LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Double Dare: Jeannie Epper
built 640 days ago
As far as "human interest" documentaries go, Double Dare is an absolute winner. Not all docos have to be about dead painters or the Holocaust, and it's refreshing to see a factual flick that peers behind the Hollywood backstages and brings some attention to two distinct characters like Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell.
Source:
Double Dare seems initially to be a respectable but flat tribute to stuntpeople, with Steven Spielberg himself conferring status on Epper and her brood by saying that on his movies, "There are Eppers flying all over the place." But director Amanda Micheli takes the time to follow Bell and Epper over a couple of years, telling an actual story. She catches Epper shortly after she donates a kidney to her good friend, actor Ken Howard. The slow-healing veteran worries about her future and that of her stuntwoman daughter, who's down with a neck injury. Amid the uncertainty, Epper takes Bell on as a kind of surrogate, meeting her first when Bell comes to L.A. for a Xena convention, and inviting her to come along to the 2001 World Stunt Awards.
Source:
Double Dare has that winning combination of good luck and good research. Bell and Epper were very good choices, and the things Micheli was able to capture provide a good range on what can happen, both good and bad. Micheli ... adds a lot of context, providing a brief history of stuntmen and women, as well as a lot of fascinating related material (union meetings, tryouts…). Epper doubled for Lynda Carter in the old Wonder Woman series, and Bell doubled for Xena's Lucy Lawless, and both happily provide gushing (but well deserved) remarks for their counterparts. These actors know that a portion of their success is due to their stuntwomen. And Micheli adds some serious credibility by snagging quick interviews with Quentin Tarantino, and even better, Steven Spielberg.
Source:
Double Dare is a double-barreled, action-packed documentary about two Hollywood stuntwomen, Jeannie Epper and Zoë Bell. Epper, who refuses to retire at sixty-four, doubled for Wonder Woman in the Seventies, and Bell 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.
Some may think Double Dare represents a changing of the guard: as a vibrant novice begins her steady rise, the previous generation plays mentor. But this reading is romanticized, and rather incorrect. Epper actually stands for longevity, not retirement, the example that Bell might follow once all the bright lights disappear. And Bell is far from a babe in the woods. She's damn good at what she does. Double Dare is more about camaraderie than competition.
Source:
Bruce says: "DOUBLE DARE is the story of two stunt women at different points in their career. Jeannie Epper at the age of 62 is the doyenne of Hollywood stuntwomen. Everyone knows and respects her. She has paid her dues many times over yet she still has to make calls every day to drum up business and remind people she is still around. 'It is harder to get the job than it is to do the job,' she points out. Concerned about aging, Jeannie pays visits to specialists to investigate liposuction and other cosmetic possibilities.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Jeannie Epper