The film is the story of a short order cook named Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson), whose waitress-wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) falls off the wagon and into the arms of a drug dealer, Jacques (Kevin Bacon). The early passages of the film deal with Frank’s guilt for not doing something about Sarah’s early signs of dabbling in drugs again, and his utter heartbreak in losing her. It’s obviously improbable that Frank, as played by Wilson, could ever be married to a woman such as Sarah, as played by Tyler. That’s the point. That Sarah leaving Frank for a drug dealer makes a lot more sense when what she now wants is drugs is also a cruel joke on Frank.
So how did Frank ever come to be Sarah’s husband? By her falling for him while she was in recovery, we observe in flashbacks early in the film. Sarah gets a job at the diner Frank cooks at, and finds in him a wonderful supporter in her need to better herself. She sees in him her hero, and puts her faith in him since there appears to be nobody in their area who is as patient and considerate as him. What’s funny about these passages is that Sarah is the one doing the wooing while Frank is rather shocked his support is met with such love and affection. He makes sense of their relationship by embracing that their relationship all hinges on him being her hero.
As Frank struggles to cope with the loss of Sarah he turns to prayer to voice his frustrations, self-pity and hope. He goes to a pet store and considers getting a rabbit but doesn’t go through with it—feeling guilty at failing in his responsibilities as a husband to Sarah he can’t bring himself to be responsible for even a pet. Confronting Jacques and his goons to get Sarah back only leads to further humiliation.
Then one night Frank has a vision, fueled after watching a creepy anime film while recovering from a severe beating at the hands of Michael Rooker. Frank has a vision that he’s touched by God, and he comes to the conclusion that to be the hero in Sarah’s life again he must embrace the attributes of a hero.
Frank becomes the Crimson Bolt, engaging in fights with corner drug dealers with a homemade costume and catchphrase ("Shut up, Crime!") before he realizes that to be an effective hero he also needs to learn how to fight and take up a weapon (he decides upon using a wrench because… well, because it’ll do). Frank takes to the guidance of a comic book store employee named Libby (Ellen Page) to further his understanding of super heroes, asking her about what heroes without super powers do to fight crime.
Libby takes notice of Frank’s interest in practical heroes, and when the Crimson Bolt’s exploits hit the press she discovers Frank to be him, and she leaves Frank no choice but to take her under his wing as the Crimson Bolt’s sidekick Boltie, at her intense insistence. Libby is so taken by her costume that she becomes blood-thirsty and horny, ready to kill criminals and embrace the sex appeal her costume gives off.
Gunn directs scenes through the eyes of his characters. When Frank as the Crimson Bolt gets into a rematch with a drug dealer after finally finding his footing after watching the TV program “The Holy Avenger” and reading the comics, he visions himself as a comic book hero in the fight. Frank smashes his wrench into the drug dealer’s face and what we see is how Frank envisions the strike, as a comic book panel. Then the film cuts to establishing shots of bystanders looking on, and what we see is what they see: the horrifying reality of a man in a costume striking someone with a wrench. Such shifts in point of view only grow more striking once Libby comes into the fold, bringing her own insanity and bloodlust that conflicts with Frank’s motivations.
The canvas of “SUPER” is a world of folks driven by heartbreak, insanity, addiction and evil. Many liken Frank to Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.” Though where “Taxi Driver” had glimpses of a world Travis strived to engage in that he just couldn’t connect with, such as his fledgling relationship with Cybill Shepherd’s character, “SUPER” doesn’t offer such a contrast. The no end of depravity makes Frank sympathetic in that we understand this is a guy who doesn’t know better, has lost the only person that made him feel special, is at a complete loss as to what to do with himself, and can only feel the regret of not being responsible enough. Libby’s actions, because she’s associated with Frank, become another source of guilt for Frank.
Responsibility is what fuels the story of Frank, and in turn “SUPER,” though I don’t mean in the “With great power comes great responsibility” vein of most super hero movies. It’s about codependency, how Frank completely misread his marriage and how he has ignored his own potential for happiness in life.
It’s not a stretch to think of your lover as your hero, and to feel like a hero to them. Where would they be if not for you? Where would you be if not for them? “SUPER” indulges in this idea head on at both the beginning and end of the film, and the culmination is a completely unique experience, as bittersweet as any movie I’ve seen in recent memory.
