The Big Picture

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story takes a nonlinear approach to tell the life story of Christopher Reeve, setting it apart from other documentary biopics. The directors, Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte, highlight the flaws and mistakes of Reeve as a person, showcasing his weaknesses and errors along the way. The documentary emphasizes the lasting impact that Reeve had on his family and the world, particularly through his work in advocating for spinal cord injury treatments and disability rights.

When discussing his love for acting in the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, from directors Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte, Christopher Reeve states that he likes knowing the storyline when taking on a script. But for Reeve, he couldn’t know where his story would go. In just a few years, Reeve went from playing Superman in the massively successful Superman in 1978 to becoming an advocate for spinal cord research after an accident left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. In the excellent Super/Man, Ettedgui and Bonhôte show the impact Reeve had on this life-changing research, the family that meant the world to him and continues his work to this day, and what it truly means to be a hero.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story 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. Release Date January 21, 2024 Director Ian Bonhôte , Peter Ettedgui Runtime 106 minutes

‘Super/Man’ Takes a Nonlinear Approach to Christoper Reeve’s Life

Rather than take a linear look at the life of Reeve, Super/Man jumps back and forth from before and after the accident that left Reeve paralyzed. Reeve struggled from an early age to try and please his father, finding nothing would impress the overbearing man. Reeve went to Juilliard with Robin Williams, did Off-Broadway shows with Jeff Daniels and William Hurt, and was so nervous during his screen test for Superman that he sweated through the suit.

In terms of his acting, Super/Man shows that as a trained actor, he needed his performance as Superman to be art, rather than just a commercial blockbuster project. While he loved taking on the part, Super/Man has Reeve struggling with coming back for the third and fourth sequels, and desperately trying to get out of the shadow of the cape in smaller films that were never financially successful. Reeve seemingly loved the fame, but also had a hard time not being known as this iconic superhero.

Super/Man doesn’t shy away from presenting the weaknesses of Reeve and the errors he made along the way. For example, Reeve talks about how he was raised in a separated family and how he didn’t want that for his own, and yet, we see Reeve going down that same path as he leaves his first two kids behind in London while he lives in the United States. His oldest son Matthew Reeve states that it felt like he grew up with a single mother, considering how often Christopher didn’t come home to visit. We also see how quickly Christopher moved on and married his wife Dana Morosini—a choice that also stands out to Matthew.

‘Super/Man’ Is All About the Importance of Family
Image via Sundance

But understandably, the most powerful moments in Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story come after his accident, and how his family strengthens him through this period. Super/Man shows the immense work Reeve and Dana did to help further research in spinal injuries, and the powerful impact that having Superman fight for that cause had on the world at large. Reeve doesn’t make these moves for his own need to get out of his situation, but rather, to show the importance of research for these people to make their lives even better. Reeve would even use his gifts as a director to shine a spotlight on this cause.

Through wonderful home video footage, we get a glimpse at what life with the Reeve family was like. It’s difficult day to day, and while Dana puts on a brave face, it’s clear that she misses the husband she once had and the comfort he can no longer give her. But there’s an immense amount of love in each of these videos, as we see a man who never stopped being as loving, ambitious, and strong as he ever was. The interviews with Reeve’s children are a highlight, again, showing the strengths and weaknesses of Reeve, always making sure to let us know that what made him super was his dedication to doing the best he could given the situation.

Reeve’s Relationship With Robin Williams Gives ‘Super/Man’ Some of Its Loveliest Moments
Image via Sundance

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is also tremendous when it focuses on the friendship between Reeve and Williams. There’s a bond between the two, as they both came up together, where they feel more like brothers than friends. Williams’ dedication to helping his good friend in any way he could, whether through just making him laugh, or helping celebrate the life he has had to create, is deeply heartwarming. It’s especially lovely to see this friendship from the viewpoint of their other close friends, and as Glenn Close points out, both of these actors were struggling with their own issues, and if Reeve was still alive, it’s hard to imagine Williams wouldn’t be as well.

By intercutting between before and after the injury, Ettedgui and Bonhôte show us a life often defined by his works, whether on the screen, on the board of a foundation to make the world better, or at home, trying to be the best father he can. Shifting back and forth also shows the life Reeve lost, and how he was able to make the impact he wanted to in the world, even if it wasn’t exactly the way he expected. The editing in Super/Man is perfectly handled, taking what could’ve been a straightforward documentary and turning a life into a collection of what makes us who we are—both the good and the bad.

But apart from Reeve’s impact as Superman and after his accident, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve is, at its core, a touching documentary about family, not wasting the time we have with those we love, and being grateful for things that could easily be taken for granted. As we see the impact the foundation has, and the work that Reeve’s three kids still do in the name of their parents, Super/Man shows what happens when someone uses their powers for good and to make the world a better place. Ettedgui and Bonhôte’s emotional and compelling documentary shows that a true hero simply is someone who does the best they can with the means they’re given, the resilience of people, and how great power and change can come from even the most painful of experiences.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story REVIEWSuper/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a powerful and moving documentary that takes a nonlinear look at the life of a real superman. ProsSuper/Man’s nonlinear approach sets it apart from a standard doc biopic. Directors Peter Ettedgui and Ian Bonhôte don’t shy away from showing the flaws in Reeve as a person. By focusing on Reeve’s children and wife, we see the lasting impact that Reeve had on his family and the world.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival