Why Cameron Crowe Sees ‘Local Hero’ as a Filmmaking Masterpiece

Cameron Crowe has always been known for pouring his heart into his movies, often drawing from his own life to create stories that feel both intimate and universal. Early in his career, he made a splash with Fast Times at Ridgemont High, a film inspired by his own book. To write it, he famously went undercover as a high school student, showing a level of dedication that goes far beyond the norm. Years later, he brought his own experiences as a teenage journalist to the screen with Almost Famous, a film that’s as much about empathy as it is about rock and roll.

Given Crowe’s reputation for deeply personal storytelling, it’s no wonder he admires other filmmakers who bring the same authenticity to their work. In 2016, he shared his top five favorite films, and among them was Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero, a 1983 comedy set in a small Scottish village. Crowe called it

“the holy grail of personal filmmaking.”

Character-Driven Storytelling

Local Hero centers on Mac, an ambitious oil company employee from Houston, who’s sent to a remote Scottish town to persuade the locals to sell their land for a new refinery. As Mac spends time with the villagers, he finds himself drawn into their quirky routines and unique way of life. While the premise might sound familiar, Forsyth’s approach is anything but predictable. Instead of focusing solely on the main plot, he fills the film with small, seemingly random moments that end up being the most memorable.

The movie’s charm lies in these everyday interactions. Mac befriends a Soviet fisherman who visits the town to see his accountant, and he develops feelings for a marine biologist who might just be a mermaid. Scenes of townspeople strolling along the beach, collecting shells, and gazing at the sea add a contemplative, almost hypnotic quality to the film. These moments don’t always drive the story forward, but they linger in the mind long after the credits roll.

Authenticity and Spontaneity

Forsyth, a Scottish director, once admitted that he never built his movies around traditional plots. Instead, he focused on characters and the small incidents that make up their lives. During the making of Local Hero, he spent much of the shoot rewriting scenes on location, allowing the cast and crew to live out their own version of the story. This approach gave the film a sense of immediacy and realness that’s hard to fake.

Perhaps that’s why Local Hero has remained a beloved classic for decades. Like a great sitcom, it makes viewers feel like they’re part of the community, sharing in the characters’ joys and quirks. When the film ends, there’s a real urge to jump right back in and spend more time with these unforgettable people.