Confessions of a Superhero, 2007
Dir.: Matt Ogens
Prod.: C. Shawn Bennett, Jordan Ehrlich, Charles Gruet, Elizabeth McIntyre, Mark Meyers, Matt Ogens, Spencer Parker, Jamie Patricof and Zev Suissa.
Every morning, Christopher Lloyd Dennis brushes his teeth, washes his face, styles his hair and dons his uniform for work on Hollywood Boulevard: a uniform that consists of tights and a cape.
Dennis is one of many who make their living by dressing in costume and posing for pictures with tourists in Los Angeles, California. Rain or shine, winter or summer, they are all there - characters ranging from Jack Sparrow to Marilyn Monroe to Spiderman - working for tips while waiting for their big break.
Matt Ogens focuses on four of these hard working individuals as they dedicate their lives to becoming famous - regardless of the cost to their home lives and own mental well-being.
The subjects of this documentary are, of course, Dennis, who was the first Superman on Hollywood Boulevard; Max Allen who dresses as Batman and deals with intense anger issues; Jennifer Garrett, the Tennessee-born pastor's daughter, also known as Wonder Woman; and Joe McQueen, who lumbers around in a large, bulky Incredible Hulk costume.
The film also has a few interviews with the beat cops who stroll Hollywood Boulevard, making sure that the characters are respecting the line between public and private property and aren't terrorizing the tourists. Their job is mostly benign, and a few of the cops actually get to know the regulars - asking how their kids are, how their day is going and if they've had any auditions lately.
I had seen the costume characters on television and movies that take place in Los Angeles, but I always thought that these were either professional extras or hired by movie studios for promotional purposes. But this is quite the opposite. These costume characters are mostly independent workers, accepting tips from tourists. They are not allowed to approach people and ask if they want a picture, and then demand payment - that is considered panhandling. Therefore, they have no control over their take of the day. "On a bad day," Jennifer Garrett says, "I will make thirty dollars. On a good day, I will make $150 an hour."
Confessions of a Superhero is as light as it is dark. While it seems like fun to learn about the people who sped their days dressing up as superheros and popular characters, it turns out that most of them - or at least the ones featured in this film - are pretty miserable. Well, not really miserable, but they do have their troubles.
Christopher Dennis, for example, calls himself a "historian of Superman and keeper of artifacts". His girlfriend, who studies psychology, calls him "obsessive". Shots of his apartment show that it is covered from floor to ceiling with Superman memorabilia, toys, posters and figurines - an estimated $90,000 worth of merchandise.
Max Allen, who once worked as a George Clooney impersonator, has a history of violent behavior and may or may not have been involved with the mafia. His past jobs also include stunt driving, boxing, and bodyguarding. He holds several black belts and has received Special Forces training. He attends anger management therapy, in full Batman costume. The cops have been called on him for scaring people, and aggressive begging.
Jennifer Garrett dropped out of college to move to Los Angeles and become an actress. On her fourth day in town, she met a man at a seminar. Two weeks later, they were married in Las Vegas. However, after several years, their marriage is quickly disintegrating. She admits that their spark is gone and he no longer excites her. At one point in the film, Jennifer has a meeting with her talent agent, who refers to her as a "sexy, curvy woman", though Jennifer is no more than a size eight.
Joe McQueen sold his video game system to buy a one way bus ticket out of North Carolina to Hollywood. He dealt with homelessness for four years while struggling to make it as an actor. He admits that he loathes dressing up as the Hulk on Hollywood Boulevard. "I feel like a loser. I didn't come out here to...make chump change."
The four performers constantly struggle with being in the position that they are in. The only one who seems content with themselves is Christopher. He really commits to his role as Superman, addressing the tourists as "citizens", lecturing a man dressed as Spiderman for smoking in front of the tourists. "Superheros don't smoke," he says. One Marilyn Monroe complains to him that she has not made one dollar all day, and Christopher reminds her that "tipping is not mandatory". On record heat days in Los Angeles, Christopher invites Jennifer back to his apartment so that they can soak themselves and their costumes in cold water. Meanwhile, the temperature reaches 130 degrees inside Joe's Hulk costume.
During the time that this movie was being filmed, two costumed characters made news headlines after they were arrested for aggressive begging. Footage of "Elmo" and "Mr. Incredible" being handcuffed and shoved into the back of police cars were all over YouTube and local news outlets. While the publicity did a lot for the other costumed characters - some were raking in thousands of dollars a day in tips - they became more on edge. Undercover police officers took to walking Hollywood Boulevard to make sure that the performers were complying with the rules. However, it turned out to not be much of a problem. Late night talk show hosts were clamoring to get them for interviews. Magazines and newspapers ran articles on them. Christopher Dennis was even featured in a coffee table book about the performers on Hollywood Boulevard.
