Super (2010)

Director:

James Gunn

Writer (WGA):

James Gunn (written by)

Release Date:

10 June 2011 (Iceland)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Shut up, crime!

Plot:

After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt, a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills.

Plot Keywords:

Drug Dealer | Superhero | Sidekick | Vision | Comic Book

Cast

Rainn Wilson	...	Frank Darrbo / The Crimson Bolt
Ellen Page	...	Libby / Boltie
Liv Tyler	...	Sarah
Kevin Bacon	...	Jacques
Gregg Henry	...	Detective John Felkner
Michael Rooker	...	Abe
Andre Royo	...	Hamilton
Sean Gunn	...	Toby
Stephen Blackehart	...	Quill
Don Mac	...	Mr. Range
Linda Cardellini	...	Pet Store Employee
Nathan Fillion	...	The Holy Avenger
Gerardo Davila	...	Cop (as Gerardo Davilla)
Grant Goodman	...	Young Frank
Paul T. Taylor	...	Frank Sr.
Connor Day	...	Teenage Frank
James Gunn	...	Demonswill
Mikaela Hoover	...	Holly
Nick Holmes	...	Jim
Matt Moore	...	Jesus / Guy in Line
Rob Zombie	...	God (voice)
Steve Agee	...	Comic Book Store Jerk
Laurel Whitsett	...	Librarian
James Lentzsch	...	Passenger Teen
Nate Rubin	...	Driving Teen
Edrick Browne	...	Nathaniel
Danny Cosmo	...	Purse-Snatcher
Krystal Mayo	...	Wheelchair Woman
Russell Towery	...	Chickenhawk
Mario Jimenez	...	Chicken (as Mario Jiminez Jr.)
Jonathan Winkler	...	Transvestite
Mollie Milligan	...	Sarah's Sister
Gerry May	...	Newscaster
Valentine Miele	...	Line Butter
Michelle Gunn	...	Line Butter's Girlfriend
Darcel White Moreno	...	Waitress (as Darcel Moreno)
Greg Ingram	...	Long-Haired Hood
Lindsay Soileau	...	Libby's Friend
Brandon Belknap	...	Christian
Zach Gilford	...	Jerry
Lloyd Kaufman	...	911 Man
Tim J. Smith	...	Range's Technician (as Tim Smith)
Mark De Alessandro	...	Thug Jumped on by Boltie
Cole S. McKay	...	Thug Set on Fire (as Cole McKay)
Dominick LaBanca	...	Thug #1
John W. Lawson	...	Thug Missing Arms
William Katt	...	Sgt. Fitzgibbon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dale Beasley	...	Prom Photographer (uncredited)
Christine Bently	...	Stoner Girl (uncredited)
Heather Bloom	...	Mom with Girl (uncredited)
Kurt Deville	...	Cop #2 (uncredited)
Gabriel Geer	...	Customer in Comic Book Shop (uncredited)
Walt Hollis	...	Purse Snatcher (uncredited)
Rick LaCour	...	Drug Dealer (uncredited)
James Paul	...	Street Pedestrian (uncredited)
Preston Strother	...	Johnny Stockwell (uncredited)

Directed by
James Gunn

Writing credits (WGA)
James Gunn		(written by)

Produced by
Miranda Bailey	....	producer
Iddo Lampton Enochs Jr.	....	executive producer (as Lampton Enochs)
Ted Hope	....	producer
Iris Ichishita	....	producer: Holy Avenger segment
Matthew Leutwyler	....	executive producer
Amanda Marshall	....	co-producer
Rainn Wilson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Tyler Bates

Cinematography by
Steve Gainer		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Cara Silverman

Production Design by
William A. Elliott		(as William Elliot)

Set Decoration by
Kristin Bicksler

Costume Design by
Mary Matthews		(as Mary Mathews)

