You won't be disappointed!

Simply A Masterpiece

Pretty Good

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is a vaguely sad documentary about a high-powered Hollywood agent, Shep Gordon and it mostly is about why so many celebrities love him. Despite living a crazy lifestyle when he was younger and making a few morally questionable choices, the thrust of all this is that he IS a stand-up guy (a 'mensch') who does the right thing and lives by a higher moral code. Most of all, his clients and associates really like him and see him as a tremendously decent man. It's also a bit sad as although Gordon has an admirable life in many ways, he is wistful about now having a family of his own.The bottom line is that this is a decent time-passer though I am not sure how much folks who AREN'T in show business will enjoy this. It's well made but the subject matter is only moderately interesting--mostly because his life and friends are so foreign to most viewers.

An upbeat and informative documentary about the life of a man who's done a lot of sex, drugs and managing rock & roll. He appears to have rubbed shoulders with so many celebrities, but still remains down to earth. I'm sure he has a 1001 stories to tell,some in the film are really interesting. I think Shep would make a great pick for the old fantasy dinner party scenario.I was engrossed by his journey and the unpretentious honesty of his very interesting life, a true opportunist and marketeer who appears to remain steadfastly loyal to those around him. A funny documentary very different from so many before, loved the graphic reconstructions and the narrations transposed on these, thoroughly entertaining, I learned and laughed a lot.

Mike Myers is a man who has made me laugh probably more than anyone else, and often just when I needed it. As it turns out he's also an excellent filmmaker. He has great timing, a passion for archival research, and clever interviewing skills. While displaying these prodigious gifts, he has managed to make one of the most disappointing documentaries I've ever seen. Supermensch is laid out like a reverse court case. Instead of prosecutor trying to show that someone is nasty, this movie tries to convince viewers that the subject of the film, Mr. Gordon, is a good guy. We hear endless testimonials from some of Hollywood's most famous stars. Family members tear up trying to describe their love for Mr. Gordon. We see that he has achieved fabulous wealth. We are supposed to leave thinking that in all his life, Gordon has never unfairly hurt anyone. It defies belief.The documentarian went into this project as a promoter, rather than a reporter. So we never hear from the ex-wives, the angry ex-clients, the venue managers who had to negotiate with Gordon. We hear from Myers and Gordon that their first interaction was a pretty tough negotiation. It's hard to believe he has never been dickier. We hear that he was a womanizer and wore a T-shirt that said, "No head, no backstage pass." Maybe that was just a joke. Maybe not. We don't know. It would be nice to ask around...except that it might burst the bubble. Can't have that. Right at the beginning, he says he tells clients that if he does his job perfectly he will probably kill them. This is interesting! But we are never told why he says that. Does he feel responsible for the deaths of his early clients? Who knows, such complexity has no place in this film. The same goes for the film's minor characters. So Jimi Hendrix told him to be a manager because he is Jewish? WTF does being Jewish have to do with it? Who knows, this movie isn't here to expose stereotypes.Because the film is trying so hard, it made me start to wonder about the motives of those giving positive evaluations. Are they being honest? Or is there some other reason for their effusiveness? The family members in particular are a bit too much like Regan and Goneril for my taste.It's not like showing the darker side of the main character would make us like him less. To the contrary, in the same theatre, I recently saw another documentary about a real supermensch: The Grand Budapest Hotel. By showing characters fail, that movie succeeds at showing the heroes' true resiliency and grace. In the end, I felt like Myers was learning the documentary craft with this movie. I hope so. He has skills, and it would be a delight if he were to apply them to a topic where he was less of a partisan, and was instead genuinely curious about the full story. I can't imagine what was the archives and research budget for this movie. There are so many worthy documentaries waiting to be completed for lack of money, it is a bit sad to see so many resources poured into a movie that doesn't even seem to be pursuing the truth.Maybe someday.

This film is about entertainment manager Shep Gordon, who got his start by agreeing to manage (and, 43 years later, continues to manage) Alice Cooper. He also manages others, and this documentary goes through his life. You hear from people who you don't see commenting in films often, like Michael Douglas, Mike Myers (who also directed) Alice Cooper himself. It glosses over many things, there are no scandals, no moments of jaw dropping revelation, just the story of a man looking back at his career mostly with a smile. The most poignant part of the film are the parts involving the late Teddy Pendergrass, but there is also commentary from an ex's grandkids, whom Shep has all but adopted. Although now semi-retired and living in paradise in Maui, he still sees people all the time. Again, nothing scandalous, just a mostly straight forward telling of a man who mucked through the entertainment industry and still comes out of it well loved and admired. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject, but it really is refreshing to watch a documentary about someone who hasn't been anything but a good person and who is held in high esteem by his friends and colleagues.