Archive notice: This article was originally published on June 4, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Together with his brother Jerry and Jim Abrahams, David Zucker cast Nielsen as the eccentric doctor in AIRPLANE! in 1980. The film propelled Nielsen into a career as an international comedy star. He became even more famous for his role as police lieutenant Frank Drebin in the hugely successful NAKED GUN trilogy (1988–1994), which was also produced and written in part by David Zucker, who directed the first two instalments. The team had given slapstick a new lease of life: with extraordinary wordplay, colossal nonsense sequences and deadpan humour, the blockbusters delighted audiences. Comedy had found a new master in the permanently silver-haired master of expressions, Leslie Nielsen.
Wild and irreverent, Leslie Nielsen continues to make audiences cry with laughter. He is a comedy icon for generations. Now he teaches Rick Riker what it means to be a superhero…
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Rick Riker (DRAKE BELL) is a textbook loser. He is weak, painfully shy and average-looking at best. That changes abruptly when he is stung by a genetically modified dragonfly during a laboratory visit. Now he is Dragonfly—a full-fledged superhero with supernatural powers. His mildly senile Uncle Albert (LESLIE NIELSEN) and his friend Trey (KEVIN HART) are delighted, and Rick suddenly begins to impress the attractive Jill Johnson (SARA PAXTON). The only problem is that he has not quite mastered the superhero routine. While saving humanity, Dragonfly sometimes overshoots the mark with a complete lack of talent, and his flying still leaves considerable room for improvement…
The creators of cult films such as THE NAKED GUN and the commercially successful SCARY MOVIE series are back. This time, the team around producer David Zucker and director Craig Mazin has taken on the world of superheroes. Whether Batman or Superman, Fantastic Four or X-Men, nobody escapes SUPERHERO MOVIE unscathed. Spider-Man is hit particularly hard, both as the web-slinger and as his shy civilian alter ego Peter Parker.
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Zucker and company use every device associated with a completely outrageous parody—the qualities that have made their films from the 1980s to the present, from KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE to SCARY MOVIE 4, so distinctive. Toilet humour, flatulence jokes, risqué gags and broad jokes below the belt are all included. This heroic gag-fest is completed by an all-star cast. Alongside rising newcomers such as Drake Bell and Sara Paxton are comedy veterans such as Leslie Nielsen and character actors including Christopher McDonald. As a special treat, “Baywatch” star Pamela Anderson makes a cameo appearance as The Invisible Girl.
Film facts:
Cinema release: July 31, 2008
Director and screenplay: Craig Mazin
Produced by Craig Mazin, Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker; starring Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Leslie Nielsen and Pamela Anderson
Further Links:
- Film information
