Imaginary Heroes

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Imaginary Heroes ★★ 2005 (R)

Painfully cliché-ridden story of a dysfunctional, angstridden suburban family. When her superjock son kills himself, Sandy (Weaver) descends into a weed-smoking haze while the rest of her family strug gles to deal with Matt's death as well as their own problems. Drugs, anger, bisexu al experimentation, eating disorders, and cancer scares ensue. Writer/director Harris piles on the plot twists and tragedies to remind you of how bad these people have it. Weaver and Hirsch (as younger son Tim) are convincing, but the film's combination of grief-stricken melodrama and wry irony is awkward and contrived, and the movie just ends up feeling like a cheap knock-off of many superior films. 112m/C DVD . US Sigourney Weaver, Emile Hirsch, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Williams, Kip Pardue, Deirdre O'Connell, Ryan Donowho, Jay Paulson, Suzanne Santo; D: Daniel P. “Dan” Harris; W: Daniel P. “Dan” Harris; C: Tim Orr; M: John Ottman, Deborah Lurie.