Supermensch:

Description

Actor/writer Mike Myers makes his documentary directing debut with the affable Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, the story of the veteran entertainment manager. The director blends Gordon’s testimonial with archival footage and interviews with Gordon’s friends and clients, including Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Willie Nelson, Anne Murray, chef Emeril Lagasse and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, to build a portrait of the man and his times. Alice Cooper, whose relationship with Gordon goes back some 43 years, is an entertaining raconteur whose recollections provide context to his manager’s journey, as a Long Island kid manages to turn chance encounters with Janis Joplin—who slugged him at a Hollywood hotel—and Jimi Hendrix into a colorful vocation managing rock acts and more, and who has since become a dedicated Buddhist who sees fame as an obstacle to creative work. Myers showcases the ups over the downs of Gordon’s lengthy career, his pal since they met to discuss Alice Cooper’s appearance and music rights for Cooper’s music in Wayne’s World (1992). His is serious about the “supermensch” designation in the title, portraying Gordon as a nice guy, a loyal friend and an ethical manager in this ebullient documentary that gets a further lift from Tel Aviv surf band Boom Pam’s effervescent soundtrack tunes. –Steve Ramos