Special
After a medication reaction, a lonely comic book devotee mistakes a fragile psychological break for the discovery of his superhero identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- darkly comic
- uneasy
- melancholic
- late night indie film viewing
- double feature with unconventional superhero films
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an inventive, compassionate, and darkly comic superhero drama, though its execution received mixed responses.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Les experiences medication-induced perceptions of superpowers while the surrounding world suggests a more ordinary explanation.
Les's superhero conviction grows from isolation and a need for significance, turning comic book fantasy into a psychological coping mechanism.
Les is defined as a lonely comic book fan whose genre identification shapes his understanding of medication side effects and everyday encounters.
The film juxtaposes Les's earnest superhero self-conception with ordinary relationships, medical circumstances, and social isolation.
Films like Special, and why
World's Greatest Dad
shared themes of alienation, imagined heroism, and unstable perceptions in a darkly comic drama
The Fisher King
shared outsider protagonist, tragicomic tone, and tension between fantasy and mundane reality
Defendor
shared superhero genre subversion, psychological ambiguity, and bleakly humorous character study
King of Comedy
shared comic book sensibility, delusion, and emotionally bruising outsider narrative
Movie Details
- Directors
- Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
- Release Date
- 2006-11-17
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (105)
Cast
- Michael Rapaport
- Paul Blackthorne
- Josh Peck
- Robert Baker
- Jack Kehler
- Alexandra Holden
- Ian Bohen
- Christopher Darga
- Michael Shamus Wiles
- Erich Anderson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Special about?
- After a medication reaction, a lonely comic book devotee mistakes a fragile psychological break for the discovery of his superhero identity.
- What is Special like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Special as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Special violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Special as mild.
- What did critics think of Special?
- Critics broadly found the film an inventive, compassionate, and darkly comic superhero drama, though its execution received mixed responses.
- Which films are like Special?
- Films with a similar feel include World's Greatest Dad, The Fisher King, Defendor, and King of Comedy.
- How long is Special?
- Special runs 81 minutes.
- Where can I watch Special?
- In United States, Special streams on Philo.
