Details from IMDB:
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Reeve’s rise to becoming a film star follows with a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After the accident, he became an activist for spinal cord injury treatments and disability rights.
Initial Thoughts:
Superman is my number two comic book character, I have loved him since I was a little kid and while some newer actors have done decent jobs, I still think of Christopher Reeve the most. This documentary, however, is about a lot more than that and I had meant to watch it months ago but due to the fact that I knew it would be an emotional watch I put it off. It was also on Crave and with too many people going to the new Superman movie, I decided to stay home and watch this instead.
Main Points:
I think most people know what happened to Christopher Reeve, a tragic accident where he was thrown from his horse and left paralyzed but a lot of people don’t know (or like me don’t remember) what happened next and sadly how his wife passed just a little after he was gone. I also had no idea that he and Robin Williams were such close friends, the clip of Williams saying goodbye to him is heartbreaking and Glen Close’s statement about how Williams couldn’t leave in a world without him is a real gut punch. I’ll admit that the tears were flowing for me on this one, at least 3 times, it probably would have been more if my wife hadn’t come in the room. Christopher Reeve did so many wonderful things and showed what it really means to have courage, determination and most of all a hero. He continued to work in films, often directing but even appearing on screen a couple of times, and did so many appearances to raise money despite his physical limitations, it is truly incredible what he accomplished.
The movie does, of course, also talk about his time playing Superman/Clark Kent and he is very canid both about how it made him a star overnight and how the later movies suffered in quality (and he knew he should not have done Superman IV: The Quest for Peace). He also never wanted to be typecast and returned to the stage and did several other movies including one I would recommend called “Somewhere in Time” which is based on an excellent short story by Richard Matheson. While I have mentioned how emotional this film is it is ultimately one about hope, triumph and the strength of the human spirit, it ends on a very positive note and makes you love Christopher Reeve even more than you did before.
Final Thoughts:
The film was the perfect length at just under two hours, I was hoping there would be a little more at the end, which is always a great sign. I’ve got to say it makes you think about life, what’s important, makes you feel grateful for what you have and what it means to be a hero. I loved this movie, everything is so well done and I was genuinely surprised several times along with being deeply moved. It also made me wonder what seems to happen more often then you think, when two people are truly soulmates one can’t exist without the other for long, why else would Dana Reeve die just 16 months after Christopher Reeve when she was previously in excellent health? She also died of lung cancer despite never smoking a day in her life. I know it’s just my opinion and I have no studies anything to talk of but it just makes you wonder. Obviously please be in the right head space when you watch this, I made sure I was sober and in a good mood for example. Due to some adult content I would say ages 14+. I whole-heartedly recommend this movie to anyone, you will love it, especially if you love Superman/Christopher Reeve. I get this is a very rare 9 out 10, it’s damn near perfect and should have received more attention than it did.