Appreciative and entertaining double portrait of veteran Hollywood stuntwoman Jeannie Epper (Wonder Woman) and Kiwi newcomer Zoë Bell (Xena, Kill Bill).
Screened as part of NZIFF 2005
Double Dare 2004
“‘Being a little crazy definitely helps,’ veteran stuntwoman Jeannie Epper explains of her profession early in Amanda Micheli’s winning documentary. Double Dare… follows Epper… and newcomer Zoë Bell, a New Zealander who hopes to parlay her experience doubling for Lucy Lawless on Xena into big-screen success. When Bell visits Hollywood, she becomes fast friends with Epper, a role model who dispenses the kind of valuable advice that can only be learned from five decades of dodging cars, falling from buildings, taking punches, and being lit on fire (not to mention navigating, with equal parts delicacy and aggression, the male-dominated stunt world). With insights from the likes of Spielberg and Tarantino, fun film clips, and behind-the-scenes Kill Bill footage (Bell’s big break: doubling for Uma Thurman’s Bride), Double Dare has plenty of showbiz sparkle – but it’s also got heart, allowing time for Bell to squeal with joy upon landing an important job and for the no-nonsense Epper to reflect on her groundbreaking career.” — Cheryl Eddy, San Francisco Bay Guardian