I Am Thor

Canadian rocker Jon Mikl Thor never hit the highest heights during his career, but I Am Thor celebrates his superhuman resilience. Director Ryan Wise starts with a fast-moving overview of Thor's career in the 1970s and 1980s before concentrating on a comeback that began in the 1990s. Thor, who grew up in Vancouver, started out as a bodybuilder, worked as a naked waiter, and formed a band with other bodybuilders. By this time, Thor was living in Los Angeles, where the group Body Rock segued to Thor and the Imps (because he dwarfed the other players) and then just Thor. Thor incorporated Marvel Comics superhero costume elements, and released records that found an audience, but management problems led to a lack of marketing and tour support, so Thor shifted to acting, but aside from a few cult films (such as Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare), opportunities dried up. The last straw came when he lost a part in Adventures in Babysitting to Vincent D'Onofrio (who looks almost exactly like Thor in the film with his blond wig and hammer). Afterwards, Thor settled down with his ex-cover-girl wife, Rusty, but after a decade in the suburbs, he decides to embark on his first real tour. Wise tags along for the next several years as Thor performs with new band members, occasionally hires replacement players, and records new material. No longer the muscle man of his youth, he suffers aches and pains, but gives fans a show filled with glam-metal music and circus strongman theatrics. Serving up an offbeat portrait of a determined artist, this is recommended. (K. Fennessy)