Title of Movie
The Heckler
Movie classification ratings
PG/12A (UK & US), G (Australia, Canada)
Notes: contains some scenes unsuitable for younger children, moderate fantasy violence
Estimate feature run-time: 1 hour, 50 mins
Year of Production & Release
Production & Theatrical Release: 1994
Taglines
''There are others who like their superheroes with more beef, and there are also others who like their superheroes, 'fun'"
''Is it a bird?, Is it a plane?..... No, Just Some Guy With A Big Smile On His Face''
What type of movie is it?
A live -action Superhero Spoof Comedy film, in a similar vein to Marvel's Deadpool (2016) starring DC Comics almost forgotten absurdist hero
Contains examples of:
Badass Normal - character who is able to keep being useful through intellect, martial arts abilities, general ruthlessness >> The Heckler
Fun Personified - not a serious character, yet they are officially in canon. Character/s who is/are actually funny >> The Heckler
Crouching Moron Hidden Badass - at first glance is a fool, a ditz, then things suddenly change & they proceed to kick ass >> see above
The Cape - the superhero as an ideally good person. Invokes elements of messianic archetype role of whom in the story echoes that of Christ. The character doesn't have to be wearing a cape >> again, The Heckler is an embodiment of this
Secret Identity - character (usually a superhero) keeps his involvement in the events of the plot secret from some or all of the characters by creating a second, separate persona for himself
Is The Comically Serious - lack of reaction to embarrassing or bizarre situations can subvert our expectations of embarrassment, hysteria or hilarity
Amusing Injuries
Parody - an affectionate mockery of another work, it imitates the style of the original >> contains parodies of other superhero movies
Additional Notes: like in preparation for his role of Peter Pan in 1991's Hook, as this character, The Heckler and alter-ego, Stu Moseley, Robin Williams will have a clean-shaven body & slightly more muscular build
Who is the Heckler?
A fictional superhero & superhero parody published by DC comics. He first appeared in The Heckler #1 back in September 1992 that lasted for 6 issues and ending with #6 in February 1993. The Heckler was created by Keith Giffen and Tom & Mary Bierbaum.
What is the general definition of a heckler?
A person who harasses others with impertinent questions and jibes
About the Heckler:
Real name Stuart 'Stu' Moseley is the co-owner of Eats, a skid row diner in the Ghetto section of Delta City, who fights injustices as his alter-ego, The Heckler
Powers and abilities:
Armed with sarcastic wit and a brightly Yellow coloured, spandex costume, Stu's motivations and origins are unknown.
Only has average strength and agility for a man of his age, size and fitness and relies on razor-sharp wit to enrage and annoy the living hell out of his adversaries to the point of blinding and irritating frustration, which he will exploit himself. His main asset is insanity. He evades his opponents by dancing around them as he heckles them into expending their energy. Has no other superhuman powers or abilities
Possesses an immeasurable level of durability allowing him to quickly recover from extreme amounts of physical damage
Personality:
When in costume, the Heckler is a cheery, smart-mouthed daredevil who throws himself into dangerous situations. When he's not in costume, Stu is an overworked, harassed & general down-trodden manager
Other characters
Ledge - Stu's buddy & the only person who knows Stu's alter-ego, notable for being incapable of spelling words correctly, provides Stu info regarding his opponents
(played by Richard Edson aka Private Abersold from Good Morning, Vietnam)
Boss Glitter - real name Alessandro Hummer, is the flamboyant, theatrical mob boss of Delta City who has a penchant for elaborate masks and frilly clothes. Like The Heckler, he has no superpowers. Is a skilled and ruthless leader
(Played by Antonio Banderas)
Cosmic Clown - android assassin from the stars, is a humanoid dressed as a clown
(computer generated)
The Minx - Gun-toting loner with a teenage daughter named Axi. Tends to hunt down criminals but they all appear to be people she has gone on awkward dates with. Is a parody of Marvel Comics, The Punisher
(played by Geena Davis, who played this exact type of character in 1996's 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' alongside Samuel L. Jackson)
(played by Patrick Stewart of X-Men and Star Trek: Generations)
C'est Hay - psychopathic killer composed completely of straw, resembles a scarecrow. Has delusions of being an actor, speaks in stilted tongue when he's not singing and dancing
(played by David Hyde Pierce, Niles from Frasier)
Bushwack'r - bounty hunter after Heckler, is a victim of his own bad luck as weapons keep misfiring and injuring himself
(played by WCW wrestler, Shane Douglas or Jack Black)
Why The Heckler?
A lot of people and fans had been clamouring for Robin Williams to be a good choice to play either The Joker or Riddler from Batman in those live-action comic book adaptations. I still thought about the idea of Robin playing a comic book superhero, and yet there are not many comic book/superhero characters that are comical or silly, as many of them tend to be very serious....until I stumbled upon a guy going by the name of The Heckler. Interestingly enough as well, he is a DC comics creation; and DC Comics if anyone knows, is the home of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman to name but many.
Because this superhero character is a comical one and he has sarcastic lines such as this one, I just see this as the ideal superhero character role for him:
When I think of this character, I cannot think of anyone more appropriate and fitting for this role as Robin Williams, I mean, The Heckler relies on sarcasm and wit to irritate his arch villains, and Robin himself possessed this exact trait himself too!
The Heckler/Stuart can provide good competition to Dark Horse Comics's, The Mask/Stanley Ipkiss played by another comedian turned actor, Jim Carrey. & with that movie, The Mask, it has a main character that requires the kind of performance Jim Carrey gives and from a character role that allows him to do his shtick and utilise his talents, which is comedy. The Heckler is another character of whom requires a particular, and be it a specific type of performance from a comedic actor, in this case, Robin Williams; as that character is comical and tongue-in'- cheek in nature.
No comments:
Post a Comment