Sidekick

Batman has Robin; Captain America had Bucky; the animated Super Friends from the 1970s had some stupid monkey. For good or for bad, sidekicks are a staple in the realm of comic book superhero-dom. They’re generally lurk in the shadows of their leaders, taking on the role of lackey, cabin boy or scapegoat, playing second fiddle all the while. The sidekick is also a clever plot device to save the real hero at the last second or to raise a little heck in the first place. And as much as the sidekick may try, none have emerged to take the prolonged hero spotlight for themselves. Well, maybe one. And it’s Sidekick by name only, director Blake Van de Graaf’s gem of a Canadian indie.

Shy computer consultant Norman Neale (Perry Mucci) lives in a comic book world. When he’s not working, Norman is scouring the back issues of his local comic shop or debating the inner workings of the subversive world with Chuck (Daniel Baldwin), the shop’s owner. It’s clear that Norman is happier in his fictional world of super-strength, heightened senses and sticky spandex than he is in his own lonely existence.

Victor Ventura (David Ingram) is Norman’s opposite. Confident and successful, a looker and a talker, Victor’s got it all. And then Victor gets even more when Norman discovers that Victor has strange powers much in line with the Force from Star Wars.

Considering his life that’s going nowhere, Norman sees purpose in being a part of something special. Norman pleads fate to Victor as he tries to convince his co-worker to take up the role of a real superhero. Norman envisions a world straight from the funny pages where Victor saves cats from trees, rescues old ninnies walking out into oncoming traffic and foiling would-be bad guys from committing such scandalous acts ranging from the theft of stolen jewels to taking over the world.

But Victor must have seen the X-Men movies or listened to the Crash Test Dummies sing about Superman never making any money. Victor wants nothing to do with using his powers for good, saving cats or wearing spandex. He doesn’t want to be labeled a freak.

Sidekick, which was written and produced by Michael Sparaga, could have easily been an orgy for fanboys, oozing with greasy comic book references and alienating any of its non-comic reading viewers. Instead the film uses the genre as a launching point into something much more human. Yes, one could categorize Sidekick as “hero film” because on one level it is, but only on the most basic level. Sidekick is also a funny and heartfelt delving into humanity, exploring what drives us, what we value and how people work. Although it may sound pretty heavy, Van de Graaf navigates the film in such a way that it feels very light. There’s lots of humour and small moments that lighten what might have been a heavy mood.

Usually “hero films” are reserved for blockbuster status, complete with lots of digital effects, loud noise and whatever else the producers can throw in front of a blue screen. Being an independent production (and a Canadian one at that), there wasn’t a lot of room for fancy visuals. I’ve seen many films in similar situations, facing the same budgetary constraints, that still try to look like a Hollywood blockbuster. These films often fail miserably because the bad effects are a distraction from whatever else is going on around it. The crew of Sidekick seem to understand their constraints as it never tries to be fancy. Sure, there’s a couple of effects shots, but they’re kept simple and to a minimum. Instead, the film takes a wiser approach, focusing on story and character rather than looking like Superman when in fact they’re not even on the same level as his three-day-old footprints.

Sidekick is fun and thoughtful. Even though I have read a comic or two in my life, it’s not just for us nerds. It’s about people doing people things with a slightly extraordinary twist. It’s a universal story. Honest.