Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ian Bonhôte Peter Ettedgui
Written by	Ian Bonhote Peter Ettedgui Otto Burnham
Produced by	Robert Ford Lizzie Gillett Ian Bonhôte Connor Schell Libby Geist
Starring	Christopher Reeve Dana Reeve Alexandra Reeve Givens Matthew Reeve Will Reeve
Cinematography	Brett Wiley
Edited by	Otto Burnham
Music by	Ilan Eshkeri
Production companies	Words + Pictures Passion Pictures Misfits Entertainment Jenco Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures Fathom Events
Release dates	January 19, 2024 (2024-01-19) (Sundance) September 21, 2024 (2024-09-21) (United States) November 1, 2024 (2024-11-01) (United Kingdom)
Running time	104 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom United States
Language	English

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a 2024 documentary film about the life of American actor Christopher Reeve after a horse riding accident left him paralyzed, and his subsequent work as an activist for disability rights. The documentary was directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who co-wrote the script with Otto Burnham; its title is a reference to Reeve's role as Superman in the 1978–1987 Superman films. Reeve's children Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve are featured in the film.

A British-American venture, the film is a co-production by Words + Pictures, Passion Pictures, and Misfits Entertainment in association with Jenco Films, and was acquired for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, and the streaming service Max. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story premiered on January 19, 2024, at the Sundance Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release in collaboration with Fathom Events in the United States on September 21 and 25, 2024. The film was wide released in North America on October 11.

Summary

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story features interviews with several of Christopher Reeve's friends and family, primarily with his children Matthew, Alexandra, and Will. The film is presented in a non-linear fashion, alternating between before and after Reeve's horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed. Reeve has a difficult childhood, with his parents divorcing at a young age and his family tree being complicated due to his parents' several remarriages. He has a strained relationship with his poet father Franklin, whose pressure on Reeve results in him excelling academically, athletically, and onstage to gain his father's approval. At Julliard, Reeve becomes close friends with his classmate Robin Williams.

Superman begins casting for its titular hero, and despite offers from several celebrities interested in the film, director Richard Donner wants an unknown actor to play him. Reeve auditioned and wins the role despite disapproval from his father and peers. The film's crew is impressed by Reeve's performance as both Superman and the character's alter ego, Clark Kent. During filming, he meets British modeling agent Gae Exton, with whom he begins a whirlwind romance. Superman is released in 1978 and is a massive success, with Reeve unanimously praised, solidifying him into a movie star.

Although Reeve continues his success with Superman II (1980), he deliberately chooses against-type roles in films that are positively received, albeit financially unsuccessful, and returns to the stage in My Life with Julliard colleague Jeff Daniels. Reeve lives in London with Exton, who gives birth to his children Matthew and Alexandra, and promises to primarily be an active part in their lives to not repeat his father's harsh upbringing. Despite this, his professional and personal life suffer in the 1980s. Reeve is unsatisfied with his career, only agreeing to star in Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) out of obligation, both of which are derided by both Reeve and the public. Matthew admits Reeve was absent for most of his childhood due to his father's constant travel to America for filming. Reeve separates from Exton in 1987, with Matthew and Alexandra staying with their mother and Reeve moving back to New York, with his children spending the holidays with him.

Five months after his breakup with Exton, Reeve meets singer and actress Dana Morosini. The two begin dating and living together, and, after an initial hesitance about marriage due to his experiences with his parents, finally decides to propose to Dana. Reeve and Dana marry in April 1992 and their son Will is born in June that same year. Dana is a caring mother figure to both Matthew and Alexandra during their visits, and both accept her as their second mother. On May 27, 1995, Reeve falls from his horse, suffering from a cervical spinal injury which paralyzes him from the neck down. As he is hospitalized, fans, friends, and colleagues are in shock over his life-threatening condition. Reeve later regains full consciousness, albeit with the need for a ventilator. He muses that he has ruined his family's life, but Dana reassures him, "You're still you, and I love you." He receives support from friends and family, especially Williams, who helps him laugh for the first time since his accident and lifts his spirits.

Reeve stays at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, where he overcomes his worries about his condition after befriending other disabled people like him. He eventually moves back to his family home, where he is cared for around-the-clock by Dana and a team of nurses. Both Reeve and Dana suffer bouts of grief over the things he has lost because of his condition, however both of them power through as they raise their three children, especially Will, who turned three after the accident. With help from a large van purchased by Williams and his then-wife Marsha, Reeve travels to Los Angeles and makes an appearance at the 68th Academy Awards, where he receives a standing ovation.