I had mixed feelings about Confessions of a Superhero. I thought it would be more of a lighthearted romp about people who get to live out their childhood fantasies by dressing up as their favorite characters/celebrities. But, like the superheroes that these actors portray, their lives aren't picture perfect. Max Allen is just as troubled and dark as Batman. Christopher Dennis struggles to find his place in the world, like Superman. It's almost as if the costumes reflect their own psychology. Director Matt Ogens did a fair job of portraying the struggles of the Hollywood Boulevard character actors. It wasn't my favorite documentary and it did drag a bit, however, if you're interested in a really fascinating stance on comic book characters/superheroes and psychology, this is what you'd want to watch.
The subjects of this documentary are, of course, Dennis, who was the first Superman on Hollywood Boulevard; Max Allen who dresses as Batman and deals with intense anger issues; Jennifer Garrett, the Tennessee-born pastor's daughter, also known as Wonder Woman; and Joe McQueen, who lumbers around in a large, bulky Incredible Hulk costume.
The film also has a few interviews with the beat cops who stroll Hollywood Boulevard, making sure that the characters are respecting the line between public and private property and aren't terrorizing the tourists. Their job is mostly benign, and a few of the cops actually get to know the regulars - asking how their kids are, how their day is going and if they've had any auditions lately.
I had seen the costume characters on television and movies that take place in Los Angeles, but I always thought that these were either professional extras or hired by movie studios for promotional purposes. But this is quite the opposite. These costume characters are mostly independent workers, accepting tips from tourists. They are not allowed to approach people and ask if they want a picture, and then demand payment - that is considered panhandling. Therefore, they have no control over their take of the day. "On a bad day," Jennifer Garrett says, "I will make thirty dollars. On a good day, I will make $150 an hour."
Confessions of a Superhero is as light as it is dark. While it seems like fun to learn about the people who sped their days dressing up as superheros and popular characters, it turns out that most of them - or at least the ones featured in this film - are pretty miserable. Well, not really miserable, but they do have their troubles.
Christopher Dennis, for example, calls himself a "historian of Superman and keeper of artifacts". His girlfriend, who studies psychology, calls him "obsessive". Shots of his apartment show that it is covered from floor to ceiling with Superman memorabilia, toys, posters and figurines - an estimated $90,000 worth of merchandise.
Max Allen, who once worked as a George Clooney impersonator, has a history of violent behavior and may or may not have been involved with the mafia. His past jobs also include stunt driving, boxing, and bodyguarding. He holds several black belts and has received Special Forces training. He attends anger management therapy, in full Batman costume. The cops have been called on him for scaring people, and aggressive begging.
Jennifer Garrett dropped out of college to move to Los Angeles and become an actress. On her fourth day in town, she met a man at a seminar. Two weeks later, they were married in Las Vegas. However, after several years, their marriage is quickly disintegrating. She admits that their spark is gone and he no longer excites her. At one point in the film, Jennifer has a meeting with her talent agent, who refers to her as a "sexy, curvy woman", though Jennifer is no more than a size eight.
Joe McQueen sold his video game system to buy a one way bus ticket out of North Carolina to Hollywood. He dealt with homelessness for four years while struggling to make it as an actor. He admits that he loathes dressing up as the Hulk on Hollywood Boulevard. "I feel like a loser. I didn't come out here to...make chump change."
The four performers constantly struggle with being in the position that they are in. The only one who seems content with themselves is Christopher. He really commits to his role as Superman, addressing the tourists as "citizens", lecturing a man dressed as Spiderman for smoking in front of the tourists. "Superheros don't smoke," he says. One Marilyn Monroe complains to him that she has not made one dollar all day, and Christopher reminds her that "tipping is not mandatory". On record heat days in Los Angeles, Christopher invites Jennifer back to his apartment so that they can soak themselves and their costumes in cold water. Meanwhile, the temperature reaches 130 degrees inside Joe's Hulk costume.
During the time that this movie was being filmed, two costumed characters made news headlines after they were arrested for aggressive begging. Footage of "Elmo" and "Mr. Incredible" being handcuffed and shoved into the back of police cars were all over YouTube and local news outlets. While the publicity did a lot for the other costumed characters - some were raking in thousands of dollars a day in tips - they became more on edge. Undercover police officers took to walking Hollywood Boulevard to make sure that the performers were complying with the rules. However, it turned out to not be much of a problem. Late night talk show hosts were clamoring to get them for interviews. Magazines and newspapers ran articles on them. Christopher Dennis was even featured in a coffee table book about the performers on Hollywood Boulevard.
I had mixed feelings about Confessions of a Superhero. I thought it would be more of a lighthearted romp about people who get to live out their childhood fantasies by dressing up as their favorite characters/celebrities. But, like the superheroes that these actors portray, their lives aren't picture perfect. Max Allen is just as troubled and dark as Batman. Christopher Dennis struggles to find his place in the world, like Superman. It's almost as if the costumes reflect their own psychology. Director Matt Ogens did a fair job of portraying the struggles of the Hollywood Boulevard character actors. It wasn't my favorite documentary and it did drag a bit, however, if you're interested in a really fascinating stance on comic book characters/superheroes and psychology, this is what you'd want to watch.
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