Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, on Max

As a teen comics reader, my loyalties were with Marvel, perhaps because I identified with the real-world challenges characters like Peter Parker faced (in addition to saving the world several times over). As an adult reconnecting with comics as reviewer of graphic novels, I am more drawn to DC, perhaps because I appreciate the truly iconic resonance of characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. I do not want to be Superman’s best friend, but I value his history standing for “truth, justice, and the American way”—and yes, it really annoys me that they changed his motto.

Of course, there is no character more iconic than Superman—and actor Christopher Reeve did the almost impossible, by further enhancing his mythic status. Nobody casts a greater shadow over his on-screen successors than Reeve does for subsequent Superman thesps. That made his tragic accident and campaign for greater paralysis treatments even more poignant. Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui chronicle Reeve’s life and work, but they give special attention to his dramatic third act in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which premieres this coming Saturday on Max.

There is just no getting around the fact this will be a sad film. However, there are also positives to take from it, if viewers care to look for them. The film starts with audio recordings of Reeve looking back on the day of his accident, which are truly haunting to hear. It becomes clear Reeve nearly died. His mother wanted to pull the plug, but his late wife Dana Reeve encouraged him to keep living.

Then Bonhote and Ettedgui flashback to Reeve’s early career, which practically started with the original 1978 Superman. Casting the title Super-role was more difficult than the search for Scarlett O’Hara, so the producers decided to pick an unknown. In retrospect, that was a brilliant strategy. Nobody since has looked more like the comic book Superman than Reeve (although Superman & Lois’s Tyler Hoechlin is the most respectable second place we’ve yet seen).

Most of the discussion of Reeve’s career focuses on the Superman films, which makes sense. After all, it was co-produced by DC Entertainment and those are the films he will be most remembered for. However, it glosses over Somewhere in Time, which was not a hit at the time, but might be even more beloved today by a certain subset of viewers. It is also worth noting he appeared in the truly excellent Remains of the Day, which could have won best picture if had been released in a different year than Schindler’s List. Plus, Reeve performed one of the earliest same-sex kisses in Death Trap, which more importantly, happened to be a ripping good thriller.

Regardless, Bonhote and Ettedgui thoroughly cover the ups and downs of Reeve’s life post-paralysis, as well as his wife’s ultimately fatal cancer diagnosis less than a year after his death—but they handle the resulting family pain and anguish with great sensitivity. In fact, all three of Reeve’s adult children serve as the film’s primary voices. (It is worth noting his youngest son Will bears such a striking resemblance to his father, if he ever showed up at an event wearing a Superman costume, fans might lose their minds.)

Viewers will learn about the realities of life with paralysis as well as the development of new treatments. Bonhote and Ettedgui also adroitly address some of the controversies that erupted, without getting bogged down in partisan politics. However, it is a bit jarring to see Susan Sarandon appear as a talking head, after the scandal regarding her remarks that many interpreted as an endorsement violence directed at Jews. Even if you accept her attempted walk-back at face value, her presence still undermines the film’s goals to inspire and unify.

Nevertheless, the documentary certainly shows why Reeve was such a good fit for Superman. Frankly, it is quite touching to see him behind-the-scenes with late Margot Kidder. Arguably, the first two Richard Donner-directed Superman films remain the greatest superhero movies of all time. (That is why DC’s Superman ‘78 titles are such nostalgic fun.) Super/Man revisits the magic that made Reeve’s Superman so great, as well as his fundraising and leadership that paved the way for a “better tomorrow” for paralysis victims. Highly recommended for fans of Reeve and Superman, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story starts streaming this Saturday (12/7) on Max.