Double Dare (2004) – Stuntwomen Documentary

Of out of all the things she writes about, the Action Flick Chick gets the greatest volume of favorable responses for her coverage of motion picture stunt professionals.

The documentary Double Dare (2004) looks at two very real Hollywood stuntwoman, Jeannie Epper and Zoë Bell (who appears as herself in the Grindhouse film Death Proof – review coming soon). Jeannie, who refuses to retire at 64, doubled for Wonder Woman in the ’70s (the Lynda Carter series, not the “Who’s Afraid of Diana Prince?” atrocity we recently told you about), and Zoë landed the coveted job doubling Xena at the age of eighteen. With star-studded interviews and rollicking live-action stunt sequences, Double Dare is a candid look at two strong, dedicated women who pursue tough careers in male-dominated Tinseltown.

The film follows Jeannie and Zoë’s daily struggles to stay employed, stay thin and stay sane-against the backdrops of Xena, Wonder Woman, 6 Feet Under,
and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, among others. It features interviews with Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Lucy Lawless, and Lynda Carter. Director Amanda Micheli received an Academy Award, the IDA award, and a national POV broadcast for her first film, Just for the Ride. Her subsequent film La Corona was also nominated for an Academy Award. Double Dare itself won the Audience Award at AFI, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Independent Film Festival of Boston, Sonoma Valley Film Festival as well as Best Documentary at the Woodstock Film Festival.

This documentary complements the Chick’s interviews with stunt pros. Stuntwomen Luci Romberg (Indiana Jones 4, Zombieland, Ninja Warrior) and La Faye Baker (Mission: Impossible 2, Lethal Weapon 3) have each told us that the hardest part of the job is not the physical exertion and it’s not the danger. No, it’s the arduous process of repeatedly finding work.

It’s available on Netflix, but if you’re in or around New York in the upcoming week, you can enjoy a special treat because Manhatten’s IFC Theater will hold a special showing of the film as part of their “Stranger Than Fiction” series, and director Amanda Micheli will participate in a post-film Q&A. STF executive director Raphaela Neihausen tells us that tickets for the documentary series frequently sell out, so if you’re interested, you might want to check early.

WHEN: Tues, Nov 24 at 8 pm.

WHERE: IFC Center 323 Sixth Ave. @ 3rd St. (take the subway to West 4th St stop)

TICKETS & MORE INFO: http://stfdocs.com/films/double_dare/