*Spoiler/plot- Confessions of a Superhero, 2007, This documentary film follows the work, lives and dreams of four performers that dress like comic book heroes to be photographed with Hollywood's tourists.*Special Stars- Christopher Dennis, Maxwell Allen, Jennifer Wenger, Joe McQueen.*Theme- Living the dream is sometimes a bad nightmare if no reality is in your life.*Trivia/location/goofs- documentary or 'mock'umentary depending on your P.O.V., Shot mostly in Los Angeles and at the Hollywood and Highland tourist complex that includes the Grauman's Chinese theater & cement footprints forecourt.*Emotion- A particularly interesting film about another strange aspect of Hollywood for it's citizenry. The film starts off very up-beat and normal. Then it descends into some of the strangest, negative, and troubling revelations about the superhero performers private lives, previous jobs, and their life's hang-ups. This film is honest, raw, and maybe carefully contrived, so a certain amount of viewer's cynicism and apprehension makes this an effective film to connect with it's audience. This film makes you uncomfortable, but somehow wanting more about the film''s performer subjects.

...and probably not the majority of IMDb denizens, "Confessions of a Superhero" is nonetheless remarkably entertaining for what it is: a peek into the lives of four earnest souls struggling to find their place in the grand scheme of things. The hook? They're all glorified panhandlers on Hollywood Boulevard, earning a living (and apparently viable ones) by dressing up as various well-known comic book characters and soliciting tips for posing with starry-eyed tourists with cameras. Only in America, Constant Reader, and only in Hollywood...The film's quartet of subjects--an impulsive, naive homecoming queen from a backwater Tennessee town ("Wonder Woman"), an earnest young black man scraping his way out from the bottom of society's barrel ("The Incredible Hulk"), a self-absorbed borderline sociopath with anger management issues ("Batman"), and an equally narcissistic but utterly harmless obsessive ("Superman")--serve to illustrate documentarian Matthew Ogens' non-judgmental look at some of the seamier aspects of the uniquely American cult of personality and the attendant pursuit of that ever-elusive Warholian fifteen minutes of fame. Each are endearing in their own way, with the possible exception of "Batman," and even he provides an opportunity for empathy and understanding, thanks to Ogens' reasonably evenhanded impartiality. All of them are people who will remind the viewer of "characters" they know in his or her own life.This is not a "great" documentary by any means, but it's still more than watchable (read: entertaining), and offers up no small slice of insight into the human condition. We're all deeply flawed creatures, and by and large all yearn to transcend our imperfections. Some succeed, and many fail, and none of us ought feel superior to others for having tried and fallen short. I finished this film wishing all of its participants well, even "Batman." As the saying goes, there but for the grace of God go I.Definitely worth a watch, though not really a keeper, "Confessions of a Superhero" reminds all of us that feet of clay cannot truly prevent any of us from aspiring to soar among the clouds.

They came, dreaming to be stars - never feeling they'd end up living nightmares as sexless prostitutes.Homeless Hulk, reduced to celebrating earning a part as a villain's sidekick in a film that few will see and less will remember; venerating where he slept in an alley-way and yet in a quest for the almighty dollar blacks out in 130 degree heat...Batman - more of a joke, a villain in his own mind? Claims to have Steven Segal-like capabilities yet when in in a real martial arts class his inadequacies are magnified to a humiliating extent; angry at no tips one day he finally gets the fame he wants but not in the way he expected and reduced to security work hoping to get recognised for auditioning a role...Wonder Woman - she leaves a small town in Tennessee from a father who's a preacher only to attend a Baptist church in Hollywood with her soon-to-be estranged husband; wanting to be accepted for serious roles and earning only bimbo parts she keeps the wolf from the door posing as the mighty Amazon for cheap Asians while in the background Hispanic hot-dog vendors drool over her...Superman - the most noble yet most tragic of them all... Is he really the son of Sandy Dennis? He says yes, but her family is unsure. Christopher Dennis' fixation on Kal-El: Last Son Of Krypton is more than obsession it is tunnel-vision as opposed to Heat rays or X-ray vision.He is the real story of this documentary that is a real life drama, eventually falling for a psychology student who observes him, he uses his tips to make his tiny dwelling a Fortress of Devotion to all that is Superman.On the streets, he strives ceaselessly to be the hero he yearns to emulate - no smoking, avoid cussing, etc. Even the Hollywood police admire how Christopher not only upholds the rules but makes sure others follow the correct path. But at home he is a chain-smoking, drink milk from the bottle, average horny devil! (On the DVD you can see him get aroused over his wife in the extra features, he shows it off by sprawling his legs - no less) These are but a few of the many intriguing characters who butt and abound the world-famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre, all hoping the begging they do is merely a sideline to the big ticket for Glory and not a permanent "job" in obscurity - after all as Stan Lee says in the same flick... How can you be famous if you're wearing a mask?

