Special

Just saw this film at the Edinburgh film festival, nearly went to see something else instead and i'm so glad i didn't! First half of the film is very funny, lots of ridiculous yet sorrowful scenes of the main characters self belief in his own superpowers.

I rarely find "comedy " films in any way amusing, but found myself crying with laughter at a lot of this.Very subtle, believable performances which make it heartrending when most of the laughs give way to a film dripping with sadness and important comments about the way we live today, and the search to find something important and special within ourselves. Film looks beautiful too, lots of strange fluorescent lighting. I can't rave about this film enough, its such a gem. Hilariously sad if that makes any sense....

at first when the film started i thought it was going to be a long drawn out cheap indie film but i loved it, this film had the same feel to it as darko did but with this film i was not left feeling confused and bewildered, the acting in this film is the same class of such classics like darko and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind that you don't realise that there is no big names in this film but you are sure that they will be in big films to come. so if independent movies are your thing this film is a must see. P.S there is a lot of super hero films coming out at the moment(spiderman 3 fantastic 4.2) but non of them will make you think like this film does

I love this film. It's a bittersweet tale of life, loneliness, expectancy, and fulfilment.

The acting is superb, the storyline is original. The director gives the audience all the information in a concise way, enabling the viewers to immediately understand the scenario, and be able to both laugh at and sympathise with the protagonist throughout the rest of the movie.

Rapaport is incredible. His performance is under-stated and fits the character and the situation like a glove.

There is nothing wrong with this film at all. It's clever, it's funny, it's sad, and most of all, it's entertaining. I could watch this film over and over again. I was touched in the end. This is a lovely film.

"Special" as a movie wasn't very. A meter maid named Les (Michael Rappaport) opted into a program to test an experimental drug from the Exiler Research Group called Special. Les believed it gave him super powers when it really was him having an adverse reaction and imagining things. From that point on he was either trying to fight crime or convince others that he had superpowers, and both were a bit cringeworthy and pathetic. The villains (because every superhero needs a villain) were two brothers who were the founders of Exiler. They wanted to stop Les from parading around with their logo on his back while he envisioned them trying to stop him for a more nefarious reason.

It wasn't all bad. Les was a genuinely likeable character. He was a regular guy with regular friends and a desire just to be a little more than he was. Michael Rappaport didn't do a bad job, and I think the movie concept was novel. However, his was like an unfunny version of "Kick-Ass" or "Super." It was like "Kick-Ass" meets "Everything Must Go" with Will Ferrell. It wasn't very empowering or uplifting, it just was.

Free on Amazon Prime.

Aside from the time I spilled hot coffee on my lap during "Fiddler on the Roof", I'd say this is one of the most powerful experiences I've had while watching a movie.

This quirky gem of a film is 25% comedy, 25% tragedy, 25% feel-good, 25% depressing, and 100% awesome. Starting off with the most preposterous plot (i.e., a lonely metermaid guy develops special abilities and fights crime while running from strange men in suits), it quickly develops into much more than meets the eye. It's essentially the story of the lone, forgotten individual who's trying to make a difference in this world. In that respect, it can be a sad film. But at the same time it can be funny, warm and deeply inspiring.

Thanks largely to an absolutely brilliant performance by Michael Rapaport as the metermaid guy, this movie takes you on a crazy ride through every emotion you've ever had and some you haven't had yet. I laughed, felt sad, felt angry, felt the warm fuzzies, felt pity and felt empowered. I can't remember the last time I cared so much about a movie character. It's funny because I began watching this film not liking him very much (after all, who likes metermaids??), but quickly he became one of the most lovable misfits since "Amélie".

Never have I seen the plight of the superhero so wonderfully presented and fleshed out in human terms. Whether we wear a cape or not, we're all trying to change the world in our own ways. You, yes you sitting there reading this, could be a superhero. This movie presents us with that idea, and (unlike Spiderman, Batman, Catwoman, etc) it does not slip into fantasy territory where we lose touch with our perspective. Instead it remains firmly rooted in reality and thus allows us to see ourselves in the hero's role. That's where this movie draws its power to affect us. It's the story of us all. Watch it and learn about yourself & the people around you.

Other great, obscure movies that this reminded me of: a Michael Keaton film called "The Merry Gentleman" (2008), a must-see Korean movie called "The Foul King" (2000), and a powerful Australian flick called "Noise" (2007).