Super/Man Shows Christopher Reeve Beyond The Cure

I broke my back in a car accident in 1995, the same year Christopher Reeve was paralyzed. At the time, he was the only other person I knew with a spinal cord injury, and knowing he was there made me feel less alone. But I’ll be honest, I was hesitant to look. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, the new documentary available on HBO and streaming on Max. I always felt that there is more to Reeve’s story than has been portrayed in the media, and I was worried that the documentary would stop at the same notes: the equestrian accident that caused Reeve to become a quadriplegic, how inspiring he was, and his search. to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.

Thankfully, Superman It doesn’t fall too far into the inspiration porn trap and gives us a more complete look at the man who made people believe he could fly. The film achieves this by relying on home videos and intimate details of those closest to Reeve, including his three children: Matthew, Alexandra and Will. They don’t shy away from revealing some hard truths, like that Reeve wasn’t around for much of Matthew and Alexandra’s childhood. Reeve had her first two children with her long-term partner, Gae Exton. «The day after I was born, he flew to France and went skiing with friends,» Matthew says in the documentary. Exton, who met Reeve while filming SupermanHe had a front-row seat to Reeve’s rise to fame and shares what that was like.

Some highlights of the doc include the creation of Reeve. Superman (a role that he was encouraged not to do because everyone thought it would be a failure), images that show his deep friendship with Robin Williams and coverage of his relationship with Dana Reeve. Dana tragically died of lung cancer just 18 months after Reeve’s death in 2004.

I was happy to see the late disability advocate and quadriplegic Brooke Ellison included in the movie. She and Reeve were friends and Reeve directed a television movie based on her life. The Brooke Ellison Story. Ellison shares how important Reeve was to the disability movement, but at the same time how polarizing he was. In 2000, a commercial aired featuring Reeve get up from your wheelchair and walkand caused many negative reactions. «The concept of a cure is very, very uncertain in the disability community,» Ellison says.

There are some parts of the movie that made me cringe, like when Reeve attends the Oscars less than a year after his accident. As he takes the stage, the celebrity-filled audience stands and applauds with looks of pity and tears in their eyes. Reeve begins his speech with a joke to try to put them at ease, a tactic that people with disabilities know all too well.

I’m glad I gave Superman an opportunity. The thorough, nuanced look at Reeve’s life and legacy made for a fun and moving watch. One moment in the film that has stuck with me is when Reeve talks about the irony of playing a disabled cop in the film. Above all suspicion just before he was injured. He prepared for the role at a rehab center and every time he came out he said, «Thank God, that’s not me.» He reveals that he regretted it because he was setting himself apart from the people there without realizing that at any moment that could be him.