Makeup Department
Kimberly Amacker	....	key makeup artist
Rose Davis	....	makeup department head (as Rose Librizzi-Davis)
Todd Masters	....	special makeup effects artist
Nicole Michaud	....	special makeup effects artist
Chrissy Morris	....	additional makeup artist (as Christina Morris-Reeder)
Ebony Star Parson	....	additional makeup artist (as Ebony Star Parsun)
Sam Polin	....	special makeup effects artist
Dan Rebert	....	special makeup effects artist
Cynthia P. Romo	....	hair department head: Los Angeles (as Cynthia Romo)
Lotus Seki	....	key hair stylist
Gianna Sparacino	....	hair department head
Tommie Strawther	....	hair stylist
Carme Tenuta	....	makeup department head: Los Angeles
Mark Viniello	....	special makeup effects artist
David Beneke	....	dental prosthetics: Kevin Bacon (uncredited)
Adrienne Lynn	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Cyndi Brenner	....	production supervisor
Amanda Marshall	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sheri Davani	....	first assistant director
Peter Korch	....	second second assistant director: Los Angeles
Teresa Pawlak	....	second second assistant director
Kamen Velkovsky	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Genny Bamburg	....	scenic foreman
Trinity Bamburg	....	lead scenic
Kip Bartlett	....	on-set dresser
Karen Blackmon	....	art department production assistant
Jonathan Buchanan	....	property master: Los Angeles
Michael Calabrese	....	leadman (as Michael 'Breezy' Calabrese)
Andrew Jason Clark	....	art department production assistant (as Andrew Clark)
Wade Easley	....	property master
Michael D. Fitzgerald	....	assistant property master (as Michael Fitzgerald)
Shelby Gillen	....	art intern
Eric Grey	....	prop maker (as Eric Gray)
John Jackson	....	painter
Ernerst J. Levron Jr.	....	set dresser (as Ernest J. Levron Jr.)
Paul Lewis	....	prop production assistant
Andy Lovell	....	assistant property master
Ricardo Lozier	....	set dresser
Bob Lucas	....	leadman: Los Angeles
Tianna Mockett	....	art department secretary (as Tianna Blue Mockett)
David Nicholas	....	construction coordinator (as David 'Ivan' Nichols)
William Nutt	....	lead greens (as Billy Nutt)
Darren Patnode	....	on-set dresser: Los Angeles
Chase Shankle	....	greens
Floyd B. Sterling	....	set dresser (as Floyd B. Sterling Jr.)
Teresa Visinare	....	set decorator: Los Angeles
Cary Whittaker	....	set dresser
Charles Wilson	....	prop maker
Michael Wynn	....	painter (as Michael D. Wynn)
Tom Fleming	....	art contributor (uncredited)
Tom Fleming	....	fantasy artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Dicken Berglund	....	adr mixer: Blue Room
Lars Bjerre	....	sound restoration: LB Labs
C. Douglas Cameron	....	boom operator
Gary Coppola	....	supervising sound editor (as Gary J. Coppola)
Gary Coppola	....	supervising sound re-recording mixer (as Gary J. Coppola)
Ryan Farris	....	boom operator
Aaron Grice	....	boom operator: Los Angeles
Jon Johnson	....	sound designer
Eric Justen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Larry Long	....	sound mixer
Maciek Malish	....	dialogue editor
Darrin Mann	....	foley mixer
John Jay Martyn	....	adr mixer: Audacity Recording
Steven Morrow	....	sound mixer: Los Angeles (as Steve Morrow)
Thomas O'Neil Younkman	....	sound effects editor (as Thomas Younkman)
Benjamin Rauscher	....	assistant sound editor
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist
Billy Theriot	....	adr mixer: Swelltone Studios
Fredrick Cuevas	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Reagan Mendoza	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Paulette Victor-Lifton	....	mix facility supervisor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Blake Le Vasseur	....	special effects foreman (as Blake 'Tricky' Le Vasseur)
Jack Lynch	....	special effects coordinator
John Mayo	....	special effects technician (as John S. Mayo Jr.)
Jason Babin	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Michael H. Clark	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Marcus Alqueres	....	animation supervisor: Modus FX
Jean Arousi	....	visual effects editorial: Modus FX
Odile-Emmanuelle Auger	....	visual effects project manager: Modus FX
Mostafa Badran	....	cg supervisor: Modus FX
Mathieu Bertrand	....	lead look development artist: Modus FX
Michel Bidart	....	animator: Modus FX
Patrick Bissonnette	....	visual effects financial controller: Modus FX
Marc Bourbonnais	....	visual effects executive producer: Modus FX
Nadège Bozzetti	....	lighting: Modus FX
Eloi Brunelle	....	visual effects supervisor: Modus FX
Jacob Bynum	....	visual effects assistant
Jonathan Carré	....	compositor: Modus FX
Guillaume Champagne	....	modeler: Modus FX
Valérie Clément	....	sales & marketing director: Modus FX
Jacynthe Côté	....	visual effects director of production: Modus FX
Hugo Debat-Burkarth	....	look development artist: Modus FX (as Hugo Debat Burkarth)
Xavier Desjardins-Lapointe	....	td rigging: Modus FX (as Xavier Lapointe)
Andreane Dodier-Villeneuve	....	compositor: Modus FX (as Andréane Dodier-Villeneuve)
Francois Duchesneau	....	special effects artist: Modus FX
Andrea Espinal	....	compositor: Modus FX
Nicolas Fillion	....	texture artist: Modus FX
Jean-Sébastien Fortin	....	data wrangler: Modus FX
Vincent Frei	....	compositor: Modus FX
Dominic Gaudreau	....	technical support: Modus FX
Julie Joannoteguy	....	data wrangler: Modus FX (as Julie Joannotéguy)
Luc Julien	....	lead compositor: Modus FX
Lon Krung	....	modeler: Modus FX
Pascal Laflamme	....	td layout: Modus FX
Louis Laflamme-Fillion	....	visual effects editorial: Modus FX
Jeremy Lambolez	....	animator: Modus FX
Francis Larouche	....	visual effects editorial: Modus FX
Martin Larrivée	....	lead compositor: Modus FX
Florent Lebrun	....	matte painter: Modus FX
Simon Lehembre	....	compositor: Modus FX
Yuri Lementy	....	animator: Modus FX
Sylvain Lorgeou	....	lead concept artist: Modus FX
Mickaël Léger	....	compositor: Modus FX (as Mickaël Leger)
Eric Maltais	....	lighting: Modus FX
Philip Melancon	....	animator: Modus FX
Tanya Moore	....	visual effects editorial: Modus FX
Mathieu Morasse	....	data wrangler: Modus FX
Benoit Morin	....	motion tracking: Modus FX
Louis Morin	....	visual effects supervisor
Vincent Papaix	....	compositor: Modus FX
Martin Pelletier	....	cg supervisor: Modus FX
Mathieu Phaneuf	....	lead modeler: Modus FX
Stephane Picard	....	data wrangler: Modus FX
Alice Pépujol	....	compositor: Modus FX (as Alice Pepujol)
Christian Simon	....	compositor: Modus FX
Stéphane Stradella	....	compositor: Modus FX
Wilson Tang	....	digital restoration
Vincent Toussaint	....	technical support: Modus FX
Jean-Philippe Traoré	....	compositor: Modus FX
Nathalie Tremblay	....	compositor: Modus FX
Armando Velazquez	....	compositor: Modus FX
Yanick Wilisky	....	visual effects supervisor: Modus FX
David Yabu	....	animator: Modus FX
Robert Quinn	....	visual effects artist: Modus FX (uncredited)

Stunts
Gregg Brazzel	....	stunt coordinator
Mark Chadwick	....	stunts
Lex D. Geddings	....	stunts (as Lex Geddings)
Thirl Hastings	....	stunts
Holly Houston	....	stunts (as Holli Houston)
Ashley Nicole Hudson	....	stunts (as Ashley Hudson)
Dother Sykes	....	stunts
Tracy E. Thomas	....	stunts (as Tracy Thomas)
Danny Cosmo	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Mark De Alessandro	....	stunt double: Michael Rouker (uncredited)
Ashley Nicole Hudson	....	stunt double: Ellen Page (uncredited)
Krystal Mayo	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Tim J. Smith	....	stunt performer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jonathan Adams	....	grip
Chris Ahern	....	best boy electrician: Los Angeles
Bob Bates	....	gaffer
J. Christopher Campbell	....	best boy grip (as Chris Campbell)
Bryan Delorenzo	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Steve Dietl	....	still photographer
David Easley	....	grip
Eli Everhard	....	electrician
Robert Foster	....	camera operator: "b" camera (as Bob Foster)
Tonja Greenfield	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Tim Hawn	....	electrician
Chris Heinrich	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Danny Horne	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Kevin Huver	....	second assistant camera: Los Angeles
Robert Ikeda	....	grip: Los Angeles (as Bobby Ikeda)
Gary Krepak	....	electrician
Jamie Lind	....	grip: Los Angeles
Terence McNally	....	electrician: Los Angeles (as Terrence McNally)
Adam Mitchell	....	electrician
Blake Mitchell	....	grip
Brent Swampy Mullins	....	grip (as Brent Mullins)
Ryne Niner	....	digital imaging technician: Los Angeles
Robert Owen	....	electrician
Nick Papanickolas	....	grip: Los Angeles (as Nick Popanickolas)
Max Patrucco	....	grip (as Max Petrucci)
Jason Rez	....	key grip: Los Angeles
Gary Sandoval	....	electrician: Los Angeles (as Garry Sandoval)
Ted Sapp	....	key grip
Kyle Spicer	....	digital imaging technician
David Blue Thompson	....	gaffer: Los Angeles (as Blue Thompson)
Chris Trosclair	....	electrician
Tedd Underwood	....	best boy electrician
Chris Way	....	grip: Los Angeles
Sam Wayman	....	electrician: Los Angeles
Marvin Wright	....	electrician
Richard J. Beban	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)
John Gregory Edwards	....	electrician (uncredited)
Brouke Franklin	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)
Dean Morris	....	generator operator (uncredited)

Animation Department
Nick Bachman	....	animator: PUNY
Joe Bluhm	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Eva Contis	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Victor Courtright	....	animation compositor: PUNY
John Durbin	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Jeremy Ennis	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Clare France	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Charles Gibson	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Danielle Griffith	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Dave Hagen	....	animation designer: PUNY
Kemberton Hargrove	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Alissa M. Kantrow	....	additional animator: Moonbot (as Alissa Kantrow)
Mitch Loidolt	....	animation illustrator: PUNY
Calvin O'Neal Jr.	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Brandon Oldenburg	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Mike Owens	....	animation director: PUNY
Kyoung Kay Park	....	additional animator: Moonbot (as Kyoung Park)
Eyo Peters	....	animator: PUNY
Shadi Petosky	....	animation supervisor: PUNY (as Shad Petosky)
Noah Scruggs	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Tim Sievert	....	animation illustrator: PUNY
Russell Smith	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Curtis Square-Briggs	....	animation illustrator: PUNY
Vincent Stall	....	animation designer: PUNY
Vincent Stall	....	animation illustrator: PUNY
Kevin Stanley	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Yuichiro Tanabe	....	animator: PUNY
Sophia Tolliver	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Julia Vickerman	....	animation producer: PUNY
Julia Vickerman	....	character design: PUNY
Adam Volker	....	additional animator: Moonbot
Jeff Wellborn	....	additional animator: Moonbot

Casting Department
Ryan Glorioso	....	casting: Louisiana
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Kate Warren	....	extras casting coordinator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mark Avery	....	assistant costume designer
Mark Avery	....	costume production assistant
Pam Buchanan	....	costume intern
Erica Callais	....	set costumer
Paul Corricelli	....	key costumer
Amy Helms	....	set costumer
Meghan McDonald	....	key costumer: Los Angeles
Tori Ordonez	....	costume intern
Andrea Rewolinski	....	costume production assistant: Los Angeles
Liz Staub	....	costume supervisor
Wendy Talley	....	set costumer
Rachel A. Walker	....	costume supervisor (as Rachel 'Bunny' Walker)

Editorial Department
Jason Barnes	....	first assistant editor
Jada Budrick	....	digital color assistant
Floyd Burks	....	digital intermediate imaging technician
Tony Dustin	....	digital film colorist: Technicolor
Ashley Farber	....	data technician
Mark Hubbard	....	digital intermediate engineer
Esther Lee	....	digital intermediate producer
Todd Mitchell	....	digital intermediate imaging technician
Calvin O'Neal Jr.	....	post-production assistant
Mark Sahagun	....	digital intermediate editor
Brad Sutton	....	digital restoration
Dan Williams	....	digital color assistant
George Zidd	....	data technician

Music Department
Juan Alderete	....	musician: bass
Tyler Bates	....	musician: guitars, bass, synthesizers
Brian Cachia	....	musician: drums and percussion (as Brian Caccia)
Andrea Canter	....	music supervising consultant (as Andrea Canter Matos)
Robert Carranza	....	score recordist
Liz Gallacher	....	music supervisor
Kathleen Hasay	....	music supervision assistant
Mia Matsumiya	....	musician: violin
Wolfgang Matthes	....	score mixer
Justin Moshkevich	....	score recordist
Lisa Papineau	....	musician: vocals
Andy Ross	....	music consultant
Tom Villano	....	music editor
Tim Williams	....	orchestrator
Brian Cachia	....	music programmer (uncredited)
Drew Krassowski	....	midi score transcriptor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Cris Dequeiroz	....	transportation captain: Los Angeles
Gerald Hardy	....	driver: honeywagon (as Gerald 'Slick' Hardy)
Robert Lacase	....	driver: set dressing truck (as Robert Lacaze)
Bill Mitchell	....	driver: props truck
Dean Morris	....	driver: generator
Sandra Ninham	....	transportation coordinator: Los Angeles
Nelson O. Noguera	....	driver: Los Angeles (as Nelson Noguera)
Beverly Reeves	....	driver
German Rodriguez	....	driver: Los Angeles (as German Rodriquez)
Stanley Simon	....	driver: Los Angeles
Ken Smith	....	transportation coordinator
Tim Sowell	....	driver
Terry Stroud	....	driver
Dan Sumner	....	transportation captain
James Yeates	....	driver: production van
Felicia Zamora	....	driver
Henry Payne	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Lisa Annitti	....	production accountant
Matthew Baker	....	international sales: Hanway Films
Chad Bantner	....	choreographer: opening title dance
Julia Bantner	....	choreographer: opening title dance
Robert Baucum	....	chef
Justin Beckham	....	assistant: Mr. Gunn, Shreveport
Paul Belcher	....	accounting clerk
Greg Bernstein	....	production legal affairs (as Greg S. Bernstein)
Roy Bogy	....	production coordinator (as Roy E. Bogy)
Kermit Burns III	....	location assistant (as Kermit C. Burns III)
Caleb Carroll	....	additional assistant chef
Anne Margaret Cooper	....	craft service (as Margaret Cooper)
Fran Cox	....	office production assistant
Gina M. Crane	....	product placement coordinator (as Gina Crane)
Rachael DeSoto	....	travel coordinator (as Rachel DeSoto)
Christopher Dickerson	....	production assistant (as Chris Dickerson)
Paula Dickmeyer	....	accounting clerk
Paula Dickmeyer	....	post-production accountant
Michelle Dokey	....	assistant: Mr. Gunn, Los Angeles
Alex Farrington	....	set medic: Los Angeles
Gabriel Geer	....	assistant: M. Bailey, Los Angeles
Gabriel Geer	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Russell Gremillot	....	location manager: Los Angeles
Seth William Hansen	....	key set production assistant (as Seth Hansen)
Joshua T. Harrel	....	payroll accountant
Bo Harris	....	office production assistant
Jeremy N. Hernandez	....	assistant location manager (as Jeremy Hernandez)
Kendrick Hudson	....	location manager
Eric Hull	....	armorer: Los Angeles
Susan Keatley	....	set medic
Blain Kirby	....	set intern
Eric Ladd	....	end titles
Mike Lebovich	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Jonathan Lynch-Staunton	....	international sales: HanWay Films
Richard Mansell	....	international sales: Hanway Films
Justin McDonell	....	assistant chef
Ian D. Navran	....	production secretary (as Ian Navran)
Sofia Neves	....	international sales: Hanway Films
Halley Rachal	....	assistant to producers: Shreveport
Joey Scarpinatto	....	craft service intern
Thorsten Schumacher	....	international sales: HanWay Films
Tracy Scott	....	script supervisor
W. Jackson Smith	....	set intern (as William Smith)
Dana Smyth	....	stand-in
Josh Stern	....	assistant: Mr. Hope, New York
Claire Taylor	....	international sales: Hanway Films
Michelle Tonjes	....	stand-in
Diana Victor	....	business affairs: This is that
Stephen Waters	....	stand-in
Chad Watson	....	stand-in
Tucker Wells	....	production assistant
Aaron T. Brown	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Grant Case	....	action double (uncredited)
Lindsey Dean	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)
Ashley Eberbach	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Carrie Gooch	....	assistant: Ms. Page (uncredited)
Chris Lyon	....	location scout (uncredited)
Ross Miller	....	insurance (uncredited)
Jennifer Williamson	....	set staff assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Dondi Bastone	....	special thanks
Amber Tamblyn	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• This Is That Productions
• Ambush Entertainment
• Crimson Bolt

Distributors

• Fine Films (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• IFC Midnight (2011) (USA) (theatrical)
• Entertainment One (2011) (Canada) (DVD)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2011) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• G2 Pictures (2011) (UK) (all media)
• IFC Films (2010) (USA) (all media)
• IFC Midnight (2010) (USA) (all media)
• Koch Media (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• M2 Pictures (2010) (Italy) (all media)
• MG Film (2010) (Croatia) (all media)
• MPI Media Group (2011) (USA) (video)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2010) (Denmark) (all media)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2010) (Finland) (all media)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2010) (Iceland) (all media)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2010) (Norway) (all media)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2010) (Sweden) (all media)
• Village Roadshow Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (all media)

Special Effects

• Modus Fx (visual effects)
• PUNY (2D animation)
• Moonbot Studios (additional art and animation)

Other Companies

• Act One Script Clearance  script clearance and additional clearances
• Audacity Recording  adr mixing
• Black Satellite Post  sound re-recording facility
• Blue Room  adr mixing
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  remote and stabilized camera systems
• Cold Iron Pictures  funding
• Cutting Edge Group  music services
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Glorioso Casting  extras casting
• Hollywood Trucks  entertainment transportation
• LB Labs  audio restoration
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Oracle Post  adr recording facility
• Oracle Post  sound re-recording facility
• Pivotal Post  Avid HD Editing Equipment Provided By
• Post Haste Sound  commentary recording engineering
• Reiff & Associates  insurance
• Sound Satisfaction  adr recording facility
• Sound Satisfaction  foley recording facility
• Sound Satisfaction  sound post-production
• Sound Satisfaction  sound re-recording facility
• Swelltone Studios  adr mixing
• Technicolor  digital intermediate

Also Known As:

"Super!" - Japan (English title) (imdb display title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use

Runtime:

USA:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Japan:R15+ | UK:18 | Singapore:R21 | Italy:VM14 | Australia:R | Germany:18 | New Zealand:R18

Filming Locations:

Louisiana, USA

Company:

This Is That Productions

Trivia:

Towards the end of the movie when Liv Tyler is in her rehab group session, she is heard stating "f**ked up, insecure, neurotic, and emotional". This is a reference and nod to her rocker father Steven Tyler (of Aerosmith) and his 1980's song "FINE" which is an acronym for the same line.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After getting shot, Frank drives away and the shadow of the camera man is visible on the Crimson Bolt. The sun is on the other side (car has turned around) in the next shot in the car.

Quotes:

Sarah Helgeland:What are those?
Frank D'Arbo:I'll wake up and see these first thing every morning. My perfect moments. They can inform my day. Set me in the right direction.
Sarah Helgeland:The hands are a little big, don't you think sweetheart?

Movie Connections:

References "Zoids" (2001)

Soundtrack:

I Do

An awesomely fun and twisted little fantasy

Despite enjoying other films like it, I was never a fan of James Gunn's Slither. It just came off as being average to me, and despite multiple tries, I have never ventured back to give it a second chance. Keeping that in mind, I ventured into a screening of Super at the Toronto International Film Festival hoping to be surprised, and not to come away disappointed. Thankfully, it turned out to be quite the awesome surprise.

