Superchick
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DVD Cover Information Actor: Joyce Jillson, Louis Quinn, Thomas Reardon, Timothy Wayne Brown, Tony Young Director: Ed Forsyth Cinematographer: Paul Hipp Editor: Ed Forsyth Producer: John Burrows Writer: John Burrows Producer: John H. Burrows Producer: Marilyn Jacobs Tenser Writer: Gary Crutcher DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language) Format: Color, DVD, NTSC Picture Format: 1.33:1 Running Time: 94 minutes DVD Release Date: 2002-05-14 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: Rhino Theatrical |
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Movie Reviews of Superchick
Movie Review: Just plain silly
Summary: 2 Stars
Disclaimer: This film is included in the Big Screen Bombshells: 12 Movie Collection, which is the version that I watched. As such, I cannot comment on the quality of the product offered on this page - my review concerns the entertainment value of the film only.
This review is for the film 'Superchick'. Those looking for information on SuperCHICKEN should look here, or even at this, a personal favorite.
Ok, this film is just silly even for a comedy - although in all fairness, I doubt it was meant to be anything else. Joyce Jillson, who would later find fame as the astrologer for 20th Century Fox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, has wardrobe malfunction after wardrobe malfunction as she jets her way across the States as a stewardess for Crown International Airways (clever - Crown Int. is the name of the studio that produced the film). Jillson is Tara B. True, a plain-jane, prudish young woman straight out of the '50's - but as soon as the plane lands, Tara sneaks off to the nearest telephone booth, and out comes 'Superchick', a sexed-up wonder woman with a lover in every port. In New York, Florida and California, she puts the 'lay' back into 'layover' like nobody's business, living a life of freedom as she turns the male dominated sexual power structure on its head. I don't know if we've ever recovered.
It's unknown how many feminists would sanctify Ms. Jillson's struggle for independence (then OR now), but as one who tries to stay neutral in that particular fight, the sexual behavior of the people in this film - jumping out of one bed and immediately into another - has a certain 'yuck' factor to me nowadays. I suppose that means I'm old. Regardless, this film wants to be all about breaking down old standards with the then-shocking idea of a woman in control of her own sexual needs. Or at least, I have the distinct feeling that this is what Ms. Jillson thought of the film. I think the studio saw a great opportunity for a lot of T&A. There's no telling that for sure, of course - just my overall impression.
There is a plot here (so to speak), one besides Ms. Jillson just visiting her various lovers - one of her steadies is in hock to a dog track owner. Once that owner finds out the blond bombshell is a stewardess, he hatches out a silly plot involving smuggling guns aboard the airplane, robbing a mule from the local syndicate, and then hi-jacking the plane. Obviously he didn't count on Tara B. True turning on the Superchick mojo mid-flight (apparently he was distracted by her other assets), and the filmmakers bring the entire vehicle in for, if not a three point landing, at least one that everyone could walk away from.
I don't necessarily mind these low-budget cheesefests from the '70's (and anyone reading my recent reviews would call me a liar if I said any different), but there has to be something in it to warrant recommending them. Even for mid-grade '70's exploitation, this one's pretty shabby - the main draw here is Ms. Jillson, of course, and she's plainly overmatched for this role, relying instead on her figure to suggest character rather than any method. For those who think I'm being too demanding, I'll just say that it is possible to have both, as evidenced by Sondra Currie in Policewomen. While that film is only marginally better than this one, Ms. Currie is simply more believable as a superpolicwoman than Ms. Jillson is as a superchick. As a former Leatherneck, however, I do give Ms. Jillson credit for spreading the love around even to the Marines - and to the film for respectfully treating the service during a time when it may have been easier to discredit it.
Look for cameos by Crown Pictures' reliable bad guy Phil Hoover; an uncredited Dan Haggerty as a bad biker; and a ridiculous spot with John Carradine, who is creepier here than in his horror roles, as he plays a sado-masochist who places an ad in a singles paper which Superchick blithely answers between other lovers (!)
It's my assumption that there are two types of people in the world; those who see the title 'Superchick' and are immediately turned off, and those who are instantly intriqued. My non-recommendation is a bit superflous for the first group. For the second, I think you should definitely make the effort to see it, but I would encourage you to either rent first or find an inexpensive copy - while it's a great example of '70's cheese, I find the current prices for the out of print versions of this DVD unsupportable. The 'Bombshell' version, while at 1.33:1 aspect ratio, is otherwise sufficient for viewing - and it should be enough to inform the viewer of whether they wanted to expend any more effort tracking down other copies.