start. I have since watched it numerous times on various cable venues and never tire of it. The subject of favorite movies came up in the office the other day and I offered up Local Hero as one of my all time favorites and was flabergasted when a room full of intelligent and sophisticated people looked at me with blank stares going, "Huh?" I tried explaining it but every attempt I made to capture the charm and delight of this film just fell totally flat. In the course of trying to win over my friends and co-workers I found myself aching to not only see this film again for myself but to also share it with my office mates. I checked all the local video outlets but couldn't find a copy anywhere. In desparation I have placed an order for the DVD here on Amazon.com. I'll be checking my mailbox everyday and clearing my calendar the evening it arrives. I won't bore anyone with the plot details. They can be found in abundance in many of the other reviews. Just suffice it to say that I consider "Patton" and "Ben Hur" the two all time greatest movies ever made and "Local Hero" rates right up there with them in my estimation. If a quirky, sophisticated, low key, understated and disarmingly charming movie like Local Hero can appeal to someone who thinks George C. Scott's Patton was the finest cinematic performance in film history, it must have something very special going for it.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite movie of all time
Review: No, it's not Citizen Kane or Casablanca. Nor is it T2 or ID4. If you want action, explosions, or aliens go away, you won't find them here. This movie is subtle and engaging, a character study of a lot of real characters. It leaves you wondering what was real and what was not. Typical Forsyth twists: the biggest capitalist is the Russian fisherman, the richest man is the hermit on the beach, and the most 'normal' person at the dance is the punk-rocker girl. And if you have not understood the VERY LAST scene of the movie, a scene without dialog or even actors, you have not understood the movie at all. A lovely movie that will help you realize that even if you win this rat race, you are still a rat. I've seen this movie over 25 times and still find little things I haven't noticed before every time I watch it.
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