Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ian Bonhôte Peter Ettedgui
Written by	Ian Bonhote Peter Ettedgui Otto Burnham
Produced by	Robert Ford Lizzie Gillett Ian Bonhôte
Starring	Christopher Reeve Dana Reeve Alexandra Reeve Givens Matthew Reeve Will Reeve
Cinematography	Brett Wiley
Edited by	Otto Burnham
Music by	Ilan Eshkeri
Production companies	Words + Pictures Passion Pictures Misfits Entertainment Jenco Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures Fathom Events
Release dates	January 19, 2024 (2024-01-19) (Sundance) September 21, 2024 (2024-09-21) (United States) November 1, 2024 (2024-11-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time	104 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a 2024 documentary film about the life of American actor Christopher Reeve after a horse riding accident left him paralyzed, and his subsequent work as an activist for disability rights. The documentary was directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who co-wrote the script with Otto Burnham; its title is a reference to Reeve's role as Superman in the 1978–1987 Superman films. Reeve's children Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve are featured in the film.

A British-American venture, the film is a co-production by Words+Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Misfits Entertainment in association with Jenco Films, and was acquired for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, and the streaming service Max. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story premiered on January 19, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release in collaboration with Fathom Events in the United States on September 21 and 25, 2024. The film was wide released in North America on October 11.

Synopsis

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story features interviews with several of Christopher Reeve's friends and family, primarily with his children Matthew, Alexandra, and Will. The film is presented in a non-linear fashion, alternating between before and after Reeve's horse riding accident that left him paralyzed.

Reeve had a difficult childhood, with his parents divorcing at a young age and his family tree being complicated due to his parents' several remarriages. He had a strained relationship with his poet father Franklin, whose pressure on Reeve resulted in him excelling academically, athletically, and onstage in order to gain his father's approval. At Julliard, Reeve became close friends with his classmate Robin Williams.

Superman began casting for its titular hero, and despite offers from several celebrities interested in the film, director Richard Donner wanted an unknown actor to play him. Reeve auditioned and won the role despite disapproval from his father and his peers. The film's crew was impressed by Reeve's performance as both Superman and the character's alter ego, Clark Kent. During filming, he meets British modeling agent Gae Exton, whom he begins a whirlwind romance with. Superman is released in 1978 and was a massive success, with Reeve unanimously praised, solidifying him into a movie star.

Although Reeve continued his success with Superman II (1980), he deliberately chose against-type roles in films that were positively received albeit financially unsuccessful, and returned to the stage in My Life with Julliard colleague Jeff Daniels. Reeve lived in London with Exton, who gave birth to his children Matthew and Alexandra, and promised to primarily be an active part in their lives to not repeat his father's harsh upbringing. Despite this, his professional and personal life suffer in the 1980s. Reeve was unsatisfied with his career, only signing up to Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) out of obligation, both of which turned out to be derided by both Reeve and the public. Matthew admits Reeve was absent for most of his childhood due to his father's constant traveling to America for filming. Reeve separates from Exton in 1987, with Matthew and Alexandra staying with their mother and Reeve moving back to New York, with his children spending the holidays with him.

Five months after his breakup with Exton, Reeve meets singer and actress Dana Morosini. The two begin dating and living together, and, after previously being hesitant with marriage due his experiences with his parents, finally decides to propose to Dana. Reeve and Dana marry in April 1992 and their son Will is born in June that same year. Dana is a caring mother figure to both Matthew and Alexandra during their visits, and both accept her as their second mother.

On May 27, 1995, Reeve fell from his horse, suffering from a cervical spinal injury which paralyzes him from the neck down. He was quickly hospitalized, with several fans, friends and colleagues in shock over his life-threatening condition. Reeve later regains full consciousness, albeit with the need of a ventilator. He mused that he had ruined his family's life, but Dana reassured him that "You're still you, and I love you." He received support from friends and family, especially Williams who helped him laugh for the first time since his accident and lifted his spirits.

