The Christopher Reeve Documentary Leaves Viewers Sobbing
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story saw its worldwide premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, and it couldn’t have come out at a better time. As James Gunn is gearing up to reboot the DCU with Superman: Legacy next year, Super/Man seems like a timely addition to the cultural zeitgeist, as it highlights the triumphs and tragedies that Christopher Reeve faced after his iconic run as the Man of Steel in the 80s.
The emotional documentary left audiences sobbing and speechless after its premiere, and provides a profound amount of insight into Reeve’s rise to stardom, his paralysis, and his tireless efforts to treat those who have been immobilized by spinal cord injuries.
The Christopher Reeve documentary doesn’t yet have an official release, but sources indicate that Warner Bros. secured the rights to Super/Man for roughly $15 million after its premiere. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the title will eventually be released for streaming on Max, Warner Bros.’ streaming service. As of this writing, there has been no report of a wide theatrical release, but it may be too early to arrive at this conclusion.
An early review shared by The Hollywood Reporter goes in-depth about the creation of the Christopher Reeve documentary. Reeve’s son, William, spoke candidly about his father’s life and legacy and said that he never saw him as Superman but as “dad.” Though he admits his father had a more public-facing job than somebody working as an accountant, he states that his father never sat his family down to look at his work after a long day on a movie set.
William went on to say that Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story was created to show the real story because they’re proud of what he accomplished both on-screen and off-screen. As much as the documentary shows Christopher Reeve’s unwavering ability to overcome adversity, it gets dark because it gives viewers a look at his life after his equestrian accident left him paralyzed from the neck down from 1995 until his passing in 2004.
Users in the comment section expressed similar sentiments and said how heartbreaking it was that Christopher Reeve didn’t get to see his kids grow up and become as incredible as he was when he was alive. And quite a few people couldn’t resist pointing out that Will looks and sounds like a young version of his dad.
As gut-wrenching as the Christopher Reeve documentary seems like it is, it’s meant as a film that celebrates his life and dedication to a noble cause while overcoming the insurmountable odds that he faced throughout the latter years of his life. While there wasn’t a dry eye in the audience at its first showing, his family smiled as they recounted their relationship with Christopher Reeve.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will take you on a wild emotional ride. But early reports suggest the main takeaway is that Reeve was not just a superhero on the silver screen but also embodied the spirit of his caped counterpart in every other aspect of his life.
