A One Mann’s Movies review of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” (2024) (From the 2024 London Film Festival).
I was sat next to a lovely lady at this screening called Laura who works for a company that predicts film’s box-office success. I suggested that “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” would do very well, but she said it had already opened in the US and it has done poorly. She said that it was based on things that happened “a long time ago” and many young people were not aware of who he was. At that moment, I realised with a shock that I was 17 years old when “Superman” came out, and that Christopher Reeve has been dead for 20 years now, so she does have a point!.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” Plot Summary:
The life story of Christopher Reeve, told by his children and the people that knew him best.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: PG-13. (From the BBFC web site: “Infrequent strong language”.)
Talent:
Starring: Christopher Reeve.
Directed by: Ian Bonhôte & Peter Ettedgui.
Written by: Ian Bonhôte, Otto Burnham & Peter Ettedgui.
Running Time: 1h 44m.
“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” Summary:
Positives:
- A well-crafted documentary, well edited and with some fascinating insights into the man.
- I learned aspects of this story that I didn’t know.
Negatives:
- Occasionally the music gets a bit on the sentimental and mawkish side, which I didn’t need.
- Didn’t feature much other than his Superman films.
Review of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”:
You know you’ll need tissues.
As is well pointed out in the film, the stupid horse-riding accident of Christopher Reeve on May 27th 1995 that left him a paraplegic was all the more shocking because of the image he portrayed, not just on screen as Superman, but also in real-life through his skiing, horse riding, sailing and all manner of other adventurous sports. We get into the accident very early on in the film but only after seeing Reeve asking his family on New Years Day 1995 to “make a wish for the New Year”: #gutting. There’s a heartbreaking recollection from his son Will, then a young boy, about him seeing his father walking to the car to go to the meet… “That was the last time I saw him on his feet” he sobs. Ironically, we learn that Reeve was allergic to horses and had to pump himself full of antihistamines before he could get near one. He really should have listened to his body!
“You’re still you and I love you”
It seemed that it was really touch and go in the hospital with him dying on the table at least twice. And there was a dispute between his wife Dana and his mother. Knowing just what an action man he was, his mother wanted to take him off the life support machine. But Dana was adamant that he should live. Reeve recounts the words that saved him from darkness: his wife saying to him “You’re still you and I love you”.
One thing I never knew about Reeve was his close friendship with Robin Williams. They were actually classmates (and if I heard correctly, roommates) at the Julliard Acting School in New York. When Reeve was still in the hospital, shortly after his accident, Williams came to see him, all masked up and pretending to be a Russian proctologist! Hilarious!
Then… back to the start
After the accident and its immediate aftermath, we flash back to his difficult and fragmented childhood, with his parents divorcing. He seems to have had a particularly difficult relationship with his father who was an intellectual and thought his work beneath him (shades of “Elton John: Never Too Late“). A particularly sad story is when he won the part of “Superman”. His father celebrated with champagne, but only because he mistakenly believed his son had won a part on stage in George Bernard Shaw’s “Man and Superman”.
I could go on…
I find I’m recounting all the anecdotes in the film, because I found them so fascinating…. I’d better stop and let you discover them for yourselves. Other ones to cherish are:
- How he met his first partner Gae Easton;
- WIlliam Hurt (another Julliard colleague)’s view of taking the “Superman” role;
- Who else was up for the role of “Superman”;
- His astonishing appearance at the 1996 Academy Awards;
- The recollections of Jeff Daniels (funny, although you feel the line “I was in Dumb and Dumber but I’m not dumb” is one he trots out regularly!);
- The irony of his last role before his accident and the appropriateness of his first role afterwards;
- His speech to the Democratic convention (intermixed with some appropriate film footage)
- The tragic end to the film, of which I was unaware.
Criticisms
I only had a couple of criticisms.
The first would be that the music by Ilan Eshkeri veers somewhat towards the mawkish and sentimental. We get it. We don’t need the music to do any heavy lifting at those points.
The second was the excessive focus on his Superman films: the excellent first and second ones; the bad third one; and the truly terrible fourth one. Although films like “Somewhere in Time” and “Deathtrap” are mentioned, they don’t get much depth. For example, although “Somewhere in Time” was a bit of a flop at the box office on release, it has since received a huge amount of love from television re-runs (with myself included in that appreciation.)
Summary Thoughts on “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”
As you might gather, I enjoyed this one however hard a watch it was in places. Well made and stuffed with interesting anecdotes and memories. I think the most moving thing was the love between Reeves and Robin Williams and one of the saddest statements made (by Susan Sarandon if I remember right) that Williams would probably still be alive today if Reeves had not also died. I’m not sure how true this really was… but it feels true.
Highly recommended, “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” is due for release in UK cinemas on November 1st.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGFq-M6ErgQ.
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