Greenes
Please don't spend money on this.
Supelice
Dreadfully Boring
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
mfalcone-3
You know I admit that when I was a kid I wanted to become a superhero. One day, I'd wake up to realize that I had superpowers and I'd be called on missions to save the world or damsels in distress.I suppose for someone like Norman Neale, a nerdy computer technician living in the shadow of the "real men" in his office, the best he could do was to become a sidekick. Working in a competitive investment firm in Toronto, Norman discovers his co-worker Victor has the power to move objects from a distance. This discovery gives Norman's life new meaning as he sets out to train Victor to become "Victory Man" and prowl the city streets of Toronto to fight crime.The only problem is that Norman's fantasy-come-true forces him to deal with the cold, hard facts of real life: sometimes super strength doesn't equal superhero.I loved Perry Mucci's performance. It's worth renting just to watch him play the nerdy child-like guy who still gets bullied on the streets of Toronto or falls madly in love with the receptionist at work. I didn't know if I should feel sorry for Norman or just plain pray real hard for him.However, that being said, David Ingram and Perry Mucci played a great "odd couple" performance. It was fun to watch the nerdy comic-book guy train the dumb jock who considered his greatest asset in life not to be his superpowers, but rather his ability to screw as many women while on his way up the corporate ladder. The training sequences are hilarious as we watch poor Norman take not one but two bottles in the head for the team. Good on you, Norman!Sidekick is a great story; it's fast-paced, full of foreshadowing with comic-book like scenes scattered throughout the film. I'd love to get Baldwin's death-by-choking face in poster format. There are no boring or slow scenes in Sidekick and there were many witty lines of dialogue that belong on bumper stickers or business calendars (see Andrea Hicks dialogue below). The music and soundtrack was amazing on this film and I loved the opening sequence with the title and credits! That must have made Sparaga feel tingly all over when he saw that. Nice touch!I wish there was more of the Andrea character! I sense that the character had a larger role to play in the film, but sadly, remained the young, female receptionist desperately trying to make her way in a man's world. Although her line regarding being forced to pick locks with other guy's dicks is, as far as I am concerned, a work of art, I felt that Andrea could have contributed more to the story.Sidekick is a low-budget film that's high on plot development and great dialogue. Make a sequel Mike!!!
joe1991-1
Watchable but nothing special. It reminded me of a sci-fi channel TV movie. Woulda made a mediocre Twighlight Zone or X-files episode.I rate it a 3 because if you spent any money watching it, you might very well feel ripped off.Some people might rate it higher because it's an indie, but I'm an average movie watcher, not a film-school teacher. I rate all movies by one standard.It had a low-budget feel from the start. Camera and sound work were fine, The few small special effects were OK, so I guess it was the acting and directing that made it feel cheap. All the extras looked like acting students who like to stretch their lines out to get more face-time on camera.The Baldwin brother looked like De Niro compared to the other actors, and no that's not a compliment. If you thought the movie "Unbreakable" was the bestest movie ever, then you might like this variation of the same theme.
bmahar1
Sidekick is what Indy film-making is all about. It offers solid storytelling that's perfectly consistent with the Super Hero genre thanks to a smart script written by producer Michael Sparaga. The story is actually believable and the film keeps a perfect pace that seems to get better and better. You do not want this movie to end. The special effects are not overdone, but rather, well done and offer just the right amount of support. Strong performances and great chemistry between David Ingram and Perry Mucci really carry the picture. Subtle wit, sarcasm and the occasional "ode to the genre" one-liners by Ingram provide some nice comic moments. Sidekick is a lot of fun.I loved this movie!
terramoreland
A brave foray into a genre that traditionally requires big budgets. It is amazing what these folks did on so little. What a great independent film! Strong acting by the leads. Norman really gets you feeling bad for him and for all the people who are stuck in their little worlds with big imaginations and big hearts. Add a nice little twist and voilà! If only more big films showed the same sense of heart. You can relate to these guys. You can empathize with them, stuck in their boring jobs, looking for more, hoping to find it, and then realizing that not everybody cares like you do. A great Canadian film with great images of Toronto! It was excellent to see the effort they made to bring as much of the comic book world into it as they could. I especially like Ken Lashley's cameo. I also think it was great of Danny Baldwin to appear as well. I hope to see more from these talented new comers.
