Hero

Hero (1992) is Stephen Frears' comedy-drama you can watch online on iFILM. Bernie Laplante is a petty thief at rock bottom: divorced, broke, with the cops circling and his ex-wife keeping their son away from him.

Then his car stops at a plane crash. Bernie grumbles, but he wades into the wreck and drags out the trapped passengers, losing a shoe in the mud. He slips off before the cameras arrive. A million-dollar reward goes out for the mystery rescuer, and a homeless drifter named John Bubber, who gave Bernie a lift that night, steps up to claim it. Dustin Hoffman plays Laplante as a walking grievance, Andy Garcia gives Bubber a saintly glow he never earned, and Geena Davis is the reporter who turns the lie into national news.

Frears built a sharp media satire about how television manufactures heroes from whatever's convenient. The cynicism stings, then quietly softens by the end. Worth a look if you like talky 90s comedies with a mean streak and a strong cast. Stream Hero (1992) online on iFILM.