A Thematically Appropriate In-Flight Movie

On the return flight from my trip last month to Banff, I opted for an in-flight movie. Steering clear of any action or prestige movie -- likely to suffer for presentation on an airplane seat back -- I opted for a documentary, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. This is ordinarily the part of a review where I might insert a quick synopsis of the movie I'm here to talk about. But in this case, the title tells you exactly what you're getting: a look at the life of many fans' favorite ever Superman actor, Christopher Reeve.

Where many biography movies would proceed chronologically, or perhaps open with the subject's greatest triumph, this film leads immediately with the horse accident that left Reeve paralyzed. It's an unusual choice, but one that's possible for a filmmaker whose subject is literally Superman. There's no need to build up the greatness of a person when the audience likely comes with that expectation baked in.

The choice seems less unusual the more the movie unfolds. It's clear the aim here is not to mythologize Christopher Reeve, but show a more complete picture of the man he was. Now by no means is this a "hit piece." (Indeed, all of Reeve's children are involved in the movie.) A great deal of time is rightfully spent on his charitable and political lobbying efforts in the years after his accident. And of course, there are glowing interviews with Reeve's movie co-stars, gushing about why he was the perfect performer to make you "believe a man could fly."

But neither does the movie shy away from more complicated parts of Reeve's life. He is shown to have within him the insecurities of the starving artist, with the accompanying desires surrounding reputation and creative fulfillment. Reeve clearly understood what it meant to be perceived as a hero -- and sometimes struggled to balance that with the deep personal needs that so often is part of the makeup of the typical actor.

Indeed, if the movie seeks to make out anyone as an unvarnished hero, it's Reeve's wife Dana, who is shown to be a caring, uplifting person both before and after her husband's accident. I appreciated how much time the movie devoted to a truly amazing person I didn't know nearly as much about as the principal subject.

I was never too deeply into comics as a kid -- not generally, or Superman specifically. Still, I was often moved by this documentary of "my generation's" Superman. I give Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story a B.