Special

After initially viewing the trailer, I thought this movie would be a comical satire of the recent plethora of comic book movies. And in some degree, I was right. But Special is much more than simply a superhero comedy. In fact, I'm surprised they even promoted it as such. Special is a dark depiction of one man's desire to be something that he thinks would make him stand out in the world.

Les Franken is an unappreciated meter maid who goes through life constantly being pushed around by others. He signs on for this experimental drug named Specioprin Hydrochloride that is designed to boost his self confidence. In some degree it does that. Les believes that the drug has given him super human powers and begins to use them to fight crime. What he doesn't know is that the drug is only giving him hallucinations. The story takes a drastic turn from comedy about ten to fifteen minutes into the movie. Michael Rapaport does a phenomenal job portraying Les' desire to be someone special. The last time I've ever seen something this intense was the last five minutes of Requiem for a Dream. The only difference is the last five minutes of Requiem is almost the entirety of Special. Special is a great and powerfully intense movie, but also carries alot of heart as well.