Fan
conventions are quite a shrewd place to pull off a heist-caper. There is tons of
cash floating around, as well as a bunch of distracting odors. The cos play will
also be handy for five questionable celebrities out for a big score in Zak
Knutson’s Supercon (trailer here), which opens
today in New York.
As
a child actor, Keith Mahar played a cringey Indian stereotype with testicular cancer.
Now approaching middle age, he ekes out a living at fan conventions. At least
Matt Wheeler was the lead of his canceled TV show. Brock Hutchinson was a legit
star in the 1970s, but those days are long gone. On the plus side, he can be
much more open about his sexual orientation. Comic book artist Allison McNeeley
has real talent, but since when has that ever been enough. They are all regularly
exploited by Shatneresque TV space opera icon Adam King and his crooked
partner, Gil Bartell, the forces behind the three-day cash cow, Supercon.
When
Bartell fires the fab four and threatens to blackball them at other cons, they
decide to hit back where it will hurt them the most—their wallets. With the
help of respected comic book and screenwriting legend Sid Newberry, they hatch
a crackpot scheme to rob the cash fleeced from fans. Thomas Crown would not approve
of their minimal preparation, but they have plenty of enthusiasm to compensate.
That
is somewhat true of the film as well. The screenplay is basically a clothes line
holding a series of gags and rude insults, but it blithely barrels ahead at
warp speed. In fact, the ensemble seems to have a go-for-broke spirit, weirdly
invigorated by the in-jokes and defiant political incorrectness.
Surprisingly,
John Malkovich (yes, the John
Malkovich) actually tones it down a little as the Obiwan Kenobi-like Newberry,
but he nicely provides the film’s fan-centric ethical compass. Russell Peters makes
Mahar an unusually dry and acerbic sad sack loser, which is an accomplishment. Brooks
Braselman goes in all for flamboyant shtick as Hutchinson, but he also delivers
some cuttingly droll lines. Maggie Grace’s McNeeley is also quite the lethal
banterer. Ryan Kwanten is a bit out of his league in their company as the impulsive
Wheeler, but Clancy Brown is totally in his element, chewing the scenery as the
scenery-chewing King.
Supercon is definitely slapdash,
but it would be a blast to watch at one of the bigger Comic Cons. Clearly,
Knutson and co-screenwriters Andrew Sipes and Dana Snyder know their con
culture. It is hard to imagine actually paying money to see this film in a
brick-and-mortar theater, but Supercon
has its place in the world and should find an extensive audience. It is not
exactly recommended, but this is a film that is bound to find real fans
eventually, so you can just wait for it to happen. For the time being, Supercon opens today (4/27) in New York,
at the Cinema Village.