Supermensch: The Legend Of Shep Gordon

Gala Presentation

Director: Mike Myers

For a few years, it seemed like Mike Myers just might never make another movie. Thankfully he has. Weirdly, it’s a documentary. Fortunately, it’s a good one. As the title suggests, Supermensch profiles the legend of Shep Gordon, an infamous Hollywood agent and all around good guy beloved by seemingly the entire entertainment industry. He started his showbiz career by supplying drugs to the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, which then segued into managing Alice Cooper and discovering his natural talent for generating publicity and sheltering celebrities. Over the years he helped build several music idols, created the celebrity chef, and became one of the closest friends to some of Hollywood’s power players like Sly Stallone, Michael Douglas, and Myers,.

This is a man who Myers obviously loves, and he clearly enjoyed laying out a remarkable life story for his audience. Using a mix of playful interviews, archival photographs, and hilarious reenactments, Myers flows through Gordon’s life with a mix of joy and admiration. That translates directly to viewers who will smile through the film and come out the other side feeling like one of Gordon’s infinite list of friends. As with most profile docs where the filmmaker is personally connected to the subject, there might be a touch too much gushing and sentimentalizing. However, based on his gregarious personality on display and the loving anecdotes weaved together, Gordon probably deserves his sparkling treatment. Supermensch is a wonderfully charming little doc and even though it’s sad Myers still hasn’t made another comedy, this flick can fill the gap for now. (Phil Brown)

Screens

Saturday, September 14, 4:00pm, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema