Special

Play trailer

Special

R,

2008,

1h 22m,

Comedy/

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

59%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

63%

25,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

59%

Tomatometer

34 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Les Franken has a boring and undistinguished life as a parking-meter monitor until he decides to participate in an experimental drug study. He experiences some strange side effects which make him think he is developing special powers, a belief that leads him to quit his dead-end job and start a new one -- as a superhero.

Critics Consensus

This quirky indie comedy's low budget is readily apparent, but it's elevated by Michael Rapaport's dedicated performance.

Read Critics Reviews

Keith Uhlich

House Next Door

Nov 21, 2008

Take[s] a page from the cartoonist Bill Watterson, who noted of the tiger protagonist in his great Calvin & Hobbes, 'The nature of [the character's] reality doesn't interest me, and each story goes out of its way to avoid resolving the issue.'

Go to Full Review

Lou Lumenick

New York Post

Nov 21, 2008

1.5/4

Rappaport does a yeoman's job in this tonally confused oddity.

Go to Full Review

Elizabeth Weitzman

New York Daily News

Nov 21, 2008

4/5

It may not be perfect, but this under-the-radar indie from Hal Haberman and Jeremy Passmore is smart enough to leave you glad you found it.

Go to Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Dec 15, 2023

3/4

Despite its grand metaphor about little people with big dreams often having to give them up for a painful dose of The Real World, the film works better as a neat little indie comedy chock-full of goofiness.

Go to Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

May 21, 2020

Wildly funny at times, the film aims to break your heart and despite pushing its own special powers to their limits I think it succeeds.

Go to Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Oct 2, 2019

1.5/5

It seems that Haberman and Passmore's film is just as unsure of itself as Les: is Special a comedy, a political statement, an action film or a tragedy?

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Hermione W

Mar 12, 2019

They did a good job of using a small budget to their advantage. It actually adds to the film. A bit depressing despite attempts at an uplifting message at the end. Rating: C

See more

Read all reviews

Hal Haberman

Director

Jeremy Passmore

Director

Michael Rapaport

Les

Paul Blackthorne

Jonas Exiler

Josh Peck

Joey

Robert Baker

Everett

View more videos

Mystery Team

60%

64%

Mystery Team

Watchlist

Night Catches Us

79%

66%

Night Catches Us

Watchlist

The Last Circus

76%

64%

The Last Circus

Watchlist

Big Fan

86%

62%

Big Fan

Watchlist

Police, Adjective

78%

59%

Police, Adjective

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

SUNDANCE: Weinberg’s Sundance Scorecard

View more photos

Synopsis

Les Franken has a boring and undistinguished life as a parking-meter monitor until he decides to participate in an experimental drug study. He experiences some strange side effects which make him think he is developing special powers, a belief that leads him to quit his dead-end job and start a new one -- as a superhero.

Director: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
Producer: Frank Mele, Edward Parks
Screenwriter: Hal Haberman, Jeremy Passmore
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Rival Pictures
Rating: R (Brief Drug Use|Some Violence|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.4K
Runtime: 1h 22m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings