THE SPECIALS (FILM)

'''The Specials''' is the title of a 2000 comedy film about a group of superheroes on their day off. ''The Specials'' were created by James Gunn. According to the film, the Specials are the sixth or seventh most popular group of superheroes in the world.
Unlike most superhero movies, ''The Specials'' has almost no action or special effects; instead it focuses on the day-to-day lives of the heroes. The film was written by Gunn and directed by Craig Mazin.
'Tagline:'

★ ''They're Not Incredible, They're Just Special.''

Contents

Plot

Cast

The Specials membership

External links

Plot

''The Specials'' tells the story of a day in the life of a ragtag group of misfit superheroes with unusual powers. The day begins with the welcoming of Nightbird, the group's newest member -- a teenage girl with "bird powers." Nightbird -- who idolizes The Specials -- soon realizes her heroes do not function as a harmonious team. The cracks begin to show as they prepare to attend a dinner in their honor thrown by Cosgrove Toys, who are releasing a line of action figures based upon the group. The action figures end up being horrible. Worse yet, leader of the Specials (The Strobe) discovers that his wife (Ms. Indestructible) is cheating on him with the most popular member of the group, The Weevil. In a fit of anger, the Strobe disbands the group, and the members go on their own way. The Strobe's brother, Minute Man (minute as in small), falls for the new girl, Nightbird, but instead falls into the arms of his best friend, Deadly Girl. Meanwhile, Amok, Power Chick, Alien Orphan and Mr. Smart indulge in a night of drinking and dancing.

Cast

Actor	Role
Thomas Haden Church	Ted Tilderbrook / The Strobe
James Gunn	Tim Tilderbrook / Minute Man
Paget Brewster	Emily Tilderbrook / Ms. Indestructible
Rob Lowe	Tony / The Weevil
Sean Gunn	Alien Orphan / Doug
Jamie Kennedy	Amok
Judy Greer	Deadly Girl
Kelly Coffield	Nancy / Power Chick
Jordan Ladd	Shelly / Nightbird
Mike Schwartz	U.S. Bill
Jim Zulevic	Seymour / Mr. Smart
John Doe	Eight
Brian Gunn	Eight
Barry Del Sherman	Jerry / Zip Boy
Melissa Joan Hart	Sunlight Grrrll
Michael Weatherly	Verdict
Jenna Fischer	College Girl
Taryn Manning	Autograph Hound

The Specials membership

★ 'The Strobe': The leader and founder of the group (along with his brother Minute Man, The Weevil, Ms. Indestructable, and Stretchie Boy). He has the ability to shoot laser beams out of his arms and possesses a strong ego.

★ 'Ms. Indestructible': The Strobe's wife and secretary / office manager of the group. She has indestructible skin and cannot be injured anywhere but her eyes. She is having an affair with The Weevil.

★ 'The Weevil': The most popular member of the group. Like his father before him (who was also called The Weevil), he possesses enhanced abilities proportionate to that of an insect. He is having an affair with Ms. Indestructible and looking to move up in the business of super-heroism.

★ 'Deadly Girl': A young woman who has the ability to enter the "world of the dead" and travel through it, reappearing anywhere she chooses. She can also summon demons to do her bidding, something she says "makes you feel good about yourself". She considers The Strobe to be her best friend.

★ 'Alien Orphan (a.k.a. Doug)': An alien who crash-landed on Earth. He can shape-shift, but often has trouble communicating. He is cared for by Power Chick.

★ 'Minute Man': The Strobe's brother. He has the ability to shrink himself to a minute size. He is irritated by people constantly mispronouncing his name and mistaking him for a minuteman. He is also self conscious about his uniform making him look gay.

★ 'Power Chick': An openly lesbian woman with the ability to change her body into any material with which she comes in contact. She considers herself to be Alien Orphan's guardian.

★ 'Mr. Smart': A man claiming to be the smartest on Earth. He is an inventor of devices such as a winged rocket-backpack and a machine that amplifies his sense of smell 3,000 times. The Weevil refers to Mr. Smart as a "washout" who contributes little to the team.

★ 'Eight': Believed to be the result of a CIA experiment, this hero consists of eight separate individuals, some male, some female, of several ethnicities, who all share the same consciousness, allowing him to literally be in eight places at the same time. Eight, by his own admission, is passive until required to act.

★ 'U.S. Bill': A man of super strength but very limited intelligence. He is sensitive about maintaining his secret identity and lives with his mother.

★ 'Amok': A former super-villain with blue skin, the ability to shoot antimatter, and a bad attitude. He is preoccupied with sex and is rebuffed (twice) by Power Chick. Amok was at one time jailed after capture by rival superhero group "The Crusaders".

★ 'Nightbird': The team's newest member, a teen with very sensitive hearing, an affinity with birds, and the ability to lay eggs. These eggs contain what are referred to as "tricks," which could be virtually any item helpful in a given situation.

★ 'Stretchie Boy': Former member of the group, now deceased, who possessed stretching powers, apparently due to exposure to fluoridated water. He died several years before the events of the film from cancer, which is common among elastic superheroes.

★ 'Zip Boy': Former group member who quit to become an entrepreneur. His business is finding "normal" job placements for superheroes. As the name might imply, he possesses super-speed.

External links

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