Confessions of a Superhero

A great documentary about the many interesting characters that occupy L.A.’s Hollywood Boulevard.

Take a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard and you’re bound to bump into just about anybody. From Jack Sparrow to Chewbacca, Freddy Krueger to Elmo, the walk of fame is filled with living, breathing characters.

Among these mere mortals are heroes clad in capes and spandex, masks and suits. They are the protectors of peace and defenders of justice, but above all they are pretenders.

Who are these people? They’re idealists with bright eyes and broken dreams; wannabe movie stars who have possibly one of the most unique day jobs possible.

In “Confessions of a Superhero,” a documentary from director Matt Ogens, secret identities are shed as we learn the story behind the suits. The film focuses on four would-be crime fighters, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Incredible Hulk, who patrol the stars and cemented handprints of L.A.’s walk of fame, posing for pictures with tourists in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Christopher Lloyd Dennis is Superman. While he lacks the agility to jump tall buildings in a single bound or the speed to outrun locomotives, Dennis does strike an uncanny resemblance to the late Christopher Reeve. The word ‘obsessed’ doesn’t even come close to describing his unrelenting fixation on the man of steel.

Upon entering his apartment one gets lost in the dizzying collage of reds, blues and yellows. There are countless action figures, lunch boxes, posters and prints of Superman. So much in fact, that the true color of his walls, floors and ceilings are as much a mystery as the root of his obsession.

Every morning Dennis gets up and prepares himself for the role he must play for the rest of the day. After a shower, Dennis painstakingly gels his hair to get that one perfect little curl, the signature do of Superman. Upon getting the black ringlet in place, he douses it in hairspray before putting on his costume, a replica of the Christopher Reeve suit used in the 1978 “Superman” movie.

Behind every Superman is a Wonder Woman I suppose. On Hollywood Boulevard, an ambitious Jennifer Gerht fills her boots. Compared to her fellow impersonators, Gerht might be the most average, normal person on the walk. Unlike the others, Gerht has no real obsession with the character she plays nor is she delusional about what she does.

“This is my insane occupation,” admits Gerht. A former prom queen from Maynardville, Tenn., the beautiful Gerht packed her bags and headed to Hollywood in hopes of becoming an actress. Taking pictures with passersby as Wonder Woman is just a day job – one that pays the bills until she can land some real acting work.

Gehrt is a pleasing addition to the documentary. As Wonder Woman, she is a confident, gorgeous Amazon in an ocean of characters. When she unfolds her story to the camera, suddenly her vulnerable side, often hidden behind sequins and spandex, comes to the surface.

On the other side of town, the dark knight puts his latex boots on. While Bruce Wayne may live in Gotham, Maxwell Allen lives in L.A., roaming the boulevard of broken dreams as Batman.

Allen differs from his friend and fellow impersonator Christopher Dennis in the fact that he has no outward fascination for his alter ego. Allen never intended to get involved in show business but when people noticed he looked just like George Clooney, he got the idea to give acting a try.

Now he dons the cape and cowl of Batman, and to be honest, he isn’t that different from the real one. You see, Allen has a bit of an anger management issue: a real short fuse that could blow at any second. Much like the caped crusader, Allen is a brooding, dark figure even in the hot sun of Los Angeles.

As a former collector for the mob, Allen isn’t too proud of his violent (and possibly murderous) past. He spends his days working through his issues with various martial arts classes as well as trips to his psychiatrist. Did I mention he wears the suit during sessions with his counselor?

Finally, there’s the modest and affable Joseph McQueen, who portrays the Incredible Hulk. Originally from Pinehurst, N.C., McQueen was also drawn to the appeal of Hollywood’s bright lights.

“I just sold my Super Nintendo, got a Greyhound bus ticket and headed out here,” Says McQueen, who never expected to be standing inside the shell of a green and purple Hulk costume. Things could be worse, and unfortunately for McQueen, things have always been worse it seems. Before becoming the Hulk, he spent five years homeless in L.A.

McQueen is perhaps the most likeable of the four characters we meet in “Confessions of a Superhero.” You root for him, cheer him on his in quest to make a name for himself. He’s just a nice guy and one that seems truly like Bruce Banner, locked inside the savage interior of the Hulk.

Simply put, “Confessions of a Superhero” is a beautiful documentary. It has a quiet, serene and downright melancholy atmosphere filled with moving photography and a color palette that is very appealing to the eye. The locations and set pieces director Matt Ogens chooses for his characters’ confessionals are lonely and truly reflective of the film’s subjects.

In a way, by wearing masks and costumes, these performers wear their hearts on their spandex-clad sleeves. Their stories are touching and quirky and often too surreal to believe. For right now, it seems they have all the fame without the fortune, starry eyes with sights set on leading roles and only a permanent place on the walk of fame.

As our Wonder Woman so eloquently puts it, heroes are iconic and everlasting. “What else is there, you know?” asks Jennifer Gehrt. “Sure, a doctor saves lives, but is he remembered? Is he there for all times? People are still talking about Marilyn Monroe.”

“Confessions of a Superhero” is a quirky, moving film that speaks to our own inadequacies as humans and the hero inside that we all wish we could be. These four men and women show us not only who they are, but who they dream to be. I recommend this documentary to anyone looking for an honest, inspiring plunge into the superhero psyche.

Rating :
Reviewer : Adam Frazier
Courtesy of: BigLickU.com