Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter

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Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter
Stop the Insanity film poster.jpg
Directed by Zeberiah Newman
Produced by
Starring Susan Powter
CinematographyMichiel Thomas
Edited byLeah Turner
Music by
  • Edward Bilous
  • Michelle DiBucci
  • Greg Kalember
Distributed byObscured Releasing
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter is an American documentary film about the life of infomercial guru and fitness icon Susan Powter that is co-produced by actress Jamie Lee Curtis. [1]

Contents

The film's director Zeberiah Newman said that it took him a year to find Powter. Co-producer Jamie Lee Curtis dubbed the documentary an "indictment" of the way society treats older people. [2] [3]

Premise

The film explores 1990s infomercial, motivational speaker, and pop culture fitness icon, Susan Powter's meteoric rise to fame and the aftermath of crippling lawsuits and a bankrupted business which left her living in poverty and fading into obscurity.

Release

The film premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival on June 18, 2025. [4] The film was screened at the Big Bear Film Festival in September 2025. [5] On October 2, 2025, it was announced that Obscured Releasing had acquired the North American distribution right. The film is expected to be released theatrically on November 19, 2025 in Los Angeles, with additional dates and markets to follow. [6]

References

  1. ↑ Finan, Eileen; Sheeler, Jason (October 24, 2024). "Susan Powter's Wallet Gets A Nasty Workout". People .
  2. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (October 31, 2024). "Jamie Lee Curtis' Susan Powter doc shows '90s fitness icon 'standing up' amid 'incredible cruelty' and lost fortune". Entertainment Weekly .
  3. ↑ "Jamie Lee Curtis addresses societal neglect of the elderly in new Susan Powter documentary". The Express Tribune . November 2, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Geena Davis-Led Bentonville Film Festival Announces 2025 Lineup, Honors For Lucy Liu, Al Roker". Deadline . May 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Big Bear Film Festival Slate Includes Openers 'Big Bear Move' and 'Wingman,' Plus John Candy Doc". Variety . August 18, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Obscured Releasing Acquires 'Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter,' Doc on Fitness Pioneer Who Created an Empire Then Disappeared". Deadline. October 1, 2025.
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