Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Review — A Heartbreaking Tribute to a Hollywood Icon

SUMMARY

• Here at FandomWire, we review the new documentary film, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, documentary the rise and tragic circumstances of the Hollywood icon.
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is an emotional triumph! A Heartbreaking Tribute to a Hollywood Icon.
• Here at FandomWire, we give Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story a score of 8 out of 10.

A handful of generations have no idea who Christopher Reeve was. The emotionally charged Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story examines the life of a Hollywood icon and the lasting impact of tragically pulling back the curtain during the dawn of the internet age.

Reeve played the “Man of Steel” from 1978 to 1987, starring in four Superman films. This was before special effects were perfected—when an actor’s presence had to hold your attention through a superhero film. Reeve was invincible to his adoring fans—a man who seemed unbreakable.

That all changed in May 1995, as the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story attests. Reeve suffered a broken neck and a cervical spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed for nearly a decade before his untimely death at the age of 52.

Christopher Reeve in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) | Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve’s Story Review and Synopsis

Many of you might doubt the star power of Mr. Reeve, especially with Henry Cavill walking around making the hearts of girls of any age go aflutter. Take a seat, young buck, and holster those guns you keep reloading since Mission: Impossible—Fallout.

Hell, when Clark Kent graced the silver screen in the ’80s, audiences gasped just by him removing his glasses. Yet, the moment the news broke, the very nature of celebrity changed. One of the last true legends in the City of Angels, who made audiences believe superheroes were untouchable, shattered the illusion forever.

That’s the carrot directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui dangle Reeve’s story on. Still, they knock you over with the stick, drawing back the curtain on life’s infallible yet fragile nature with appropriate tenderness. The camera never goes cold, evoking a heartwarming and heartbreaking empathy that few documentaries can achieve.

Christopher Reeve in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) | Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a Triumph!

And that’s where this documentary film shines. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a triumph. Reportedly loosely inspired by Reeve’s autobiography Still Me, the movie focuses on the actor’s resilience, magnified and amplified by his social supports, which made him so much more than his onscreen persona.

Bonhôte and Ettedgui are well made, with a stirring score from Ilan Eshkeri (Still Alice, Layer Cake), which enhances the audience’s preconceived notions of life well-lived but cut short. Anyone with children, Reeves, who had a happy marriage and two little children at the time of the accident, can relate.

That notion brings a heft emotional resonance to the film, especially when his widow and grown children come on screen to tell his story.

Christopher Reeve in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) | Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Is Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story Worth Watching?

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is worth watching because it is an emotional triumph in not necessarily reinventing oneself but in looking at life through a new lens. It’s as if Mr. Reeve was using the “social model of disability” lens that therapists utilize in situations like these.

This is certainly felt in the film, as barriers are broken. Equality and inclusion are challenged in an industry that often looks the other way. Most importantly, he establishes practices for himself and those around him regarding never giving in and never giving up hope.

If anything, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a testament to not letting one’s circumstance limit your impact on micro and even macro levels.

Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) | Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

You can only watch Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story in theaters on September 21st and 25th.

Written by M.N. Miller

Articles Published: 179

M.N. Miller is a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. He holds a Bachelor's Degree from Mansfield University and a Master's from Chamberlain University. However, he still puts on his pants one leg at a time, and that's when he usually stumbles over. When not writing about film or television, he patiently waits for the next Pearl Jam album and chooses to pass the time by scratching his wife's back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. M.N. Miller was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs but chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find his work on Hidden Remote, InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Geek Vibes Nation, and Nerd Alert.