'SuperFan' Review: The All-American Rejects Make a Strong Vertical Drama Debut

Beyond her review, Vertical Drama Explorer contributor Sarah Gomez shares exclusive insights from the creative minds behind the chaotic world of "SuperFan."

If you had told me a few years ago that the All-American Rejects would be starring in their own vertical drama, I would’ve thought you were joking. This is my two personalities colliding: pop/punk rock teen meets vertical drama girlie in her 30s, so I was so excited when I found out about this crossover happening — and on CandyJar, an app known for delivering strong, elevated storytelling!

Vertical dramas are now growing beyond your usual ABCs (Alphas, Billionaires, CEOs) and shifting to a bit more DEF (daring, experimental, and fun). It’s now clearer than ever that the vertical frame is not a limitation, it’s an enabler. So it definitely was just a matter of time before creative minds like AAR jumped on the vertical train.

The poster for "The All-American Rejects: Superfan" | Source: instagram/therejects

Asked how they got into vertical dramas, the members of the All-American Rejects shared:

“Ever since we started our house parties [secret, mini concerts] last year, we disrupted giant corporate gatekeeping companies that are pushing fans away from their artists. We’re, like, ‘How else can we be disruptive in the space as an independent artist?’

Anyone who has seen AAR live or watched their music videos would already know that they can put on a show, and "SuperFan" leans right into that.

Tyson, Nick, Mike, and Chris play fictionalized versions of themselves kidnapped by AAR superfan Danica (played by Anna Lore). Frustrated that they haven’t released anything in 14 years, she finds ways to bring out the tortured energy that once defined their hits. In short, she gives them hell.

This was absolutely campy in every way possible. There is no way I could’ve guessed where things were headed and that kept me glued and entertained with every twist and turn.

For Rejects frontman, Tyson Ritter, the appeal of the format clicked almost immediately:

“I think, escaping Vine culture into short format digestion, it’s hard not to watch one micro drama episode, and go, ‘Oh, I get it.’ Then I was, like, “What happens if we raise the bar? What if we got a little better production, what if we got a director with a vision to elevate the space?” I think it’s gonna happen regardless, and the result was something I couldn’t be happier with.”

The band partnered with US-based vertical drama platform CandyJar, which completely trusted their creative vision no matter how unhinged it got.

"SuperFan" director Michael Reich has been involved in several successful vertical projects such as Vertical Drama Love Awards 2025 Vertical of the Year, "Waterboy," Christmas cult classic, "Daddy December," and similarly unhinged, "I Slept with My Three Werewolf Stepsons." He knows how to commit to the chaos and that’s definitely what a story like "SuperFan" calls for.

Speaking with the author, Reich shares, “The thing I love most about the vertical space is that there are still frontiers left to explore. [...] That's what makes this space so damn exciting," adding:

With a background in music videos, Reich sees a clear parallel between the two formats. He argued that “verticals have the same chaotic blend of style, emotion and spectacle that made music videos feel dangerous and alive in the first place.”

He added that the emerging combination of music videos and vertical dramas could become a significant development in music storytelling, offering extended narrative-driven experiences at a fraction of the cost of MTV-era productions while potentially reaching even larger audiences.

Vertical superstar Eric Guilmette is not only in this as Josh, the manager of the fictionalized Rejects. He is also on board behind the scenes as a producer.

Guilmette shared it “was as fun to create as it looks. To watch something you know will land with the fans of a band and to see it come to life right in front of your eyes is every filmmaker's dream, and we have that with SUPERFAN.”

He hopes to produce more shows like this — and I hope he does, too! This is my favorite Eric Guilmette role ever. As the band’s vain and self-absorbed manager who happens to be Danica’s equally deranged ex, he gets the chance to show a side of him different from his usual brooding hero. He needs to be in comedies more because his comedic timing hits the mark each time.

This isn’t something either vertical drama fans or AAR fans have really seen before. It’s a horror-comedy with some admittedly very niche millennial humor. Some jokes needed you to have been part of the pop rock emo world to understand. And there were so many inside jokes for vertical fans as well, including self-aware references and the stacked cameo moment at the end.

But that’s the charm of "SuperFan": it’s bold, bizarre, and fully committed to its own madness. It proves that vertical dramas have room for every kind of story… as long as you work with people who understand the format and trust the chaos.

Also, I am really enjoying the new AAR album, "Sandbox." The song at the end — King Kong — is a bop, and I’m glad "SuperFan" introduced it to me and to many others who watched it. A win-win for everyone involved.

Watch the trailer: