Movie Review: 'Supervized' Mines Laughs From Aging Superhero Gags

Supervized stars Tom Berenger as Ray AKA Maximum Justice. Ray is a resident of a nursing home in Ireland, for reasons unexplained, and he’s formerly one of the most beloved superheroes in the world. Alongside his partner Shimmy, AKA Ted (Beau Bridges), Ray used to save the world from all manner of world ending threats. Nowadays, Ray is more likely to use his mastermind control powers to change the channel, so he doesn’t have to retrieve the remote.

Ray is a restless soul; he remembers his glory days, and while being in a nursing home that specifically caters to superheroes, appears to be his own decision, we sense that Ray has a desire to still be a hero, or, at least, get the respect he once had as a hero. For now, Ray’s days are passed playing cards with Ted and Pendle (Louis Gossett Jr), AKA Black Thunder. Pendle had super speed when he was younger, and still has some of that speed today.

Things get interesting when a former flame of both Ray and Pendle, Madera (Fionnula Flannagan), checks in as a new resident. While Pendle sets to romance, Ray gets distracted from the love triangle by the unusual death of one of his superhero pals, Rainbow. Late one night, Ray spies one of the orderlies taking Rainbow out back to a laundry truck. Later, Ray sees Rainbow’s incredible superpowers being used by some neighborhood kids, and now he knows that something evil is afoot.

Unfortunately for Ray, everyone thinks he’s crazy, because he’s old. Even Ray’s friends think he’s just imagining a scenario where he can be a hero again. Will they believe him before the sinister forces come for them as well? Or, is it all in Ray’s head, just a cry for help, or a deeply held desire to relive the glory days. The movie doesn’t play this mystery very well, but I want to remain spoiler-free.

Supervized was directed by Steve Barron, and if that sounds familiar then you were likely a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies of the early 1990s. Barron directed the Turtles, as well as the movie adaptation of The Coneheads, one of my all time favorite guilty pleasure movies. No joke, the "Tainted Love" scene from The Coneheads crosses into my memory more often than I could ever possibly explain.

Barron is a smart, economical director. He’s no auteur, but he’s crafty. Barron came up in the world of music videos where, on a limited budget, he created incredibly memorable videos such as Aha’s groundbreaking "Take on Me," as well as some innovative work for ZZ Top for the videos "Rough Boy" and "Sleeping Bag." Barron proved in music videos, that he could do a lot with a little, and he brings that talent to the limited superhero special effects for Supervized.

Does the script for Supervized rely a little too heavily on old people gags? Yes, especially the stuff about old men who can’t remember to wear pants, and assorted bodily function gags. That said, there are enough good laughs and good moments in Supervized to make up for the cringey aspects. For instance, I really enjoyed Beau Bridges as Ted. Bridges appears to be absolutely tickled by the idea of being a superhero, and his energy is infectious.

The same goes for Louis Gossett Jr who appears to be living for the gag in which he keeps coming up with different failed catchphrases to use when he stops a bad guy. Fionnula Flanagan is also a delight as a sexy superhero whose supernatural powers are rather nebulous, but not nearly as important as her remarkable charm. It’s clear that Madera was always a sexy sort of superheroine, and Flanagan keeps that glint in her eye that lets you know she still has that spark.

Tom Berenger provides a sturdy lead performance as Maximum Justice. Forced into the role of straight arrow, Ray doesn’t get to have the fun that everyone else is having. Berenger makes up for that by creating a character who is very specifically heroic. Heroism defines him, it gives him purpose. He’s not fun, because being a hero isn’t about fun, it’s about doing the right thing at all costs. That pays off in the end with a villain whose motivation is rooted in Max’s mistakes, wherein his sense of Justice overrode making sure that people were safe.

The ending of Supervized is a bit of a mess. The villain is weak, and while the odds are properly stacked, the solution to the final problem is a bit of a bummer. No spoilers, but I wanted something more out of Supervized, and felt that these characters deserved something more than what we are given. That said, the ending isn’t so bad that it ruins the movie. Supervized is just entertaining enough, and compelling enough to get past the minor issues.

Supervized reminded me quite strongly of another nursing home set comedy about aging heroes, Bubba Ho-Tep. That film had a supernatural theme rather than a superheroic one, but they have a similar sense of humor, and, of course, setting. Both films are rooted in the question of aging with dignity and finding purpose, meaning, and most importantly, humor in the twilight years. Here’s hoping your twilight years are as much fun as those of Bubba Ho-Tep and the heroes of Supervized.