Superhero Movie (2008)

Director:

Craig Mazin

Writer (WGA):

Craig Mazin (written by)

Release Date:

28 March 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest Superhero movie of all time! (not counting all the others)

Plot:

A send-up of superhero films, from Batman Begins to Fantastic Four. |

Plot Keywords:

Fart | Ring | Scientist | Narration | Super Villain

US Showtimes:

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Cast

Drake Bell	...	Rick Riker / Dragonfly
Sara Paxton	...	Jill Johnson
Christopher McDonald	...	Lou Landers / Hourglass
Leslie Nielsen	...	Uncle Albert Adams
Kevin Hart	...	Trey
Marion Ross	...	Aunt Lucille Adams
Ryan Hansen	...	Lance Landers
Keith David	...	The Chief of Police
Brent Spiner	...	Dr. Strom
Robert Joy	...	Dr. Stephen Hawking
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Dr. Whitby
Robert Hays	...	Blaine Riker
Nicole Sullivan	...	Julia Riker
Sam Cohen	...	Young Rick Riker
Tracy Morgan	...	Professor Xavier

Also Known As:

Superhero! (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and language.

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #44303) | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Finland:K-13 | Ireland:15A

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Not screened for critics.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dragonfly learns to fly, he sprouts wings, which would presumably tear through his costume to get out. Yet there are no rips or tears on his back in later scenes.

Quotes:

Rick Riker: [during a prolonged conversation with Jill while plummeting from a rooftop] Wow, this is a really tall building!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Mission: Impossible (1996)

Soundtrack:

All By Myself

With great parody comes great responsibility

If "Superhero Movie" gives you the same giddy, guilty-pleasure feeling as "Airplane!" and the "Naked Gun" movies, it's no accident. Some of those movies' personnel – who were also involved in two lesser "Scary Movie" sequels – show up here. (Those include writer-director Craig Mazin, who happily has come a long way from 1997's abysmal "Rocketman.")

The movie's title says it all. It's a comedy that takes a well-known hit (in this case, "Spider-Man"), turns it inside out, and uses it as a clothesline for gags. In this parody version, nerdy Rick Riker (amiable Drake Bell of cable-TV's "Drake and Josh") gets bitten by a mutant dragonfly, turning him into...well, take a guess. Meanwhile, a well-meaning scientist (Chris McDonald) turns nasty when his experiment backfires and he finds he must sap others' life-blood in order to keep himself alive.

As is typical of such parodies, the movie's approach is as subtle as a spitball gun. Some of the gags are terrific, and some are groaners. But they're all fired at such a rapid pace that after a while, you have no choice but to give in to the silliness. The characters are like shooting-gallery ducks waiting to have parody lobbied at them. Best of the bunch are Rick's well-meaning but dotty uncle and aunt (delightfully played by Leslie Nielsen and "Happy Days'" Marion Ross). The most pitiable is a take-off on disabled genius Stephen Hawking, who seems to push Mazin's bad-taste button over and over ad nauseum.

This leads me to the movie's most required caveat. While the flick is mostly silly fun, it pushes its "PG-13" rating right up to the edge of the "R" cliff. The movie is larded with sexual gags and profanity abound, and what might possibly be cinema's longest-ever flatulence gag.

But if you can bear up under the cringe factor, "Superhero Movie" is mostly high-powered fun. Nifty comedy here runs neck-and-neck with bad taste. It's a close race, but the comedy wins.

"Superhero Movie" is rated PG-13 for countless sex and drug references, crude humor, and adult language.