Sidekick

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!!!

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.

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.

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!

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.