Film review: Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

Unless you are well-versed in the movers and shakers behind the scenes in Hollywood, the name Shep Gordon is not likely to mean much.

 

SUPERMENSCH: THE LEGEND OF SHEP GORDON

Director: Mike Myers
Cast: Shep Gordon, Mike Myers, Alice Cooper, Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Anne Murray, Willie Nelson
Rating: (M)
Four stars (out of five)

 

But for actor Mike Myers, Gordon's life is perfect fodder for a captivating directorial debut.

Arriving in Los Angeles at the tail end of the '60s, the young Gordon became embroiled in a social scene involving the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and one Vincent Furnier, more commonly known as Alice Cooper.

Gordon's relationship with Cooper provides the most amusing moments in Supermensch.

From the present-day asides shot on the golf course, the two men reminisce on a 40-odd-year relationship that transcends any conventional definition of a manager-artist bond.

From his breakout success with Cooper to managing wholesome folkie Anne Murray, Gordon established himself as a maverick of marketing and one of the most likeable souls in a vacuous industry, going on to rack up a who's who of musicians and actors on his books.

Myers stitches the whole thing together like a messy patchwork quilt.

With an amazing array of amusing anecdotes to choose from, Myers shows a notable lack of restraint as he slaps one star up against the next with little regard for cohesive storytelling.

Fortunately though, the larger-than-life Gordon is a great talent and given the eclectic direction his life has taken, Supermensch is a really gripping yarn made all the more powerful for the fact that Gordon is still alive during his own eulogy.

- Mark Orton 

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