Reeve’s rise to becoming a film star follows with a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After which he became an activist for spinal cord injury treatments and disability rights.
Chuck says:
“We need all the heroes we can get.”
So said Christopher Reeve, long before he knew what sort of hero he would really become. During the extensive press tour promoting “Superman: The Movie,” the actor would repeatedly make this statement, in order to validate the character he’d become identified with as well as the need for the film itself. The prophetic nature of his statement is only trumped by the irony attached to it.
Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui’s “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” is a deeply moving chronicle of the actor’s life, one filled with highs many of us dream of, and lows none of us wish to contemplate. Utilizing archival footage and new interviews, as well as passages from Reeve himself taken from his audio narration of his book “Nothing is Impossible,” the resulting documentary is an intimate, poignant look at the actor’s trials and triumphs.
Sliding back and forth along the timeline of Reeve’s life, the film begins with remembrances from his three children, Matthew, Alexandra and Will. Each fondly recalls their father’s relentless drive and curiosity, his eagerness to learn and experience new things seemingly boundless. This segues to their memories of first hearing the news of the accident that would leave Reeve permanently paralyzed from the neck down at the age of 42.
Bonhote and Ettedgui’s approach towards the story, interspersing information about Reeve’s career and personal life as we see him struggle during rehab and ultimately find his purpose, serves the film well. Interviews with Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeff Daniels relate what kind of peer and friend he was while conversations with his children and ex-partner Gae Exton provide a more intimate look.
However, it is through Reeve’s own words that we learn what drove him in his acting career. His father, F.D. Reeve, a poet and ivy league academic, never offered the validation the actor sought, regarding his chosen profession as contemptible. Reeve’s recounting of the hurt this caused is still palpable in interviews conducted long after he achieved success on the silver screen.
And while Reeve’s approach to his condition is commendable, the film makes the argument that his wife, Dana, was the true hero throughout their shared trial. Not only does the actor recount how her actions and words inspired him to go on, but his children heap well-deserved praise upon her. In home movies, we see her indefatigable approach to the daily grind the couple were forced to face. Always a smile on her face, never a complaint heard, her example is one her children have taken to heart, continuing her and their father’s work with the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation.
While viewers are aware of how the Reeves’ story ends, the purpose of the film is to remind us of their activism and the need to continue their work. In a movie brimming with inspirational moments, perhaps the most moving is footage of the actor late in his life, beginning to recover the ability to move. To be sure, his motions are minor and become only slightly more pronounced, yet the promise of these actions are profound.
More than anything, “Super/Man” prompts the viewer to think beyond themselves and their troubles. The Reeves’ belief that nothing is impossible, and hope is the engine that solves all problems is applicable to us all. The examples they set are invaluable and prove to be the movie’s true gift. Reeve was right when he said we need all the heroes we can get. “Super/Man” powerfully reminds us that we just need look in the mirror to find one.
3 1/2 Stars
