Hero

Hero: Joe Finn (Burgess Jenkins) was a local legend in the world of baseball, but a miserable failure as a husband, father, and friend. Now, seven years after leaving home, he returns just in time to say goodbye to his dying wife (Ashlee Payne) and hello to a son (Justin Miles) and a community who consider him as good as dead.

Intent on making his life right, he turns to the only thing he knows -- baseball. But Little League is all but unrecognizable in Miller's Gap, and parental involvement is at an all-time low. Even as his actions begin to warm the hearts of some, others in the community threaten to get rid of Joe's team for good. Can Joe win back his son and revitalize a dying game, or is he seven years too late to redeem the mess of his own making?

Hero is directed by Manny Edwards, who also co-wrote with John Fornof. The stars are Burgess Jenkins, Justin Miles, R. Keith Harris, Gregory Alan Williams, Mark Joy, Ashlee Payne, Fred Griffith, Jim McKeny, Andrea Powell, and Nicholas Edwards as "Sammy" Also starry Blaine Goodwin, Sam Dubin, Ty Myatt, Kenny Hinkle, and Walker Anthony. George D. Escobar, Burgess Jenkins, and Michael Snyder are the producers.

Official Selection - Christian Worldview Film Festival
Official Selection - Gideon Media Arts Conference and Film Festival

My Review: I have been hearing about this film since it was first being made, so I have kept up with the progress from the beginning. So, although I expected to like it, I truly did not expect to get drawn into the story as quickly as I did. I always watch a film a minimum of twice because my attention wanders; I consider the first viewing to just give me a general idea of the story before I really watch it. Within 5 minutes, I was sitting down, fully focused on the story being told.

This is a story of hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, and redemption. I noticed a couple of little glitches, but nothing overly distracting. I enjoyed the acting, the cinematography, the sound (too often I have to go back to try to understand what was said in other films), and that there was closed captioning. At only 94 minutes, it's not too long, and it is great for a Family Film Night. Some of the material may be harder for kids younger than 10 to understand, but they will probably like the baseball scenes. I highly recommend this dvd.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this DVD from EDIFY MEDIA as part of the movie's promotion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255 'Guides concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising. I was not asked to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

GIVEAWAY: Edify Media has another copy of HERO to give away!! Just leave a comment on the blog to be entered. Deadline to Enter is Sept. 30 at Noon (CDT)Reminder: I do monitor due to Spammers. Be patient, and contact me only if your comment does not appear with 24 hours. Thanks!

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