Reeve stays at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation where he overcomes his worries about his condition after befriending other disabled people like him. He eventually moves back to his family home, where he is cared round-the-clock by Dana and a team of nurses. Both Reeve and Dana suffer bouts of grief over the things he has lost because of his condition, however both of them power through as they raise their three children, especially Will who turned three months after the accident. With help from a large van purchased by Williams and his then-wife Marsha, Reeve travels to Los Angeles and makes his first public appearance since his accident at the 68th Academy Awards, where he received a standing ovation.

Having been an activist for social causes for most of his life, Reeve began using his platform to advocate for both disabled people and spinal cord injury research, speaking in several major events such as the Democratic National Convention. He became chairman of what would become the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and would open centers, lobby for several bills, and advocate for embryonic stem cell research. The Williamses hold annual family parties at Reeve's house at the anniversary of his accident to celebrate life. Franklin visits his son and they reconcile. Reeve made his directorial debut with In the Gloaming (1997), where he befriended actors Glenn Close and Whoopi Goldberg, and directed The Brooke Ellison Story (2004), about fellow quadriplegic Brooke Ellison.

On October 9, 2004, mere hours after Will's hockey game, Reeve fell into a coma and was hospitalized, ultimately dying at the age of 52. Alexandra tearfully recounts witnessing her father's death, while Matthew was in a taxi on the way to the hospital when he heard of his father's passing. He was mourned around the world by his fans and those he had helped through his activism.

Dana succeeded her late husband and chairman of the foundation and continued pursuing her passions in singing, but she was later diagnosed with lung cancer, sharing her condition ten months after Reeve's death. Dana died on March 6, 2006 at the age of 44, leaving Will an orphan at 13 years old. Although he was lovingly raised by his neighbors and his siblings, Will admits that it was the first time he felt truly alone.

Matthew, Alexandra, and Will join the foundation shortly afterwards as board members, intending to carry on Reeve and Dana's legacy. The foundation is renamed Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and several modern-day breakthroughs, acts, and milestones involving paralysis research and disabled people have been built off Reeve and Dana's activism and the efforts of the Reeve children.

Cast

In addition to featuring footage of Christopher Reeve, the film also features his children Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve. Other interviewees included Reeve's brother Kevin Johnson, Reeve's former partner and Matthew and Alexandra's mother Gae Exton, actors Jeff Daniels, Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, and Whoopi Goldberg, politician John Kerry, activist Brooke Ellison, Superman producer Pierre Spengler, former Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Senior Vice President of Government Relations Michael Manganiello, Kessler Institute chief medical officer Dr. Steven Kirshblum, and Dana's assistant Laurie Hawkins.

Release

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story had its world premiere at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024, followed by a post-screening Q&A session with the film's directors, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, and with Reeve's children. The following month, DC Comics owner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) acquired the worldwide theatrical and home media release rights to the documentary for $15 million, and worked with DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran and its corporate siblings Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, and the streaming service Max to do so. The sale was represented by film financing company Cinetic Media.

At the April 2024 CinemaCon, Safran announced that the documentary would be theatrically released in September 2024, under the Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO, and CNN labels. The following month, it was announced that the documentary would have a limited theatrical release on September 21 and 25, 2024, in collaboration with Fathom Events, although there was a potential for a wide release. September 25, 2024, the day the film received a second theatrical release, was chosen as the date for an encore presentation because it would have been Reeve's 72nd birthday. The film is scheduled to receive a wide release in North America on October 11, 2024, followed by international releases in late 2024, including in the United Kingdom on November 1.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 64 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "An affectionate retrospective on Christopher Reeve's bravery and heroism in his own personal life, Super/Man takes to the skies in inspirational uplift." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 80 out of 100 from 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

Screen Daily film critic Amber Wilkinson wrote, "The life and work of Superman star Christopher Reeve is framed and largely recounted by his family and friends in Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui's increasingly moving documentary." Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com described it as "Easily my big festival cry, something that moves you so deeply that the combination of sleep deprivation, altitude, and the movie's subject makes it almost impossible not to get emotional."

External links

• Official website at WarnerBros.com
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at DC.com
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at Fathom Events
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at IMDb 
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at AllMovie