Michael Berday 
Oct. 8, 1992 
Michael Berday, Of Hillside Avenue, Edwardsville, Died Thursday Night In 
Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, Kingston.

Aids Benefit Planners Hope To Make Gaines In Facing Reality 
From Left, Gordon Brown, Peter Scherer And Rob Tanico Are Mr. Reality 
Jeffrey Gaines 
Performing Sunday

By JOE BUTKIEWICZ; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, October 09, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B/6B QUICK WORDS: LAPLANTE 





Bernie LaPlante is not the kind of guy anyone might normally admire. He
isn't above lifting money from the wallet of his somewhat naive, court
appointed attorney. While they're in court. While she's negotiating his
release till sentencing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Incarceration is pending because of "Some cases of paint I got involved
with," says Bernie, just a little sheepishly. "Latex." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Not surprisingly, his motto is, keep a low profile. At this tentative point
in his life, six days from prison, his battered car failing in the rain,
Bernie is running late for an evening at the movies with his son. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's when the airliner drops out of the sky onto the bridge, nearly
crushing Bernie and testing his patience. The 54 people trapped inside want to
be rescued. Bernie, the only person outside, doesn't want to be rushed, or
ruin his shoes. And keeping with his motto, he sneaks away unnoticed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The comedy "Hero" is satirical, cynical and likable, among other things,
which is a nice way of saying the movie is a sloppy likeness to a lot of other
older movies. Movies by directors like Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder and
Howard Hawks, and more than a little reminiscent of the many variations of
"The Front Page." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If "Hero" isn't as well-assembled or exciting as director Stephen Frears
other films, "Dangerous Liaisons" and "The Grifters," it's still a hilarious,
thoughtful and complex romp. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The finest point in the ambitious script by David Webb Peoples
("Unforgiven") is that people are not what they seem, least of all those rare
individuals selected by the media as heroes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No small measure of the success of "Hero" is a cast that includes Dustin
Hoffman in a double-taking variation of his Ratso Rizzo character in "Midnight
Cowboy." He is not what he seems, but neither are the other characters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One of the crash survivors, TV reporter Gale Gayley (Geena Davis), claims
to be searching for the truth but she's quick to stake her turf ("It's my
story," she yells as she's being carried into an ambulance. "I did the
reasearch") and turn it into a superficial special series searching for the
mysterious rescuer. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Stepping forward is John Bubber (Andy Garcia), a homeless man who claims to
the hero and in fact, inspires people around the country to better behavior.
While Barbra Streisand is sending gift baskets to Bubber and children in comas
wake after his encouragement, Bernie is lost in the crowd, reeling from his
inability to cash in on the rewards associated with heroics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Prison still looms over his life and he's been fired from his job after
offering what his boss calls "excuse number 4,112." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's a goddamn jungle out there." says Bernie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hoffman is consistently funny as Bernie, which is an achievement,
considering the character is such a louse. The performance also forces his
co-stars to greater levels. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Davis' character, another bombshell with brains, skewers the media
deliciously. And Garcia's understated performance gives this film it's soul. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Good in lesser roles are a surpisingly energetic Chevy Chase as the TV
station manager and Joan Cusack as Bernie' estranged wife. None of these
characters are exactly like they seem. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 As Bernie says, life is many layers of, ah, cow-crud and "you pick the
layer you prefer." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Luckily, "Hero" has many layers to chose from.

A Delicious If Sloppy Commentary