THE SPECIALS

Year: 2000
Cast: Rob Lowe, Thomas Haden Church, Jamie Kennedy, Melissa Joan Hart, Jordan Ladd, Paget Brewster, Matt Champagne, Kelly Coffield, Barry Del Sherman, John Doe, Judy Greer, James Gunn, Sean Gunn, Chase Masterson, Mike Schwartz, Christopher Shea , Chuti Tiu, Jim Zulevic
Director: Craig Mazin
Country: USA
USA Rated: R for strong language
UK Certificate: 18
USA Release Date: 22 September 2000 (Limited Release)


Synopsis

The world of THE SPECIALS is exactly like our world, with one simple difference superheroes. Indeed, The Specials are the sixth or seventh best superhero team in the world. For years, The Specials have been the also-rans of superheroes, getting whatever missions the better groups are too busy to take. Stuck with too much time on their hands, they've tended to turn their energies inward, engaging in petty fights, intragroup love affairs, financial squabbles, and misguided attempts to better their profile.

But now, that's all about to change. With The Strobe (Thomas Haden Church), The Weevil (Rob Lowe) and Amok (Jamie Kennedy) leading the way, The Specials are on the threshold of greatness. They've signed a deal with toy conglomerate Kosgro Toys to produce a line of action figures ... the Superhero equivalent of winning an Oscar.

However, nothing's ever that easy for The Specials. As the team prepares for the banquet that Kosgro is holding in their honor, the long-held tensions in the group threaten to break them apart. The Weevil is being courted to join a better group, the newest member Nightbird (Jordan Ladd) is wondering if she made the right choice by joining, and The Strobe's marriage to Ms. Indestructible (Paget Brewster) is crumbling.

The simmering passions come to a head at the disastrous unveiling of the line of Specials action figures, which mock the team more than honor them. Suffering from the crushing disappointment, The Strobe then discovers that his wife is harboring a terrible secret. With his dignity shattered, and his hope for a better future for the group all but eliminated, The Strobe disbands The Specials.

As night falls, The Specials move apart and closer together at the same time, confronting their own mediocre lives in a hilarious and often touching way. Will they follow their own paths now that the world has rejected The Specials? Or will they find their way back home, discovering after all that whether or not the world needs them, they need each other?