Written by Ian Bonhôte And Peter Ettedgui And Otto Burnham
Directed by Ian Bonhôte And Peter Ettedgui
Tagline: "Husband. Father. Fighter. Hero."
I've been waiting a while to watch this and finally this week,I got the chance to sit down and see it. After watching the trailer for the upcoming 2025 movie, I really needed to see this documentary.
To many people my generation and slightly older and even younger, Christopher Reeve has always felt like the definitive version of Superman and that's not to take away any of the good work that actors both before and after Reeve have done with the character. There's just some performances that have lived on for generations and his Superman undoubtedly became one of them.
This documentary might lean heavily into the Superman aspect of Christopher Reeve but there's also plenty that goes beyond it. You get insights from his children Will, Matthew and Alexandra as well as his ex partner, Gae Exton and of course his wife, Dana. There's also some Frank discussions about Reeve's relationship with his own father, Franklin throughout the documentary.
Along with his personal life brought to the forefront, there was his acting career. A Juiliard alumni, Reeve was something of a theatre actor with the call for Superman almost being one that he might not have taken. He did have people in his corner pointing out that it might not have been the best career move. Fortunately, they were wrong, at least for the first two movies.
There's some discussion about later movies (yup, Superman IV: The Quest For Peace) not being a hit while roles like Somewhere In Time were also not fondly regarded at the time. There was also a mention of Reeve tackling gay roles in movies like In The Gloaming as well as a stage production with actor Jeff Daniels.
Within the second half of the documentary, the discussion does turn towards Christopher Reeve becoming paralysed and the dramatic changes to his life from that accident. It's hard not to admire the man for doing the best he could to continue to live his life, continue to work as an actor (which included a TV remake of Rear Window) prior to his death in 2004. This documentary really did live up to its title.
- The DC Studios logo appeared at the beginning, prior to the HBO one. UK audiences can watch this on Sky Documentaries from December 28th.
- Other celebrities who contributed to this included Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Glenn Close, John Kerry, Richard Donner and Robin Williams (archive footage).
- We did get to see some screen tests from Superman: The Movie as well that interview where Reeve admitted to not enjoying working with Marlon Brando.
- Needless to say, this documentary has been nominated for several awards since it's release and won some as well.
I genuinely loved Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. Both as a fan of the man and the iconic character he played, this was a brilliant insight into a man with quite the enduring legacy. An absolute must see.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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