Marshall and the Movies

He met Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix on his first day in Hollywood.  He entertains everyone from Groucho Marx to the Dalai Lama.  He invented the celebrity chef.  He is … the most interesting man in the world.  (Or he might as well be.)

Those are only a few high points from the unbelievable career of manager Shep Gordon, the subject of documentary “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon.”  He’s got a treasure trove of stories as well as a pretty remarkable track record in terms of what he accomplished.  Every savvy business move or serendipitous encounter leaves us all the more incredulously agape.

The film is essentially a greatest hits album for the backstage string-puller behind some of the biggest acts of the past five decades.  He’s like the Edward Bernays crossed with Harvey Weinstein, a master of grabbing the public imagination for his clients, who have included Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, and Emeril Lagasse (just to name a few).

“Supermensch” manages to be entertaining and even somewhat informative without feeling like an MTV special, a feat that should not be downplayed.  The film is directed by Mike Myers – yes, the guy who played Shrek and Austin Powers – in his feature debut, and he actually does a pretty bang-up job.  Perhaps most impressively, he doesn’t let his own ethos slip into the film and outshine Gordon.  I could have done without some of his corny graphics and B-roll, but Myers weaves a yarn that’s fun to watch whether you’ve heard of his subject or not.  B+ /