This documentary is about four people who have moved to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming professional actors. However, they are still struggling and so they make ends meet by parading up and down Hollywood Boulevard in superhero costumes--making money posing with tourists who want a photo. The four all have very different personalities and are quite captivating as they tell their stories."Superman" Christopher Dennis is by far the most dedicated to his role--eating, drinking and thinking like the Man of Steel. It is not just acting for this man but he IS Superman, as he won't smoke in costume in front of people (though oddly he will in front of the camera)and goads other characters along the strip to not smoke in front of the fans. His apartment is covered in Superman memorabilia and all his energy is devoted to being the character. While all say they want to get more lucrative jobs in Hollywood, this guy seems most content to be exactly who he is now--and he's done so for many years. He is probably the most fascinating of the four mostly because he's so obsessed. He's also interesting because he claims to be the son of actress Sandy Dennis, though her family is adamant that he is NOT! He seems like a heck of a nice guy--though, of course, strange! "Batman" Maxwell Allen is probably the most interesting psychologically. While Christopher is very, very obsessed and odd, Maxwell seems to be on the verge of killing someone or at least making others think he will--as he's filled with hostility, loves guns, and talks about how many people "need a beat down". He also seems to be a very unreliable historian when recounting his life. He talks about having had "special forces training" as well as alludes to working for the mob, having killed someone and having black belts in several martial arts--though even his wife admits that "only about 50% of what he says is true". When he shows up in the film at a psychiatrist's office to discuss his anger, he appears in costume--and, interestingly, the therapist seems non-plussed."Wonderwoman" Jennifer Wenger seems like she's the most likely to have a career in film, as her tryouts go well and she has the looks to make it. Her life in rural Tennessee is discussed and unlike the other three, you get to see her parents and they get to talk a bit on film. Her marriage is also shown--as apparently the two videotaped the engagement and marriage in Vegas. While this may sound rather cold, it seemed pretty obvious that the marriage was doomed--as her fiancé just seemed rather immature and, at times, surly."The Incredible Hulk" Joseph McQueen is very unusual in that once he came to California, he really, really struggled--so much so that he was living on the streets. This is very sad but fortunately by the time the film is complete, there is some hope that Joseph will make it--though it's still a long road. He seemed to have far less screen time than the others.While all these people were struggling, they also had very interesting stories to tell. And, like most good documentaries, the film makers just let them talk--without narration. The film was very poignant, as I found myself being emotionally pulled into their stories--and this surprised me. Some of this was probably due to their vulnerability, some because I wanted to see if Batman was put in jail or hospitalized and part of it because the film really managed to make seemingly dull people interesting. I teach psychology and history at an arts school and am strongly considering using it as a teaching aid for my psyc class AND to warn the many budding actors I teach about the dedication and sacrifices they'll need to make if they choose a career in acting.I strongly recommend that documentary lovers see this film. It's well constructed, interesting and hard to forget. About the only negative is that when the film ends, you really want to hear more about them. I would love to see an update sometime--perhaps they can do a sequel or some special features on a DVD about this.