Sidekick (2005) User Reviews

A reluctant superhero & his nerdy trainer: it's Batman Redux (sort of)

[roland-104 · 6/10 · 31 October 2005]

Norman (Perry Mucci), a nerdy computer troubleshooter at an investment firm in Toronto, fills his personal time and imagination with comic superheroes; his best buddy runs a comic book shop where he often hangs out. One day in the coffee room at work, Norman sees Victor (David Ingram), one of the slicker salesmen, grab a toppling coffee cup in midair with such lightening speed that Norman guesses he must possess some sort of telekinetic powers. Turns out he guessed right.

Norman offers to train Victor to focus the use of these powers more intentionally, and, after initially spurning the offer, Victor acquiesces. Norman envisions training Victor to become a superhero, fighting crime with his paranormal skills, while Norman sees himself as a sidekick, his Robin to Victor's Batman. Trouble is, Victor does not share this vision: he has no scruples whatsoever and laughs off the idea of becoming a crimefighter in favor of accumulating corporate control and wealth through his powers, even if this requires violence.

Norman has inadvertently created a monster and now must attempt to pull the plug on him. The screenplay is cleverly written. Ingram is perfect as the narcissistic bad guy. Mucci is burdened by playing a character too naive to be believed, not in the big city of Toronto. My rating: 6.5/10 (B). (Film seen on 10/01/05 at the Idaho International Film Festival). If you'd like to read more of my reviews, send me a message for directions to my websites.

Not enough twists for comic book geeks. Not enough depth for anyone else

[MBunge · 5/10 · 18 April 2010]

If you're a comic book geek (like I am), you might find Sidekick interesting but utterly unsurprising. If you're not a comic geek, you might find the story unusual but not that interesting.

Norman (Perry Mucci) is a comic book geek. He doesn't live in his mother's basement, but he's not that far up the ladder from there. He lives in a crappy apartment, his bed surrounded by boxes of comics. He works as the IT at an investment firm, where he has a secret crush on the moderately hot receptionist named Andrea (Mackenzie Lush, which is one of the great names). He hangs around at his comic shop and talks to the owner, Chuck (Daniel Baldwin), about what sort of super-powers they'd like to have. He's a pretty small guy in a pretty small world, until he discovers that one of the top traders at the investment firm, Victor (David Ingram), actually has super-powers. Reacting to that as only a grown man who surrounds his bed with boxes of comics would, Norman decides to train Victor in how to use his powers, even though Victor is not at all keen on the idea. With the encouragement of Chuck, who thinks Norman is writing his own comic book, Norman casts himself as Victor's mentor. He has Victor practice with his powers until he really can do some amazing things, dreaming all the while of Victor donning a costume and inviting Norman to help him battle the forces of evil. But while Victor's got the super thing down, there's nothing at all heroic about him. Something Norman is eventually forced to realize and tries to prevent Victor from rewriting his secret origin and becoming a super-villain.

If super-hero comics are wish fulfillment power fantasies for young boys, Sidekick is a wish fulfillment power fantasy for grown men who read super-hero comics meant for young boys. Norman is meant to be what every comic geek would be if he discovered that someone in his office could move things with his mind. A nd while the story takes a while to get going, it is sort of fun to watch Norman cast himself as a real life Professor X. But once you get past that initial appeal, there's nothing else here for the comic geek. To a super-hero fan, this story is terminally predictable. There's no moment when it doesn't do exactly what a comic geek would expect, even when twisting the plot in a different direction would make more sense. The story also unfolds as though it were written in 1975 or something. To any comic fan who's read Watchmen or Astro City or any of the umpteen other postmodern/deconstructionist works, Sidekick's take on real super-heroes will seem awfully shallow and simplistic.

If you're not a huge comic geek, though, and haven't already read "realistic" super-hero stories a thousand times already, this might seem like something a little new and quirky. But if you don't have a feel-good identification with Norman, you'll probably notice that the movie doesn't have a lot of humor or action or tension or drama or anything else. Like an inside joke you had to have been there to appreciate, non-comic geeks will be left wondering why the movie seems to be missing so much.

That "missing" feeling encapsulates what's wrong with the character of Norman. Other than being a comic geek with an unrequited crush, we never learn anything else about him. The story never bothers to tell or show us why Norman is the way he is or why we should care. The movie does far more to give depth to Victor, but treats him as a minor, supporting character for the most part. Heck, we're even given greater insight into Andrea as a woman trapped in a sexist corporate world than we are into Norman.

This film doesn't insult or belittle or mock comic geeks. It doesn't even have much of the self-loathing that many comic geeks possess. But it's trying to tell a story that's already been told very well many times before and isn't bringing anything new or different to the formula. I f you're a comic geek who hasn't read Watchmen or the novel Superfolks, Sidekick might be a good warm up for those works. Otherwise, you'll likely find it slightly engaging but extremely remedial.

Surprisingly good.

[whowatchesthewatchmanskids · 6/10 · 29 May 2019]

With the advent of superhero movies a new genre arose. Superhero movies that don't focus on super powers. They focus on the people who have them and those affected by them. As in Hancock, All Superheroes Must Die, etc. This is one of those. For a low budget movie, it was surprisingly well written and thought out. Well worth watching.

Think low-budget "Unbreakable"

[joe1991-1 · 3/10 · 17 January 2007]

Watchable but nothing special. It reminded me of a sci-fi channel TV movie. Woulda made a mediocre Twighlight Zone or X-files episode.

I rate it a 3 because if you spent any money watching it, you might very well feel ripped off.

Some people might rate it higher because it's an indie, but I'm an average movie watcher, not a film-school teacher. I rate all movies by one standard.

It had a low-budget feel from the start. Camera and sound work were fine, The few small special effects were OK, so I guess it was the acting and directing that made it feel cheap. All the extras looked like acting students who like to stretch their lines out to get more face-time on camera.

The Baldwin brother looked like De Niro compared to the other actors, and no that's not a compliment. If you thought the movie "Unbreakable" was the bestest movie ever, then you might like this variation of the same theme.

Plagiarism is the word not HERO

[arul_programmer · 1/10 · 13 February 2013]

The main story had been stolen from Robert Townsend's The Meteor Man and ended with a reverse Scrooge tactic, where Rowan Atkinson has already done it in his spoofs - Black Adder.

Too shame a Canadian studio would do such a degradable act as a movie that had complete been plagiarized to just make money out of it.

The acting is worse than the directing. You don't have to show all your colours just to make a point where the receptionist does it over and over again in her overacting: face expression is important but exaggerating is really annoying and disgusting especially near the subway station. As per directing a movie is concerned fella just keep your day job - period. If you had quit it to do this then some mental hospice might do wonders buddy.

For everyone who ever dreamed of being a super hero ...

[gail-charette · 9/10 · 11 April 2006]

For everyone who ever dreamed of being a super hero ... and then woke up! It's a hilarious take on what it takes to be a comic book style superhero in today's cynical world and what it takes to be one's sidekick. From the lighter side of herodom to the darker corners, this flick will keep you wondering whether to cheer or boo the hero and his sidekick as they try to work out the kinks of possessing extraordinary powers! Its black side makes it unsuitable for little kids but teens and adults will love its quirky characterizations and double-edged message. Does not require a love of comic books to appreciate it ... it fills you in on the superhero mystique as it goes.

Small budget - huge heart. Sidekick is a one of a kind original.

[bmahar1 · 9/10 · 2 May 2006]

Sidekick is what Indy film-making is all about. It offers solid storytelling that's perfectly consistent with the Super Hero genre thanks to a smart script written by producer Michael Sparaga. The story is actually believable and the film keeps a perfect pace that seems to get better and better. You do not want this movie to end. The special effects are not overdone, but rather, well done and offer just the right amount of support.

Strong performances and great chemistry between David Ingram and Perry Mucci really carry the picture. Subtle wit, sarcasm and the occasional "ode to the genre" one-liners by Ingram provide some nice comic moments. Sidekick is a lot of fun.

I loved this movie!

