One of the best ways to describe the genius of this perfect little gem of a film called Local Hero is to compare it to one of the most famous television comedy series of all time Seinfeld. That was the show that became famous for being about “nothing”. The premise of the show was that the storylines would revolve around comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s “real life” and nothing more. The idea was that everyday life was filled with enough moments possessing comedic potential that there was no need to create artificial scenarios. In theory because of the myriad possibilities each day brings, the show could have gone on generating new material seemingly forever. In reality, Seinfeld lasted for nine seasons, living on in syndication to this very day. The show proved that not everything in life needs to be puffed up, contrived and made to seem different or better than it already is. Sometimes, what you have is all that you need. The trick comes in recognizing that while you are living that life.
Not everyone goes through life experiencing that epiphany-like moment of recognition and understanding. There are many people out there in the world right now who are working tirelessly to be fitter, to own more things, to hold higher positions of power and authority, all in the belief that this is what makes life important and meaningful. Who has the fanciest car? Who has the biggest bank balance? Who has the biggest house? So many people run on that hamster wheel every single day of their lives, all thinking that they are getting somewhere that they need to be in order to feel important, to be viewed as being special by others, to feel as though they have succeeded in life. The 1983 Scottish movie Local Hero plays upon this concept very well. The film begins in the large, impressively decorated boardroom of an oil company in Texas. Without having to say a word, the mere fact that the movie opens in Texas…a mythical place where everything is supposedly bigger, stronger and well, better than everywhere else…sets the stage for all the lessons that this film is to quietly deliver as it rolls to its perfectly executed conclusion.
Local Hero is a movie that preys upon many of our preconceived notions of storytelling and our notions of how life is meant to be lived. Initially, the plot seems predictable. The scene opens in the oil company boardroom where executives report the discovery of a sizable deposit of oil in the North Sea, off of the coast of Scotland. During this presentation, these same executives point out that the nearest natural harbour is that of a small village of barely over one hundred inhabitants. A plan is hatched to send a representative of the company to negotiate an agreement with the inhabitants of this village to purchase the entire area and relocate everyone somewhere else. The former village would then be turned into a giant oil refinery station. As soon as this plan is announced, a young executive named MacIntyre is selected to go and strike this deal. MacIntyre is played by actor Peter Riegert of Animal House fame. MacIntyre is selected because he has the most Scottish sounding name. He protests because he is a rising star in the company and feels that his talents and skills could be put to better use in Texas. Reluctantly, he agrees to leave his condo that overlooks the bright lights of the big city behind and he heads over to Scotland where the bulk of this movie takes place.
At this point, many in the audience for this film would be busy predicting the upcoming storyline in their heads because this sort of tale has been told many times before. The prediction would be that the hotshot young, single executive will head to the village thinking that the villagers are going to be a pushover. Instead, he will be met by organized resistance by those who wish to protect and maintain their homes. In the course of negotiations that will follow, the executive will come to have a change of heart and realize that the village and the villagers who live there actually possess a sense of charm that he finds disarming. As well, there will undoubtedly be a fair single maiden with whom he eventually falls in love. In the end, the executive who came to buy the village will become its champion and the oil company’s plans would be rebuffed and all would love happily ever after. That is the tried and true storyline. If you have ever watched a Hallmark movie then you have seen this storyline play out numerous times.
But Local Hero turns this premise on its ear. While it is true that the hotshot executive does arrive with an offer to buy the entire village and relocate the inhabitants, nothing that follows sticks to the predicted script. For starters, the citizens of this Scottish village offer no resistance at all. In fact, they dance jigs of joy at the thought of becoming rich from the sale of their land. Like many people in life, even in a small fishing village on the coast of Scotland, these folks all believe that there is something better and more exciting somewhere else and that accessing that next level of life will be made possible because of this newfound money. So, the usual story arc of protagonist and antagonist goes out the window right off of the bat. There is no struggle or conflict between the parties. The deal is offered and it is accepted…with glee! This is where the genius of this movie kicks in and where similarities to Seinfeld begin. *Note: Local Hero predates Seinfeld by almost a full decade. With the artificial storyline removed, our preconceived notions are removed with it and we are left to watch the rest of the movie which becomes about “nothing” and, as it turns out, becomes about “everything”. As in Seinfeld, the movie slows down and settles into a leisurely examination of what daily life is like in this village. Not surprisingly, the village is filled with interesting and eccentric characters. They are shown discussing life and going about their usual business. The banter is funny but also filled with the usual mundane observations and opinions that could be expected. The people of the village are basically good natured, possess community spirit and have found a sort of happiness in the simple things that village life has to offer. The message of Local Hero then becomes one of recognizing the importance of discovering a place in the world tat centres or grounds you while you are living in it. Being in the village for a week causes the MacIntyre to slow the pace of his life way down. He feels very relaxed and welcomed by the people of this village. He is invited into their world. He partakes of their rituals and customs. In doing so, he comes to understand that being part of a community is something that has great and true value. As well, he witnesses the Aurora Borealis and breathlessly reports the beauty of it all to his oil company boss, played by the legendary Burt Lancaster, because he knows the old man has a love of astronomy. Slowly, MacIntyre realizes that he actually has found peace. He feels a sense of contentment and calm that has eluded him his whole fast paced life. I won’t spoil the movie for you if you haven’t seen it by revealing how things resolve themselves in the village but I can assure you that the ending is highly appropriate for all concerned.
What really gives Local Hero its emotional punch is how the final scenes unfold. SPOILER ALERT for those who need it!!! With business concluded in the village, it is time for MacIntyre to leave and return home to Texas. There is no love interest to tie him to the village. But as he prepares to head back to the hustle and bustle of the real world, MacIntyre understands that he has been gifted with the blessing of having experienced life as it could be lived for him in order to be happy and fulfilled. The insight he has gleaned is conveyed to audiences wordlessly. We watch him aboard the company helicopter as he flies away over the village. We see the villagers watching him go, knowing that it is him inside of the helicopter, knowing that he has affected their lives in a very fundamental and important way. He returns to his condo in the big city. The condo is empty. There is no one to greet him. He removes some souvenirs from his coat pocket and smells the scent of the village and the sea upon them. He tacks up some photographs he took of the village on a bulletin board in his kitchen. Then the movie closes with MacIntyre stepping onto his balcony. He is greeted immediately by the sounds of ambulances and car horns honking. He looks out over the lights of the city that so dazzled him just a week or so prior. As he stares at the big city, the audience comes to realize what MacIntyre is realizing, which is that he has discovered his place in the world. If he ever gets to know that feeling again it is left unsaid. But sometimes in life, coming to experience that feeling of knowing that what you have in life is all that you need is where inner peace truly all begins.
As MacIntyre’s final scenes play out, they do so to the musical accompaniment of a song called “Going Home” by Mark Knopfler. Knopfler, as you may be aware, is the leader of the highly successful UK band named Dire Straits. One of the things that Mark Knopfler is most skilled at is playing instrumental guitar. His playing style is slow and layered, with each note given time to shine and be heard. He possesses the innate ability to play softly, wringing every ounce of emotion from the notes that emerge from his guitar. This playing style is put to very effective use as MacIntyre is seen reluctantly leaving the village and returning to Texas. There is a saxophone-fuelled crescendo that “Going Home” possesses that is heard immediately as the movie ends and the credits are set to begin. This crescendo serves to alert us as an audience that MacIntyre has reached his epiphany-esque moment and has become changed for having done so. To me, this is the beauty of Local Hero. I have stated many times in posts that I have published on this blog that making a positive difference in the lives of others is what has given me the greatest sense of personal satisfaction and happiness with how my own life has unfolded. Local Hero manages to convey what that feeling is like, without having to say it in words as I am in this post. Mark Knoffler says it in song while MacIntyre demonstrates it onscreen in his actions upon returning to Texas. The closing scene is an odd one in a sense because it is highly emotional but it is not sad enough to induce tears nor thrilling enough to have you jump out of your seat in union with MacIntyre or the villagers. But yet, the feeling one leaves Local Hero with is a highly satisfying one. It is difficult not to smile and to feel as though you could not have spent the last hour and a half of your life in any better way. Local Hero did not set any box office records nor did it win any famous awards. But, once you have watched this movie you will be changed by it, too. There is a reason that thousands of viewers claim Local Hero to be their favourite movie of all time. Local Hero is a small, simple little movie that, for my money, is as close to perfection as it gets. Sometimes, knowing that what you have is all that you truly need is the greatest gift of all. And sometimes, a film or television show about nothing ends up being everything we all need, too.
The link to the video for the trailer for the movie Local Hero can be found here.
The link to the video that shows the closing scene from the movie Local Hero AND which features the song “Going Home” by Mark Knopfler can be found here.
The link to a video that shows the director of Local Hero returning to the Scottish village of Pennan for the twenty-fifth anniversary of the movie can be found here. This interview/profile is conducted lovingly and is quite uplifting. It also illustrates the timeless quality that this little village possesses. Highly recommended.
The link to the official website for Mark Knopfler can be found here.
The link to the video of a live performance of the song “Going Home” by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits can be found here.
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