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This quirky indie comedy's low budget is readily apparent, but it's elevated by Michael Rapaport's dedicated performance. Read critic reviews
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Watch Special with a subscription on Amazon Prime Video, rent on Apple TV, Vudu, or buy on Apple TV, Vudu.
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Movie Info
Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) has a boring and undistinguished life as a parking-meter monitor until he decides to participate in an experimental drug study. He experiences some strange side effects which make him think he is developing special powers, a belief that leads him to quit his dead-end job and start a new one -- as a superhero.
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Rating: R (Brief Drug Use|Some Violence|Language)
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Genre: Comedy, Drama
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Original Language: English
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Director: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
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Producer: Frank Mele, Edward Parks
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Writer: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
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Release Date (Theaters): limited
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Release Date (Streaming):
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Box Office (Gross USA): $6.4K
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Runtime:
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Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
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Production Co: Rival Pictures
Cast & Crew
News & Interviews for Special
Critic Reviews for Special
Audience Reviews for Special
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A film that keeps you wondering until the end as to whether or not the lead has special powers or is creating them in his mind. Obviously low budgeting and the acting slips every now and again but not bad.
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What happens when a parking meter cop with low self-esteem gets super powers? What if he just believes he has super powers even though they're just hallucinations? It's kind of a funny premise, and with a target as big as the modern pharmaceutical industry, you think it'd be rife with wicked satire, but "Special" is more content to be a psychological study of an insecure man on the verge of madness. Les (Michael Rapaport) is a mild-mannered loser who signs up for an experimental new drug designed to boost self-confidence. The drug works wonders for most in the test group, but for Les, a man obsessed with comic books and super heroes, it gives him the illusion he's garnered some new and unique super powers of his own, which he, of course, must use to combat evil wherever he may find it (usually at the local convenience store). The financial backers of this new wonder drug find out about Les' super hero adventuring, mainly due to him wearing their logo on the back of his homemade superhero suit, and are displeased to see some nut scaring off the pharmaceutical company they were hoping to sell it to, and so they begin to try and hush him up (which only serves to fuel his paranoia). As I said, it's a movie detailing a man's descent into madness, and while is has moments of comedy, it's very dark to be sure. Filmed on an obviously tight budget, the filmmakers make the most of what money they have to use. The movie really isn't bad, that is, until the final act, where they kind of lose focus (and steam). The ending is a bit of a mess. Still, it's not a bad attempt at a movie.
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You know Michael Rapaport is a good actor if you want a guy who always looks like he's angry and ready to explode. He's typically a guy you see mostly in supporting roles as the angry man. Basically he's never played a character with any real emotional depth, at least that I'm aware of. So this movie is a nice change of pace and it shows, that if given the chance, this guy can act and do a great job at it in fact. He takes this character and gives it a very sympathetic portrayal, you come to care for this guy and his struggles with depression and how that leads him to turn into a hero so he can feel a sense of worth and importance to this world. It definitely has a positive message for people who go through these same issues and that's a really cool thing. The movie also has its funny moments, but I don't think it needed to be hilarious. It has a lot more going for it than just the comedy. It's just a really good movie with, unarguably I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise, Michael Rapaport's best performance ever.
jesse o Super Reviewer -
With the serious, "dedicated" performance from Michael Rapaport, Special would just be another low budget, independent film. But with that performance comes a truthfulness that carries the off-the-wall concept to a level of seriousness that is then taken seriously. With the craze of average people becoming superheroes (Kick Ass, Super, Bad Ass), Special is a nice change of pace, looking more at the human psyche rather than the bravado and action that comes with fighting crime.
chris h Super Reviewer
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