Review: Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

[City Paper grade: C+]

Though Mike Myers' directorial debut is about as elegant as a Love Guru gag, the interstellar pull of his subject's personality keeps interest high, in spite of a disorganized and oddly tuned approach. Chronicling the outsize life of Shep Gordon, a Hollywood mastermind responsible for shaping multiple generations of talent, Myers builds an impressive roster of famous friends to sing the mega-manager's praises. But while the talking heads twist plenty of salacious A-List tales, it's Gordon himself who commands the most sincere attention. Falling into "the biz" after a happenstance meeting with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, the native New Yorker began his career introducing Alice Cooper to the world, using an elaborate series of P.T. Barnum parlor tricks to manufacture buzz. After successfully breaking the rock star into the international mainstream, the Gordon went on to manage musicians such as Anne Murray and Teddy Pendergrass, plus chefs like Emeril Lagasse, establishing a sideline as a producer of irreverent films along the way. Gordon is painted by his pals as a generous, benevolent and spiritual man who, in spite of his womanizing, values the happiness of others above his own, and the exploration of his own lack of familial fulfillment might be the doc's most interesting talking point. Unfortunately, it's all mucked up by Myers' reliance on cheesy reenactments and cheeky iMovie tricks, plus an odd chronology that doesn't touch on Gordon's telling childhood until three-quarters of the way through.