Superhero Movie (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

Tiresome, generic spoof is all about crude humor.

parents & educators say

38% say sexual content is an issue
33% say language is an issue

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this broad spoof (which was written and directed by the writer of two of the Scary Movie comedies) features crude sexual humor, repeated pee and fart jokes, and violent slapstick. Sexual allusions focus on women's breasts, adolescent male lust, and bodily functions. The effects of the movie's violence are minimal and meant to be funny, though viewers do see bloody injuries and bodies being broken, wood-chipped, and burned. Language includes one use of "f--k," plus other profanity (primarily "s--t"), and there are visual or verbal mentions of hash, vodka, and a bong.

Positive messages: Pointedly stupid characters make pointedly wrong decisions; villain and hero are equally vulgar. Stereotypes are repeatedly played up for laughs. Rick's dead father appears in a photo wearing Ku Klux Klan robes.

Violence: Various fights involve punching, kicking, bruising, slamming bodies into/through walls and glass, and banging heads against surfaces (walls, bars). Rick is slammed by a bus stop sign; an old woman is tossed into a chipper (legs visible, no blood). Weapons include titanium stars, automatic weapons, and handguns (in a flashback, young Rick accidentally shoots his parents multiple times). References to suicide. "Barry Bonds," demonstrating steroids' effects, appears monstrous, with red laser eyes. "Tom Cruise" is killed when he attempts to fly (photo of corpse in news report). Blinking bomb attached to crotch. Flying hero hit by helicopter.

Sex: Jill shows cleavage repeatedly; Pamela Anderson shows major cleavage. Rick watches as Jill appears in her window, removing one bra and showing another beneath, then donning a literal string for a thong (not shown). Jokes about computer porn (goats, questionnaires), sex with animals (Rick is "jumped" by lab animals). In two scenes, men appear to be having sex with corpses. Woman tells her husband he has a "tiny penis." Uncle tells Rick that in puberty, "You may bleed from your vagina" (then realizes he's reading from the "wrong book"). Mention of circumcision. "Medical" Web site asks Rick if he's a virgin. "Stephen Hawking" tells students he thinks about sex, describes his "lesbian" nurse. Reference to Hooters. In a rainstorm, both Jill and Rick's nipples appear beneath their wet costumes. Aunt stuffs turkey with items that simulate sex. "Dalai Lama" stripped to diaper.

Language: Language includes one use of "f--k," plus other profanity, "s--t" (one with "dip-"), "son of a bitch," "hell," "damn," "ass" (with "dumb-"), "c--k," and "p---ies." Repeated use of the term "douche-bag" (in lyrics and speech).

Consumerism: Not applicable.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking: "Stephen Hawking" offers high school students hashish. A doctor injects himself with painkiller (he faints). Aunt puts vodka in Thanksgiving turkey. Rick uses a bong to inhale cake frosting.

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What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about the "typical" superhero story elements that the movie mocks. What characters and plots twists do you recognized from other, "real" superhero movies? Why do you think these elements are repeated in so many superhero movies, comic books, and TV shows? Why do superhero stories have such lasting appeal? Families can also discuss how the movie uses girls and women as objects of humor. Is that kind of thing OK when it's being played for laughs? Why or why not?

What's the story?

Like so many movie superheroes before him, Rick Riker (Drake Bell) first appears as an awkward high school student mooning over a pretty blond classmate, Jill Johnson (Sara Paxton). Like Spider-Man, he's then bitten by a genetically engineered bug that grants him a name (here, a dragonfly) and is transformed from geeky to heroic -- sort of. In this spoof, Rick confronts many obstacles: the supervillain who wants to destroy the world (Christopher McDonald); the devoted, clueless aunt (Happy Days' Marion Ross); a randy uncle (Leslie Nielsen); a wannabe sidekick (Kevin Hart); and a bald mentor in a wheelchair (Tracy Morgan). As Rick seeks his purpose as a superhero, he learns to protect Empire City from harm, trust his loved ones and, at last, how to fly.

Is it any good?

A decidedly generic, obvious spoof, Craig Mazin's SUPERHERO MOVIE essentially strings together scenes from other movies, reconceived as fart and sex jokes. All the gags suffer from overkill; for example, when a flashback shows little Rick and his parents attacked by criminals, the child doesn't just witness mom and dad's deaths, as in Batman Begins -- instead, he accidentally shoots them dead himself. When, as in The X-Men, he visits Dr. Xavier's "School for the Non-Asian Gifted," he sees an assortment of "mutants," ranging from a 'roid-raged Barry Bonds (Sean Simms) to a big-bosomed (but frankly tired-looking) Invisible Woman (Pamela Anderson). And when his aunt dies, his uncle doesn't just mourn her -- he tries to hump her corpse in the coffin.

It may be that the golden age for spoofs is over. With The Daily Show making fun of the news and every movie genre skewered at least once already, the concept is too familiar to be funny or very insightful, especially when the jokes hover around bathroom accidents. But it may also be that too many recent spoofs have been lazy and cheap, and that another, more intelligent effort --along the lines of Scream -- could attract a current audience and have something to say about that audience's culture as well. This, however, is not that movie.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Studio: Dimension
Director: Craig Mazin
Cast: Christopher McDonald, Drake Bell, Sara Paxton
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release: March 28, 2008
DVD release: July 7, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: crude and sexual content, comic violence, drug references and language.

This review was written by Cynthia Fuchs

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What parents & educators say

Based on 21 parent & educator reviews:

38% say sexual content is an issue
33% say language is an issue

Read the reviews

Most useful reviews by all members

Jacob R.
teen, 15 years old

Funny spoof movie is crude enough to keep young children away.

I love this movie, it's bad though. The language is strong, consisting of 1 f*ck, several sh*ts, a**, d*mn, h*ll, b*tch, p*ssie, vagina, crap, piss, freaking, and c*ck. Sexual stuff is strong too, consisting of a girl in bra and panties, Stephen Hawking talks about sex and his lesbian nurse, jokes about porn, a scene where two men start to have sex with corpses, Rick gets humped by a bunch of animals after a bottle of animal attractor stuff is dumped on him, Rick visits a medical website that askes if he is a virgin, jokes about penis size, Uncle tells Rick that when he goes through puberity he will bleed from his vagina and then realizes he was reading from the wrong book, and some crude humor. Violence consists of Rick accidentally killing his parents, action scenes, a lady being thrown in a wood chipper (no blood), plus some other comic violence. There is some drugs and drinking consisting of Rick eating frosting froma bong, Stephen Hawking offering high school kids hashish, and Aunt pouring vodka into a turkey dinner. I rate this movie OFF for ages 12 and under, IFFY for 13, and ON for ages 14 and up.

What other families should know

Movie Details

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Genre

Superhero Movie (PG-13, 2008)

common sense media says

parents & educators say

What parents need to know

More on Superhero Movie

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

What's the story?

What's the story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?

Movie themes & details

Movie Details

Review It

Review Superhero Movie

What parents & educators say

Most useful reviews by all members

Funny spoof movie is crude enough to keep young children away.

Hilariousness

some bad words but overall pretty funny

Crude and weak

Why did I see it?

Superhero Movie

Superhero Movie!

R-rated version of Superhero Movie

funny movie enjoyed it!

funny

What the?

Another spoof...

Age 17 and up

meh

Perfect for tweens and older.

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