Frank D'Arbo (Rainn Wilson) lives a pretty miserable existence. He has just two happy memories in his entire life – marrying his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) and pointing a police officer in the right direction of a suspect. So when Sarah, a stripper and former junkie, leaves him for her boss Jacques (Kevin Bacon), he loses all faith. But during a chance epiphany, he realizes his true calling is to be a superhero – the Crimson Bolt – and fight against those committing any sort of crime, whether it be drug dealing, underage rape or even butting in-line at the movies.

While I figured the film would have a hurdle to face making it feel different than any other movie about ordinary people donning costumes and fighting crime (in the past few years alone, see Special, Defendor, Kick-Ass and to a point, even Batman Begins and The Dark Knight), but Super is a much different beast. From the epilogue through the totally ridiculous (in a good way) animated song and dance credit sequence on, you know you are in for something different. This is a film that embraces the absurd and the full-blown psychopathic, and delivers a twistedly hilarious comic gem that lacks the seriousness (mostly) that plagues the other films previously mentioned. And any movie about someone using a pipewrench to wreak havoc on crime is immediately enough to make me forget Defendor even existed.

I think the element that sets Gunn's twisted fantasy apart from other films is that it is decidedly not mainstream. D'Arbo truly becomes the superhero we all wish we were by taking out anyone who is committing crimes. He has the vendetta against Jacques taking his wife hanging over his head throughout the movie, but in the meantime, he ensures that no crime goes unpunished – in increasingly graphically violent ways. I knew that using a pipewrench could only lead to a bloody mess, but I did not expect the movie to become the nasty bloodbath it quickly does. If you remember being disappointed at how much blood got cut between the conversion of Kick-Ass from a comic to a film, you will be delighted at just how much is spilt here. I knew Gunn was a graduate of the Troma film academy (Lloyd Kaufman makes a cameo late in the film), but I never expected to see just as much violence as I did. Thankfully, every injury and blood spurt is more hilarious and ridiculous than the last.

Wilson is amazing from start to finish as D'Arbo. I have never been a fan of his zany humour, but it fits this role perfectly. He jumps from being the pathetic loser to being the invigorated crime fighter with ease. And despite playing the role seriously, you never once think he is descending into parody. The film is a parody, but he never hams it up in the role deliberately looking for laughs. He has a very strong comic presence that he maintains throughout the film, and brings a rather poignant touch to more than a few scenes. If he sticks to more roles like these, and stays away from being the best thing in downright awful movies like The Rocker and My Super Ex-Girlfriend, he might have quite the career ahead of him.

The supporting cast is all very good and very funny in their smaller roles. Bacon is just as good as he always is, injecting the right amount of style and finesse into his scumbag of a character. Tyler could have done a bit more as the damsel in distress, but she remains quite memorable in her role. Smaller turns by Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker and especially Nathan Fillion all pay off wonderfully within the film. But if anyone can even stand close to Wilson's performance, it is Ellen Page as the off-the-rails comic nerd Libby. While she has found fame playing Juno and derivatives of the same character in the majority of her roles, she actually is quite different here. She alternates between being anxiety-ridden and being a complete psychopath, often in the same scene, and practically steals the film from Wilson. And when she finally becomes his sidekick Boltie, she truly is able to embrace the absurd.

If I have any problem with the film (outside of a rather bizarre and horrendous looking CGI sequence early in the film), it is that it never stays consistent with its tones. The humour remains intact throughout, but its absurdity starts to waver as the film goes on. It remains ridiculous, but it becomes a bit too serious in some sections. It feels more like Gunn did not want to truly push the film into the realm of comic fantasy, and still wanted some semblance of realism to stay within the film. He explained his tonal shift choices to the audience, but it still is not enough to make up for the film never knowing which way it wants to go. I loved its unpredictability of what D'Arbo would do next, but loathed never knowing what the next shift would be. It never destroys the film, but it weakens the film cohesively.

Super is an awesome film, and one whose dark humour never truly overtakes it. Wilson and Page are amazing in their roles, and the rest of the supporting cast does a great job backing them up. I just hope everyone can experience and have as much fun as I did.

9/10.