James Rocchi named Hesher one of the five best films playing at SXSW, trumpeting Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s performance as “feral, scary and funny.”

That lovable curmudgeon, Jeff Wells, took exception to that article and offered up his own Hesher thoughts.

But Levitt’s numerous provocations seem to be more about fart-lighting improv and acting on whatever extreme-scuzzball instinct has popped into his (or Susser’s) head. It all kinda sorta of pays off at the end, but you have to endure a motherlode of WTF? consternation before this finally happens.

I also enjoyed/respected the performances by Natalie Portman, a financially struggling checkout girl whom Brochu befriends.