By Bob Grimm

I still remember my dad saying, “Who the heck is this gangly guy?” when the casting of Superman was announced in the mid-1970s. “He’s too skinny!”

It wasn’t my dad who took me to see the movie when it came out in 1978; my mom was left with the task on a Saturday afternoon. (I was a persistent little shit.) After the movie, my mom took us to whatever dumpy clothing store on Long Island was selling movie T-shirts at the time, so my siblings and I could officially wear some dude named Christopher Reeve on our chests.

Reeve was a magic man in our eyes, coming out of nowhere to become the greatest-all-time comic superhero, and trade punches admirably with the likes of Gene Hackman. He was as popular as Travolta, Harrison Ford and Sylvester Stallone.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, a new documentary, time-jumps around the life of Reeve, from his days hanging out with Jeff Daniels, William Hurt and Robin Williams pre-fame, up until his tragic death nine years after a catastrophic horse-riding accident that paralyzed him from the neck down.

Reeve was a very interesting guy who fought hard after his accident. He backed many causes related to his injury, and he even managed to get some movement back in his paralyzed limbs before dying in 2004.

His wife, Dana Reeve, succumbed to lung cancer two years later, in 2006.

The documentary, despite its tragic aspects, is a heartwarming tribute to Reeve. There’s a new Superman coming out next year; that film, like others that have tried re-capture the magic of the character, will have a hard act to follow.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is now available via various streaming services.