SummaryAn American oil company sends a man to Scotland to buy up an entire village where they want to build a refinery. But things don't go as expected.
Directed By:Bill Forsyth
Written By:Bill Forsyth
Local Hero
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
83
User score
Generally Favorable
7.2
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
100% Positive
17 Reviews
17 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
100
It has a claim to be the last movie with the authentic spirit of the Ealing comedies; although with a longer perspective we can also see how it’s also indirectly influenced by producer David Puttnam in its high-minded spirit of Anglo-American amity.
100
Here is a small film to treasure, a loving, funny, understated portrait of a small Scottish town and its encounter with a giant oil company.
User score
Generally Favorable
71% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
21% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
8% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
Dec 28, 2025
10
Delicia verla de nuevo y de nuevo.
La conocí de niño y ya desde ese momento me atrapó para siempre. Gracias a ella conocía a D Puttnam y resultó ser increíble el hilo conductor en todos sus trabajos. Ninguna me defraudó. Banda de sonido excelente
Jul 23, 2022
10
For me, the charm, freshness, and humor of this quirky tale shine very brightly. Everything comes together, and Forsyth's script is a classic. if only he had done a few more at this level. The set-up is a familiar one in the movies: a couple of outsiders arrive in an insular community to make some big, modern changes, but instead the tables begin to turn, and the community starts changing them. In this, Riegert and his boss Lancaster play oil men who want to buy up a little seaside village in Scotland and replace it with an oil refinery, but things don't go exactly according to plan.
88
Local Hero is almost magical, it is so unexpected. It is whimsy raised a power or two by the skills of a filmmaker who looks at life slightly askew. He sees enchantment in small, off- center encounters, and gets the enchantment onto the screen. [05 Apr 1983, p.D5]
80
The gift of this charming, low-key excursion is more intangible, yet you may find that its surprisingly complex moods linger with a bittersweet afterglow. [28 Feb 1983, p.79]
80
Local Hero is as sweet and loving as movies get. But it's also about as off-kilter as they get, too.
75
If Local Hero is ultimately less complicated than its reputation might suggest, writer-director Bill Forsyth navigates the tale with a warmth and wry humor that wins you over, while the seaside vistas—captured by cinematographer Chris Menges—are ridiculously beautiful.
63
Forsyth's trademark surprises are a little less fresh and a little more predictable than in Gregory's Girl: the entire enterprise, while not stale, is labored. [04 Mar 1983]
Oct 14, 2023
0
Une daube locale qui se sert de l’image (et du charisme) de ce bon vieux Burt pour vendre sa camelote… de navet écolo à côté de la plaque ! Burt n’apparaît en effet qu’un gros quart d’heure (à moins que ce ne soit un tout petit quart, en fait) dans cette espèce de téléfilm foireux à la petite semaine.L’on suit ou l’on tente de suivre des cravateux et exécutifs tenter d’ouvrir une exploitation pétrolière en Ecosse, d’obtenir les droits dans un endroit perdu au milieu de nul part, au bord de la mer (glacée ou du moins.. très fraîche) du littoral des **** en oublient pourquoi ils sont venus, très abrutis par la brise marine (ça doit être vivifiant pourtant, non ?) alors qu’ils descendent des pintes et tentent de digérer la nourriture locale… et brassent du vide. On est comme eux, en tant que spectateur perdu -mais intrépide- on tente de regarde ça… mais tout ce qu’on arrive à faire… c’est de s’endormir et de ronfler comme un tractopelle en colère. Les fondations en tremblent et les voisins ne sont pas contents… des ronflements locaux !
Production Company:
- Enigma Productions
- Goldcrest Films International
- Celandine Films
Release Date:Feb 17, 1983
Duration:1 h 51 m
Rating:PG
Tagline:A beautiful coastline... A rich oil man wants to develop it. A poor beach bum wants to live on it. An entire town wants to profit by it. And a real-live mermaid wants to save it... Only one of them will get their way.
Awards
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 7 Nominations
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
