"Imaginary Heroes" is a well-acted and sensitively drawn drama. It’s roughly in the same genre as "Ordinary People" and "The Ice Storm," which also starred Sigourney Weaver, but it isn’t quite as good.

A dysfunctional family grieves over the unexpected suicide of a promising teen swimmer; each family member deals with the death in a different way. The daughter keeps her distance at college; the son gets drunk and acts out recklessly; the dad withdraws emotionally; and the middle-aged mom suddenly starts to smoke pot and flirt with younger men. Despite her lack of judgment, the mom’s love is the glue that holds the family together. If the family has a future, it will be because of her.

The film benefits from a first rate performances from the veteran actors Sigourney ("Alien" and "The Ice Storm") Weaver and Jeff ("The Purple Rose of Cairo") Daniels who bring psychological complexity to their roles as the married couple. They are matched by the less experienced, Michelle ("Dick") Williams and Emile ("The Girl Next Door") Hirsch as their tortured kids.

The film was directed by Dan Harris who is mostly associated with comic book films. He directed "Xmen II: Xmen United" which was a distinct improvement over the first "Xmen" film. He has been tapped to direct the upcoming superhero flicks, "Superman" and "Fantastic Four."

Harris does a good job of wringing out emotionally potent and convincing performances, and the film will be probably be remembered more for the acting than the somewhat shopworn and predictable plot.