Best use of $35,000

[leo_bartels · 9/10 · 2 October 2006]

I saw this the other night at the okanagan fall film fest and it ruled. This is the kinda movie that $200,000,000 would not necessarily make better. The script was awesome very smart very funny and very witty. The acting was all spot on, not one weak character. The directing, cinematography and special effect were all perfect. (just so you know I do not know anyone involved so this IS not a biest review). The beauty of Canadian films is due to lack of budget they have to be exceptional films in order to get picked up and maple has picked this one up so you should see it in your local independent video store come mid November, and I strongly recommend it. All I have to say about this film is that it was well worth the $8 movie ticket and I will stock several copy's in my store.

Fun comic-book movie.

[mfalcone-3 · 8/10 · 7 March 2007]

You know I admit that when I was a kid I wanted to become a superhero. One day, I'd wake up to realize that I had superpowers and I'd be called on missions to save the world or damsels in distress.

I suppose for someone like Norman Neale, a nerdy computer technician living in the shadow of the "real men" in his office, the best he could do was to become a sidekick. Working in a competitive investment firm in Toronto, Norman discovers his co-worker Victor has the power to move objects from a distance. This discovery gives Norman's life new meaning as he sets out to train Victor to become "Victory Man" and prowl the city streets of Toronto to fight crime.

The only problem is that Norman's fantasy-come-true forces him to deal with the cold, hard facts of real life: sometimes super strength doesn't equal superhero.

I loved Perry Mucci's performance. It's worth renting just to watch him play the nerdy child-like guy who still gets bullied on the streets of Toronto or falls madly in love with the receptionist at work. I didn't know if I should feel sorry for Norman or just plain pray real hard for him.

However, that being said, David Ingram and Perry Mucci played a great "odd couple" performance. It was fun to watch the nerdy comic-book guy train the dumb jock who considered his greatest asset in life not to be his superpowers, but rather his ability to screw as many women while on his way up the corporate ladder. The training sequences are hilarious as we watch poor Norman take not one but two bottles in the head for the team. Good on you, Norman!

Sidekick is a great story; it's fast-paced, full of foreshadowing with comic-book like scenes scattered throughout the film. I'd love to get Baldwin's death-by-choking face in poster format. There are no boring or slow scenes in Sidekick and there were many witty lines of dialogue that belong on bumper stickers or business calendars (see Andrea Hicks dialogue below).

The music and soundtrack was amazing on this film and I loved the opening sequence with the title and credits! That must have made Sparaga feel tingly all over when he saw that. Nice touch!

I wish there was more of the Andrea character! I sense that the character had a larger role to play in the film, but sadly, remained the young, female receptionist desperately trying to make her way in a man's world. Although her line regarding being forced to pick locks with other guy's dicks is, as far as I am concerned, a work of art, I felt that Andrea could have contributed more to the story.

Sidekick is a low-budget film that's high on plot development and great dialogue. Make a sequel Mike!!!

Finally!

[minoui · 10/10 · 23 April 2006]

Finally a comic book genre movie that has a worthwhile storyline. This film does not rely on explosions to keep the audience interested- instead it reverts to the past, when movies were made to tell a story. And what a story. This was one I actually wanted to hear and was not disappointed in. I wonder why I don't support home-grown talent more often as opposed to wasting a minimum of eight dollars to see a Hollywood big budget movie that I am always disappointed in? Go see this movie, it reminds me of Canada's relationship with the US. Although Canada is seen as a measly "sidekick" they actually have all of the... well, I won't explain further for fear of spoiling the movie but if you keep this in mind while viewing you will easily grasp my train of thought.

A must see!

[terramoreland · 10/10 · 15 February 2006]

A brave foray into a genre that traditionally requires big budgets. It is amazing what these folks did on so little. What a great independent film! Strong acting by the leads. Norman really gets you feeling bad for him and for all the people who are stuck in their little worlds with big imaginations and big hearts. Add a nice little twist and voilà! If only more big films showed the same sense of heart. You can relate to these guys. You can empathize with them, stuck in their boring jobs, looking for more, hoping to find it, and then realizing that not everybody cares like you do. A great Canadian film with great images of Toronto! It was excellent to see the effort they made to bring as much of the comic book world into it as they could. I especially like Ken Lashley's cameo. I also think it was great of Danny Baldwin to appear as well. I hope to see more from these talented new comers.