Movie Review: Super Duper Alice Cooper

Published on October 31st, 2014 in: Documentaries, Movie Reviews, Movies, Music, Reviews |

By Tyler Hodg

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Not only is school out, but so is the latest offering from director and massive metal head Sam Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey, Global Metal). His new film, Super Duper Alice Cooper documents the rise to fame of Vincent Furnier—better known as Alice Cooper—and the fall from grace that saw him hitting absolute rock bottom. Unapologetic and honest, Super Duper Alice Cooper painfully recollects the trials and tribulations of one of the most notorious bad boys in rock’n’roll, as well as the band that helped transform him into the character that everyone came to know.

Originating in Phoenix, Arizona, Alice Cooper was formed by high school buddies Vincent Furnier and Denis Dunnaway, two outcasts with a hunger for eccentrics. Members fell into place and the band (then known as The Spiders) moved to Los Angeles to try to make something out of themselves. Chance encounters saw them recording their first album with the legendary Frank Zappa, and an eventual name change to Alice Cooper completed the package of the band. Outrageous stage performances and an “out there” image was Alice Cooper’s way of standing out in the sea of a million other bands. As the singer, Furnier took the moniker Alice Cooper for himself, becoming not only the face of the band, but also the biggest face of evil in music. Drugs eventually took control, leading the entire band to quit and leave Alice Cooper all to Furnier. At times unable to shake off the character of Alice Cooper, he spiraled downward, losing his family, his career, and almost his life. Despite how heavy the subject matter gets, Super Duper Alice Cooper is an optimistic piece depicting a man at his lowest, but prevailing against all obstacles and adversaries.

The documentary is narrated by nearly everyone important in Alice Cooper’s story; band mates Dennis Dunnaway and Neil Smith, manager Shep Gordon, and producer Bob Ezrin all make appearances at some point. Despite the big names lending their perspective to the film, Super Duper Alice Cooper never features any on-screen interviews, making for a lonely experience. Also, the film only highlights the history of Alice Cooper until the rebirth of the character in 1984. Granted, Alice has been on autopilot for a while, but it still would have been nice to see his later career touched upon at some point. For what it is, Super Duper Alice Cooper is a decent film, but never reaches the status of greatness that many were expecting it to be.

For someone new to Alice Cooper, or a casual fan who hasn’t dug deep into the major events of his career, Super Duper Alice Cooper will be an interesting look into a life behind the scenes of the global superstar. The story of Alice Cooper is truly remarkable and deserves to be told; unfortunately, this documentary wasn’t a perfect representation of how enduring the King of Shock-Rock was and still is. Incomplete and impersonal, Super Duper Alice Cooper attempts to be as great as the character, but falls flat of being a definitive recollection of the story of Alice Cooper.



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