Film Review: SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (2024): New Documentary is an Amazing, Deeply Moving Story of Hope and Determination
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Review
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, written by Otto Burnham, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui and starring Christopher Reeve, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Richard Donner, Alexandra Reeve, John Houseman, Barack Obama, Dana Reeve, Matthew Reeve, Will Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Jane Seymour, Gae Exton and Johnny Carson.
Filmmaker Ian Bonhôte has crafted a superb documentary about the life of Christopher Reeve that ranks among the very best movies of the year. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a complete recollection of the history surrounding the iconic actor who played Superman on the big screen in the late 1970’s and 1980’s. As a true fan of those movies, it is easy to say that this documentary does a phenomenal job capturing the essence of the actor who played one of the most popular superheroes of all-time. After the actor became paralyzed due to a horse-riding incident in the mid 1990’s, Reeve found challenges to live which were very difficult to endure. The fact that this man triumphed and lived about 10 years after the accident is proof of his courage and determination and this film is a testament to his life.
Though the movie starts with footage from late in Reeve’s life, it eventually goes back to the beginning. This film initially chronicles Reeve’s early days, including those at Juilliard where he was Robin Williams’ roommate. An actor trained for the theater; Reeve had high ambitions which were instilled in him due to the expectations of his dad. He got to audition for the role of Clark Kent/Superman in a movie where he would play against Gene Hackman (not to mention the one and only Marlon Brando). When he was cast in the role that would become a legacy, he moved forward in his career with mixed results from a professional standpoint.
There was no denying the love he embraced with his eventual wife, Dana Reeve, but Christopher Reeve’s relationship with the first woman he became involved with, Gae Exton, was a little harder to decipher. As Christopher Reeve and Exton put off marriage, they did embrace their relationship to the fullest.
Christopher Reeve’s three kids appear on-screen in the new documentary as well. Alexandra and Matthew tell things about their father, but the youngest, Will Reeve, was actually just a few years old when his dad became paralyzed. Will had a birthday party around the time his dad was struggling with his fate, and it was a difficult upbringing for Will when considering the circumstances surrounding his father’s condition.
However, this film doesn’t dwell on the negative. Christopher Reeve fought to live and be there for his family and travelled to the Oscars to inspire people and prove that he wasn’t giving up. A true hero, Reeve was a man who kept going in life even after his injury. He went on to work again and star in a version of Rear Window and he even directed a project as well.
Interviews with celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Jeff Daniels are basic but very informative while Whoopi Goldberg and Glenn Close share insights that are truly thought-provoking in nature. Close actually believed that if Reeve lived then Robin Williams may have lived as well because the pair of actors were incredibly close and fed off each other’s energy. It is the interviews with the children of Reeve, though, that make and shape the essence of the legacy that Reeve left behind in terms of how the family made a difference with finances and progressions to help people who were paralyzed like Christopher Reeve was. Reeve ultimately inspired through his fight to stay alive for his family.
Dana Reeve’s commentary about her husband, Christopher, will break your heart. She loved her husband way past the “till death do us part” vow that she took when they were married. This documentary displays a moving picture of the bond that these two lovers had and how they were destined to be together in sickness and in health.
The film doesn’t sugarcoat Reeve’s problems in his career before the accident. Playing Superman took its toll on the actor as the quality of the films lessened after the second picture. Richard Donner appears on-screen to talk about the iconic performer Reeve was as well. Though Reeve made odd choices in his acting career like Somewhere in Time and Deathtrap, they were his decisions, for better or worse. Reeve was a man of integrity through and through even with the ups and downs he faced in his professional life.
By the time Reeve died, there was no question he was a true hero in every sense of the word and this documentary reminds us of that fact. Watching this movie is an unforgettable experience for fans of Superman, especially those like me who grew up on Reeve’s original movies. However, the beauty of Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is how it can affect anyone who has ever had problems achieving things in life. Reeve proved that nothing could stop the human spirit, and this film is beyond moving as a result. It’s a work of sheer beauty that chronicles the life of a heroic man who never gave up fighting, even in times of despair. Don’t miss this film.
Rating: 9.5/10
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