The Super (1991)
Dir. Rod Daniel,
Written by Sam Simon & Nora Ephron
Louie Kritski (Joe Pesci) is a NYC slumlord, intent on bilking his tenants for everything they’re worth. Until one day – through a bad stroke of luck – a judge orders him to live in his most rundown and derelict building, a virtually uninhabitable apartment complex situated in the worst part of town. He has to contend with an attractive, tenacious Housing Board Advocate (Madolyn Smith), intent on making him pay for the repairs to the building, a hustler intent on swindling him, and an entire mid-rise of people who view him as nothing more than a loudmouthed mizer.
Is this movie an unflinching look at poverty – or just an outrageous comedy from the early 90s, featuring Joe Pesci?
I think ‘The Super’ is a great example of being both these things and much, much more! As a film, it’s a genuinely heart-warming example of earnest commentary on race and class relations combined with ingenious jokes, physical gags, and Pesci’s infectious brand of New Yorker humour. It was made in a pre-woke era when corporate interests were not the determining factor in crafting a progressive story.
Are there some mildly offensive stereotypes?
Sure, but it’s in service of a greater good, showcasing social inequalities; plus said stereotypes are spread around equally between Latino, Black, and Caucasian nationalities – besides ‘The Super’ has a wacky, cartoonish feel so no one should take the characters in it too seriously. Instead the overarching themes inform us how to feel, solidifying the film into something more than antics driven drivel and crude entertainment.
In the past filmmakers didn’t worry so much about the depiction of minorities in comedy films (some times this yielded negative results) which is to say, most mainstream humour relied on finding a joke, no matter what the cost as long as the intended audience found it funny.
Was it always the right approach?
No, of course not – but in the case of motion pictures like ‘The Super’ the overall tact of the film makes up for the caricature like representations of (some) of its cast. And Joe Pesci’s performance is so over-the-top (also a caricature in other words) that it lessens any of the onus put on heightened cultural differences employed for comedy’s sake. An Italian actor (with megastar status and global recognition) making fun of himself in an attempt to alleviate animosity between Caucasians and African/Caribbean-Americans; not a common approach at the time of filming; socio-economic differences are commented on in a somewhat successful way, although a more nuanced take might’ve been a better idea.
Sadly, ‘The Super’ has a shocking 0% critics score on RottenTomatoes with a 44% audience score – which shows a significant gap in critical/audience reception. The film was also a failure at the box office failing to turn a profit against a $22 million dollar budget, only netting half that amount in ticket sales.
How did world renowned cinema critic Roger Ebert feel about his viewing experience?
“What’s finally depressing about “The Super” is that it doesn’t have the nerve to be any one thing. It wants to be crude and rude, but it ends with sentiment. It wants to be about whites and blacks, but is incurious about the lives of its black characters. It wants to be about slumlords and their victims, but goes all mushy” [1] -Roger Ebert (Oct. 4th /1991)
I don’t agree with some of this, sure there are tonal clashes, and as many have remarked, not every joke is executed successfully, but Ebert’s point about the film being “incurious” about the lives of its Black characters – is rather oblivious and or disingenuous. That opinion ignores the effort put into the writing & acting involved in crafting the character of “Tito”: a young boy who befriends Louie and wins a bit of the man’s empathy while Lou is still undergoing an internal change of his in-built ethics. It is made clear from the very start that Louie Kritsky has always had a soft spot for those less fortunate; it’s just buried in response to an overbearing father who’s built his real estate empire off the backs of the penniless.
The same real estate empire that Louie inherits –albeit under the oversight of his money grubbing (and uncaring) old man — played by Vincent Gardenia.
“For his performance as Tito, Blank was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1992 in the Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Motion Picture category.” [2]
-RottenTomatoes
‘The Super’ also proved to be Kenny Blank’s big break; he later appeared in such properties as: ‘The Parent ‘Hood’ (tv series) and the 1992 feature film ‘Boomerang’ alongside Eddie Murphy.
However, Ebert had much nicer words for Madolyn Smith – which is wonderful, as it’s currently “International Women’s Day” (March 8th). And I feel wholeheartedly that she brought some reined in naturalistic acting that worked to level the overt wackiness of the film.
“There’s one character in the whole movie who keeps an edge, and that’s the city inspector, played with tart finality by Madolyn Smith Osborne. I wish more of the movie had been able to strike the notes sounded by her character.” [1] -Roger Ebert
Rating
6.5/10
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Sources:
[1]
The Super – REVIEW – Roger Ebert
October 4, 1991
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-super-1991
[2]”Rotten Tomatoes: Kenny Blank”. rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013.
https://archive.ph/20130201163804/http://us.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/kenny_blank/biography.php