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alicesalisbury
Reviews
American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story (2017)
Stylish but lightweight
It's a little like the director watched a documentary once and said 'Yeah, like the idea but ya know what would make this better - less analysis and more boobs'. It is a docu-drama about Hugh Hefner, so there's no point getting upset by naked ladies or the objectification of women, that's sort of the point. But that's no excuse for the total lack of insight, cultural analysis or fresh perspectives. In fact, it's the flimsy content in the serious bits that makes the parade of girls feel skeezy. You can't help feeling they've been put in less because that was the reality of the situation (though I'm sure it was) and more because the writer/ director/ actors couldn't think of another way to fill screen time.
If you're hoping for a documentary version of Madmen - sumptuously stylish but also searingly insightful about the mindset of the era - this isn't it. The snazzy suits and tasteful furniture is there, but none of the intelligent observation. It's a shame. This is a fascinating period in American cultural development and, love him or hate him, HH was at the heart of it; perhaps not driving things single handed in the way this documentary is desperate to suggest, but defiantly right there in the middle. If you love the Hef and already buy into his myth you'll probably like this. If you are expecting genuine insight, or even just halfway decent acting, then this falls flat on it's bunny-tailed behind.