Documentary Review: ‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’

by | Jan 5, 2025 | Movie Reviews, Movies | 0 comments


SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (2024, documentary)
Greetings again from the darkness. Almost all little kids imagine themselves as Superman, a larger-than-life figure who accomplishes incredible things … while flying through the air! Filmmakers Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui collaborate again, this time to tell the story of the man who became Superman on screen for a new generation, and then, after a horrible accident, became a real-life inspiration and advocate for so many folks around the world. We also note that it’s impossible to tell the Christopher Reeve story without also gaining insight into his equally determined wife and caregiver, Dana Reeve.

“You are still you, and I love you.” These are the words Dana spoke to Christopher after the 1995 riding accident when his horse refused to jump a fence, sending Reeve flying in such a way that the landing left him a quadriplegic near death. Rather than fading, her words gained strength over time, right up until his death in 2004. The film offers a profile of Reeve’s early days, first as a roommate of Robin Williams at Julliard, and later as an up-and-coming actor. There is discussion of his attempts to break away from the Superman cape, most noteworthy in films like SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980) and DEATHTRAP (1982).

Personal insight is provided by Reeve’s own children, Gae Exton (his ex and mother of two of his kids), and friends and colleagues – Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Daniels, and Glenn Close. Some of this is focused on his post-injury career when he pursued acting and directing (1998 TV Movie, REAR WINDOW), yet the most personal and insightful bits come courtesy of the home movies through the years, offering a window into the man, rather than the actor. It’s that man that shines through once he transitions into Christopher Reeve, activist for spinal injuries.

Reeve displayed little self-pity, instead determined to move forward with a new life where his celebrity status could bring attention (and money) to the cause. He gave speeches (the Democratic Convention) and made appearances (one at the Academy Awards ceremony less than a year after his accident). Always by his side was Dana. She was an incredible caregiver, yet so much more as she shared his determination in fundraising and medical research. A little off topic, but there’s a clip of her singing in 1987, displaying significant talent.

A devastatingly emotional sequence occurs as we see the family visiting Reeve’s death bed. He was 52 years old when he passed. Proving that the universe bears no sense of fairness, non-smoker Dana was diagnosed with lung cancer less than a year later, and died at age 44, a mere 17 months after Christopher’s death. It’s rare for a documentary to deliver such personal insight, and even rarer for one to pack such an emotional wallop. The stories of Christopher and Dana Reeve serve to remind us of what matters in life … that’s their legacy (more so than a cape).

*On a personal note, I sat by Christopher Reeve at the LA Coliseum during an NFL playoff game between the Cowboys and Rams in January 1979. He took pleasure in talking trash to the young man (me) wearing the Cowboys jersey … at least until the good guys took a commanding lead and he left early.

David Ferguson
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