Having been an activist for social causes for most of his life, Reeve began using his platform to advocate for both disabled people and spinal cord injury research, speaking in several major events such as the Democratic National Convention. He became chairman of what would become the Christopher Reeve Foundation, and would open centers, lobby for several bills, and advocate for embryonic stem cell research. The Williamses hold annual family parties at Reeve's house on the anniversary of his accident to celebrate life. Reeve makes his directorial debut with In the Gloaming (1997), and also directs The Brooke Ellison Story (2004) about fellow quadriplegic Brooke Ellison.

On October 9, 2004, mere hours after a hockey game of Will's, Reeve falls into a coma and is hospitalized, ultimately dying at the age of 52. Alexandra tearfully recounts witnessing her father's death, while Matthew is in a taxi on the way to the hospital when he hears of his father's passing. He was mourned around the world by his fans and those he had helped through his activism. Dana succeeds her late husband as chairman of the foundation, and continues pursuing her passions in singing, but she was later diagnosed with lung cancer, sharing her condition ten months after Reeve's death. Dana dies on March 6, 2006, at the age of 44, leaving Will an orphan at 13 years old. Although he was lovingly raised by his adoptive family and his siblings, Will admits that it was the first time he felt truly alone.

Matthew, Alexandra, and Will join the foundation shortly afterward as board members, intending to carry on Reeve and Dana's legacy. The foundation is renamed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, and several modern-day breakthroughs, and milestones involving paralysis research and disabled people are attributed to Reeve and Dana's activism and the efforts of the Reeve children.

Cast

In addition to featuring footage of Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve, the film also features Reeve's children Alexandra Reeve Givens, Matthew Reeve, and Will Reeve. Other interviewees included Reeve's brother Kevin Johnson, Reeve's former partner and Matthew and Alexandra's mother Gae Exton, actors Jeff Daniels, Susan Sarandon, Glenn Close, and Whoopi Goldberg, politician John Kerry, activist Brooke Ellison, Superman producer Pierre Spengler, former Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation Senior Vice President of Government Relations Michael Manganiello, Kessler Institute chief medical officer Dr. Steven Kirshblum, and Reeve's assistant Laurie Hawkins. Archive interview footage of Superman director Richard Donner and Reeve's close friend and comedian Robin Williams are included.

Release

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story had its world premiere at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center in Salt Lake City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2024, followed by a post-screening Q&A session with the film's directors, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, and with Reeve's children. The following month, DC Comics owner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) acquired the worldwide theatrical and home media release rights to the documentary for $15 million, and worked with DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran and its corporate siblings Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, and the streaming service Max to do so. The sale was represented by film financing company Cinetic Media.

At the April 2024 CinemaCon, Safran announced that the documentary would be theatrically released in September 2024, under the Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Studios, HBO, and CNN labels. The following month, it was announced that the documentary would have a limited theatrical release on September 21 and 25, 2024, in collaboration with Fathom Events, although, there was a potential for a wide release. September 25, 2024, the day the film received a second theatrical release, was chosen as the date for an encore presentation because it would have been Reeve's 72nd birthday. The film received a wide release in North America on October 11, 2024, followed by international releases in late 2024, including in the United Kingdom on November 1.

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 64 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "An affectionate retrospective on Christopher Reeve's bravery and heroism in his own personal life, Super/Man takes to the skies in inspirational uplift." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 from 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a rare average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

Screen Daily film critic Amber Wilkinson wrote, "The life and work of Superman star Christopher Reeve is framed and largely recounted by his family and friends in Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui's increasingly moving documentary." Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com described it as "Easily my big festival cry, something that moves you so deeply that the combination of sleep deprivation, altitude, and the movie's subject makes it almost impossible not to get emotional."

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
British Independent Film Awards	Best Feature Documentary	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Pending
Cinema Eye Honors	Audience Choice Award	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Pending
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards	Best Documentary Feature	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Won
	Best Director	Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui	Won
	Best Editing	Otto Burnham	Won
	Best Score	Ilan Eshkeri	Won
	Best Archival Documentary	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Won
	Best Biographical Documentary	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Won
HamptonsFilm SummerDocs	Audience Award	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story	Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Score – Documentary	Ilan Eshkeri	Pending

External links

• Official website at WarnerBros.com
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at DC.com
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation website
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at Fathom Events
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at IMDb 
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story at AllMovie