Confessions of a Superhero

R

2007

1 hr. 32 min.

Documentary

List

100%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

74%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Matthew Ogens documents the lives of four street performers in Hollywood.

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Audience Member

It lacks the narrative cohesion to be great documentary. Added to that its filmed with crappy digital cameras that gives it a cheap ugly look.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A wonderful documentary about the search for fame and the lie of ever having it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

kj p

The message of this film is to never give up on your dreams (in the long run), but "Confessions of a Superhero" is a much deeper documentary than that, showing the ins and outs of the acting business and how well-off street performers actually may be. Some may appear to homeless, but if they are passionate enough about what they do, they will go to great lengths to make something of themselves. This film does a great job exploring all of these aspects and I highly enjoyed watching it. It definitely feels refreshing seeing what the lives of these people is truly like, after seeing them for so long on the street and making my own assumptions. Very well-edited and capturing the right amount of footage, there is hardly anything to complain about with this documentary. Definitely recommended!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting look at the people behind the costumes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

★★★ (out of four) An entertaining and infectious little documentary that can be very insightful at times. It doesn't always find its mark. I did feel that there was more of a story to tell about its suject, but it is still work a look. Anyone who has ever been to Hollywood Boulevard or even the Vegas Strip for that matter, has seen the people who dress up in costumes, hoping tourists will take a photo with them for a price. They aren't supposed to push for money, but they do anyway. The film follows four such people. We get people dressing as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Hulk. It follows what motivates them and how they ended up here. All are failed actors who brokenm dreams have landed them in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, basically panhandling. It's a good look at what happens to those who trek to Hollywood looking to become famous, but fall short. I suspect more thorough look at this lifestyle would reveal a darker side, full of drug and alcohol abuse. That would make it even more compelling. [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v48/Zeppo1/Confessionsofasuperhero_zpsaa4ad0d6.jpg[/IMG]

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good example of a movie that movie critics and buffs sometimes love to death, far beyond what it deserves. It's okay as a documentary, but I really disagree that these are people deserving our sympathy. The honorary mayor is right - these guys really are panhandlers in a costume, and they manage to make some money. Which means they could do something less pathetic, but choose not to. They are terribly, terribly bad at playing the parts they've chosen. But they're surprisingly good at figuring out what traps a few tourists. The director clearly wants us to feel sympathetic, mixing the scenes with inspiring background music...but it all falls flat for me. I think what is particularly unnerving is that these folks unwittingly make a sad mockery of the characters they supposedly revere.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Matthew Ogens

Director

Jennifer Wenger

Actor

Antonio Banderas

Actor

Joe McQueen

Actor

Margot Kidder

Actor

Johnny Grant

Actor

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Frank Scheck

Hollywood Reporter

A detailed portrait of these societal eccentrics, which, while not neglecting their obvious personal problems, is clearly sympathetic.

Nov 20, 2007

Full Review

Matt Zoller Seitz

New York Times

The empathetic tone draws you in and some of the details are devastating.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 4, 2007

Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

You've just found one of this week's hidden treasures.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 2, 2007

Full Review

Cynthia Fuchs

PopMatters

In Hollywood, accommodating expectations%u2014looking the part%u2014is a first step. Toward what? That's a question the provocative, respectful, and enthralling Confessions leaves open.

Jan 17, 2008

Full Review

Brian Orndorf

eFilmCritic.com

A mesmerizing, revealing look at Hollywood's bottom layer, as well as an assertive snapshot of desperation...one of the best documentaries I've seen this year.

Rated: A-

Nov 30, 2007

Full Review

Annlee Ellingson

Boxoffice Magazine

Both touching and amusing, these four embody the spirit of Hollywood, "a place where dreams are made and dreams are broken."

Nov 16, 2007

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Matthew Ogens documents the lives of four street performers in Hollywood.

Director: Matthew Ogens
Rating: R (Some Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 26, 2016

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