Super good times start at midnight

September 23rd, 2011 | By Fabiola Barral barralfa@grinnell.edu | Section: Arts

“Shut up crime!” These words set the standard for a film chock full of instantly quotable scenes. “Super” is the first among the many Midnight Movies at Harris to come, a film that may at first appear a comedic dud, but which actually brings an entirely new version of heroism to the table.

As SGA Film Chair Paul Dampier ‘12 describes on his website, Super is “the ultimate deconstruction of the superhero.” Director James Gunn is known for his work in dark comedies (think Tromeo and Juliet) and Super is no exception. When Frank D’Arbo’s wife leaves him for a drug dealer, Frank becomes the superhero Crimson Bolt. D’Arbo, however, lacks typical heroic characteristics. Even so, the cashier at the comic book store he frequents, Libby, becomes so enthusiastic over his plan to be a superhero that she offers to be his sidekick. Costumed and encouraged by the idea that “all it takes to be a superhero is the choice to fight evil,” the film meshes comedy with lines that display glimmers of wisdom.

Plotline aside, the film’s cast list alone causes a buzz. The Office’s Rainn Wilson and Juno’s Ellen Page have already made names for themselves in major mainstream entertainment and seeing them in such a spunky film is an eyebrow raiser in and of itself.  The two actors may seem a little out of place side by side, but their ready, quirky dialogue reveals them to be a compatible duo.

Though it may seem as though Super fits the recent mold of anti-hero films (Kick Ass and Mystery Men), this movie manages to stray away from the cliché.

“[It’s] a superhero film,” Dampier wrote in an email, “but you only have to watch the trailer to realize that it is nothing like what you’ve seen before.  It makes ‘Kick-Ass’ look like a kid’s movie.”

It is this distinctive quality that renders the movie so appealing for a laid back yet thought provoking Saturday night.

“I’ve always believed that one of the best bonding experiences is being terrified or shocked in a packed movie theater,” Dampeir said. “This is what I hope to create at Grinnell with Midnight Movies.”
Whether it inspires shock or horror, seeing Dwight Shrute don spandex in high definition will undeniably be solid entertainment.

Super will show at midnight this Saturday in the Harris Theater.