Movie Review

Special (2008)

Reviewed by Adam Markovitz | Nov 19, 2008

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EW's GRADE

C+

Details Limited Release: Nov 21, 2008; Rated: R; Length: 82 Minutes; Genre: Drama; With: Michael Rapaport

SPECIAL MENTION Michael Rapaport makes something out of a role that ordinarily would have fallen prey to heavy-handedness and awkward... Special

SPECIAL MENTION Michael Rapaport makes something out of a role that ordinarily would have fallen prey to heavy-handedness and awkward humor

After signing up for trials of a new happy pill, a geeky parking cop (Michael Rapaport) develops superhuman powers — or so he thinks. Sounds like a great Jim Carrey vehicle, but Special is dead serious — and set on making you think instead of laugh. The result is a minor-key riff on Don Quixote that struggles against heavy-handed plotting and the awkward humor of a man in a hand-sewn bodysuit running headfirst into walls. But thanks to Rapaport's brio in embracing the hero's drug-induced delusions, the movie is less a failure than a noble experiment gone awry. C+

Originally posted Nov 19, 2008 Published in issue #1023 Nov 28, 2008 Order article reprints

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