Reitman: 'Super-Ex' is a romantic comedy

NEW YORK, July 18 (UPI) -- Uma Thurman may wear a cape and fight evil in it, but director Ivan Reitman says "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is a romantic comedy, not a superhero flick.

In theaters Friday, the film stars Thurman as a super-heroine who gets dumped by her boyfriend (Luke Wilson) for being too possessive and clingy.

"I wanted to do a romantic comedy and, you know, it's really hard to do an original one; to find some new twist on the girl and boy story," the "Animal House" and "Ghostbusters" filmmaker told UPI in a recent phone interview.

"This has all the elements of a classic romantic comedy; except it has one sci-fi element and that's that one character has these special powers and that shifts all of the dynamics between the men and the women in the story," Reitman said. "I thought there was a great opportunity for comedy in that."

A lifelong fan of comic books and the films they've inspired, Reitman emphasized he wanted to make a romantic comedy, not a movie that pokes fun of the "super-hero ethic."

"I just started asking questions ... How does she conduct her life? Is it possible to have a real relationship?"