I watched this en route to a memorable vacation in Southern India, having read favorable reviews of it prior to my departure and with the knowledge that the 2025 Oscar shortlist for Documentary Feature Films would be announced while I was gone. It did not make the shortlist (which came as a bit of a surprise to those who know more than I do), but it is a suitably a comprehensive, if overly celebratory, tribute in this traditional talking-heads-style documentary.
Christopher Reeve is best known for playing Superman in the iconic 1978 movie of the same name. but in truth most of what I knew about him occurred after his life changing equestrian accident that left him a quardiplegic.
This is not a before-and-after story. Instead, it considers the breadth of Reeve’s career and personal life — his beginnings in the theater, his feelings about playing Superman, his efforts to break the mold, and his two most important romantic relationships — with his injury looming over his successes like Kryptonite.
Reeve’s bond with his fellow actor Robin Williams was completely unknown to me, and it also makes up one of the documentary’s meatiest threads, adding depth to the character study. In many ways, Reeve actually was a gentle all-American type, but footage of his friendship with Williams brings out his funny, artistic — and to some extent dark — side. There is a lot of dark here, and a healthy helping of sadness when both he and his wife die young, but it is well worth watching as bio-documentaries go.
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