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Imaginary Heroes

Play trailer Poster for Imaginary Heroes R 2005 1h 52m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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34% Tomatometer 104 Reviews 81% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
After their college athlete son (Kip Pardue) commits suicide, Sandy (Sigourney Weaver) and Ben Travis (Jeff Daniels) re-evaluate their relationship. Their teenage son, Tim (Emile Hirsch), offers some relief from the difficulties when Sandy starts smoking marijuana with him, though Ben feels excluded from their newfound friendship. When Tim realizes he is no longer attracted to his girlfriend, Steph (Suzanne Santo), his interest in neighbor Kyle (Ryan Donowho) takes on a whole new meaning.
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Imaginary Heroes

Imaginary Heroes

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Critics Consensus

Imaginary Heroes is a muddled, melodramatic and unconvincing drama.

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Critics Reviews

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Liam Lacey Globe and Mail Mar 18, 2005
2/4
Although she comes across as bordering on insufferable, we are expected to understand that Sandy is the touchstone of honesty in the film because, like other American films of the Sundance variety, eccentricity signifies emotional authenticity. Go to Full Review Geoff Pevere Toronto Star Mar 18, 2005
2/4
Weaver pretty much keeps Imaginary Heroes aloft. Go to Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Mar 13, 2005
3/5
Has a third act that consists almost entirely of skeletons tumbling out of the closet, but Weaver's and Hirsch's flawless performances elevate the film above and beyond the ranks of 'Ordinary People' pastiches, and in the end it stands on its own merits. Go to Full Review David Lamble Bay Area Reporter May 7, 2020
Think Ice Storm and Donnie Darko as the American Dream goes terribly awry in the bosom of a suburban family. Go to Full Review Kaleem Aftab The List Apr 24, 2019
2/5
The fractured, non-linear narrative fires plenty of red herrings and there are plenty of pointless characters with melodramatic side plots that go nowhere. Go to Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Jul 2, 2009
B
Sigourney Weaver is impeccable as a distraught mother who resorts to pot to barricade her emotions in writer/director Dan Harris' diamond-sharp treatise on American family dysfunction that makes "The Ice Storm" look like a walk in the park. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Phil G @philexile Dec 13, 2025 Watched Ordinary Heroes and, next day, watched it again. Have to disagree with the critics on this one - it's a great movie and I loved it. Were there sudden and inexplicable plot twists? Yes. But hey - life is like that. Did we see the son's suicide coming? No. It is jarring - but every event in film doesn't have to have the big set-up. Sigourney Weaver is wonderful, as always. And I thought Emile Hirsch's performance was understated and 'real'. So, I'm swimming against the tide on this one. Five stars. See more Ryan D @RT58935086 Oct 7, 2025 Great cast. The story really gets kinda twisted. It was interesting. See more Oct 24, 2018 Watch Ordinary People instead. See more Oct 2, 2017 I love this movie so much. It has so many elements and shows a family burdened by the grief of a loved one and how it affects them all. Emile Hirsch and Sigourney Weaver both do stunning performances. I've watched this flick so many times. See more Oct 27, 2014 How odd that critics rated this so low. It's been one of my favourite dramas for a long time. I love movies about family troubles and problems and this one delivers. I'd compare it to The Ice Storm and Igby goes Down. It has it's humorous points and it's dramatic points. Thoroughly enjoyable. See more Jul 20, 2014 Not exactly the happiest movie, it's a suburban drama along the lines of The Ice Storm or American Beauty combining dark humour with tragedy just not quite as well as those movies did. Still strong performances especially from Sigourney Weaver who gives a penetrating portrait as the mother of this dysfunctional clan as we follow year in the life of her family, left devastated by the suicide of the eldest son, a champion swimmer. Jeff Daniels is, wow, quite an asshole here. Very unlikeable and unredeemed by the end. He shows his pain by verbally striking out at his family. Emile Hirshe is young here but does a fantastic job and I really enjoyed the relationship he had with his mother. A decent movie about a family fighting to hold on and make sense of it all. 8/20/14 See more Read all reviews
Imaginary Heroes

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Cast & Crew

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Dan Harris

Director

Sigourney Weaver

Sandy Travis

Emile Hirsch

Tim Travis

Jeff Daniels

Ben Travis

Michelle Williams

Penny Travis

Kip Pardue

Matt Travis

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Imaginary Heroes

Imaginary Heroes (2004) Imaginary Heroes (2004) Imaginary Heroes (2004) Emile Hirsch as Tim Travis in "Imaginary Heroes." (L-R) Sigourney Weaver as Sandy Travis and Emile Hirsch as Tim Travis in "Imaginary Heroes." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis After their college athlete son (Kip Pardue) commits suicide, Sandy (Sigourney Weaver) and Ben Travis (Jeff Daniels) re-evaluate their relationship. Their teenage son, Tim (Emile Hirsch), offers some relief from the difficulties when Sandy starts smoking marijuana with him, though Ben feels excluded from their newfound friendship. When Tim realizes he is no longer attracted to his girlfriend, Steph (Suzanne Santo), his interest in neighbor Kyle (Ryan Donowho) takes on a whole new meaning.
Director
Dan Harris
Producer
Illana Diamant, Moshe Diamant, Frank Hübner, Gina Resnick, Denise Shaw
Screenwriter
Dan Harris
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
QI Quality International GmbH & Co. KG, ApolloProMedia, Imaginary Heroes, Signature Films
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Language|Some Violence|Substance Abuse)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 18, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 1, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$228.5K
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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