What would happen if Megadeath decided to record an emo album? The answer may be something like "Hesher," which features an almost Cro-Magnon sort of misanthropic metalhead hero who likes nothing but shredding, shagging, smoking dope and smashing things, but who, it turns out, will teach his straighter friends some life-affirming lessons.

"Hesher" is the debut of director Spencer Susser, and he's got some pretty good star power for a first film: Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("Inception," "Mysterious Skin") plays the aforementioned headbanger, looking like a younger Rob Zombie with his lank greasy hair and tasteless tattoos, while Natalie Portman appears as — get this — a frumpy superstore checkout girl, which is a bit of a stretch.

The story centers around a tween boy named T.J. (Devin Brochu) who has just lost his mother in a car accident. T.J.'s father (Rainn Wilson, "Juno") has sunk into a medicated depression, his grandmother (Piper Laurie, "Twin Peaks") is kindhearted but a bit senile, and he's bullied at school by a nasty punk (Brendan Hill) who sticks his head in the toilet. T.J. is not a happy camper, and things get worse when he stumbles across Hesher, a twenty-something homeless lout who pretty much invades T.J.'s home and camps out in the garage.