The Super (1991 film)

The Super is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Rod Daniel and starring Joe Pesci as a New York City slum landlord sentenced to live in one of his own buildings until it is brought up to code. Screenwriter Nora Ephron co-scripted the story with Sam Simon.[1] The Super is the last film in which Vincent Gardenia appeared.

The Super
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRod Daniel
Produced byRichard E. Frazier
Charles Gordon
Written bySam Simon
Starring
Music byMiles Goodman
CinematographyBruce Surtees
Edited byJack Hofstra
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
October 4, 1991
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million
Box office$11,000,863

Plot

Louie Kritski is a heartless slumlord who was born into money, thanks to his ruthless father, "Big Lou" (Vincent Gardenia), also a slumlord. However, the tables turn on Louie when he's threatened with prison for his failure to keep his New York City slum up to code. The judge gives him another option, which he accepts: he must live in a vacant apartment of one of his own shoddy run-down apartment blocks until he brings it up to livable standards.

The sentence is an effective house arrest; Louie is not allowed to leave the apartment except for routine exercise, grocery shopping, medical emergencies and business relating to building repairs. In addition, Louie is not authorized to make any changes to the apartment he has been assigned unless all other apartments had the same upgrade beforehand. At first Louie is adamant that not one repair will be carried out, and will wait until his father bails him out. However, Louie has a change of heart after meeting and getting to know the building's residents, including a small-time hustler named Marlon (Ruben Blades), and a struggling street boy named Tito (Kenny Blank).

Over time, Louie grows more sympathetic with their problems and makes amends for his greediness through actions such as donating space heaters to the tenants to help them cope with the winter. Unfortunately, Big Lou Kritski is the owner of the property in title, and he resists his son's entreaties to spend money to improve the tenements. When Louie confronts Big Lou who is about to set fire to his own tenement, all the residents appear on the roof to back up Louie. The film ends with Louie's building completely refurbished, Marlon becoming the new super, and all the tenants gathered outside to see Louie off with a gift: his Corvette—which had been completely stripped of its parts shortly after he first arrived—fully restored. A grateful Louie drives away as a large man appears and angrily demands to know who stole his car; all the tenants point in the direction in which Louie drove off in.

Cast

According to Rod Daniel, Chevy Chase was originally considered for the lead role.[1]

Reception

The Super had a $22 million production budget. However, the film was a box-office failure, only grossing $11,000,863 domestically in its release.[2] It was also widely panned by critics in its theatrical release, and currently holds a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on nine reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B-" on scale of A+ to F.[3] The film has gained a cult following since its release.

Kenny Blank, who played Tito, was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 1992 in the category 'Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Motion Picture'.

gollark: I mean, it's way more contagious than flu and stuff, and also has a death rate of... well, estimates vary, but probably over 0.5% or so.
gollark: ... because it *is a problem*? I mean, some reactions are stupid, but that does not make it fine.
gollark: It's just evil people being evil.
gollark: Er, have you seriously ignored everyone repeatedly explaining that COVID-19 actually is really very bad?
gollark: May the sedenions be with you.

References
  1. Borrelli, Christopher (27 September 2011). "'Teen Wolf' director's brutally honest commentary". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  2. "The Super (1991)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  3. "Cinemascore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.