The Specials (2000)

The sixth or seventh best superhero team in the world pursue their rightful place in the harshly competitive world of toy tie-ins and fighting evil.

Director:

Craig Mazin

Writer:

James Gunn

Stars:

Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Paget Brewster

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordan Ladd	...	Nightbird
Rob Lowe	...	The Weevil
Jamie Kennedy	...	Amok
Mike Schwartz	...	U.S. Bill
Thomas Haden Church	...	The Strobe
Paget Brewster	...	Ms. Indestructible
Kelly Coffield Park	...	Power Chick (as Kelly Coffield)
Sean Gunn	...	Alien Orphan
Judy Greer	...	Deadly Girl
James Gunn	...	Minute Man
Jim Zulevic	...	Mr. Smart
Johnny Mountain	...	News Anchor
John Doe	...	Eight
Abdul Salaam El Razzac	...	Eight
Lauren Cohn	...	Eight

Storyline

America's 7th Best Superhero Team, the Specials, are a group of geeks and oddballs. We get to see one day in their lives as fan and new member Nightbird joins the group, just in time for the group to get a new line of action figures. But the members' extreme personalities and personal issues threaten to rip the group apart.

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Plot Keywords:

superhero | non comic book superhero | superhero team | action figure | toy | 

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Taglines:

Not as good as other superheroes, but definitely better than you.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elbaltázott szuperhősök

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,131, 24 September 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,996, 1 October 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment,Mindfire Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Gunn wrote the screenplay in just two weeks.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nightbird: I've been a humongous fan of the Specials since I was knee-high to... something for sure. All my friends would make fun of me because the Specials were not a "cool" group like the Amazing Trio or the Crusaders. But, you know, screw that. I also liked Winger better than Bon Jovi. I still do. I don't care what the critics say.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits we see an "In Memory: 1970-1993" reference and picture of Mr. Stretch, an original member of the Specials that we are told died of mouth cancer in one of interview segments.

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Connections

References Inside Edition (1988)

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Soundtracks

Quartet in E Minor
Written by Franz Schubert
Courtesy of Zomba Music Services, Inc.

User Reviews

Makes you wish you were one of them.

This low-budget improvement on Mystery Men is about real people with slightly unreal abilities that don't save them from personal problems you'll recognize. What saves them is each other. As a bunch of misfits with only their very mild "super" powers and illusions(?) about fighting evil to bind them, this bunch of pretty much ordinary folks is doing the best it can. You see nothing, really, of their comic-book abilities. Instead, we see how they deal with the notion that they have something to contribute to a world that doesn't really appreciate them as it should. Which, I dare say, will reach a lot of the intended audience of this film.

I can't quite explain why, but the close-up look at mostly banal daily problems affecting these earnest do-gooders was heartening. They mean well, even if they can't quite cope any better than the rest of us. That's something we all wish we could say about ourselves, and know it was true. For this bunch, it is true and, deep inside, they do know it. That's, maybe, what actually makes them special. Their lives are a mix of joy and sorrow, victory and defeat, humor and despair. They are probably more fun to watch than to be, but if there were a bunch like this operating in my town, I'd want to join.