Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel

This is a gushing unbalanced Canadian documentary praising the Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.

It hits on all the highlights from the beginning. It's mostly about Playboy and its influence.

There are a lot of famous talking heads, some of which are kind of surprising.

But the rebuttal talking heads are really limited and sticking to the well worn arguments.

It covers a lot of history. But it's one sided. Maybe the filmmaker should ask for a second opinion.

Playboy's PR department could not have produced a more fawning, laudatory "documentary". Hefner is portrayed as a champion of civil rights and a messianic defender of the 1st Amendment. More recent documentaries depict someone whose motivations were not so selfless.

I admit I only watched bits and pieces of this, well, whatever it is - documentary? Tribute? Position paper? The problem I have with these things - much like PBS' anti-creationist propaganda or Bill Maher - is that they pick some of the lamest opponents to make it look like they are presenting a complete picture, when really they're just straw dogs. And I don't want to be completely hypocritical, I looked at my share of Playboys in my time. I agree with some of Hef's beliefs and disagree with others. So the question is, is Hef a modern martyr for his beliefs or does he just pose as the coolest guy in town? Sorry, but I've always seen Hef as an opportunist who likes women a lot and has interesting views on behavior with women, sort of the ultimate urban alpha male who spends at least part of his time justifying his inappropriate lifestyle. This movie didn't change my mind. I really wasn't offended, I just hope people don't watch this and think Hef is the Pope. He's not, but he sure is one rich guy with a cool image and a lot of girls.

"To objectify women, or to not objectify women" - Is this the question one asks of Mr. Hugh Hefner, the ultimate, most-admired playboy of them all?

For the most part - This well-researched, bio-documentary, chronicling the mega-success of Hugh Hefner (and his naughty-but-nice men's magazine, Playboy), was a very intriguing look at an iconic pop culture figure who has certainly had his fair share of controversial highs and lows.

The first hour of this documentary was, of course, the best. It diligently covered the first 20 years (1953-1973) of astounding success for Playboy magazine - A truly phenomenal magazine that was specifically geared to the hip, swinging bachelor (who apparently lurks inside most men).

Competently directed by Canadian film-maker, Brigitte Berman, this enjoyable documentary not only featured lots of excellent vintage footage, and interviews with scores of celebrities, but Hugh Hefner, himself (82 at the time and clearly on his best behaviour) offered the viewer the "real" story behind the money, the power, and, yes, the sex of Playboy magazine.

Fifty years ago or so, I read a letter-to-the-editor in Playboy that went something like this: "Playboy is a magazine for yokels." Even though I was a subscriber, I sort of knew what the correspondent meant. There was something cheesy about the hip bachelor image that Hefner lived and espoused. Despite the great stories by Jean Shepard, the beautiful Vargas paintings, and the lovely naked girls-next-door, it struck me that the Playboy Philosophy was just too damned cornball in the end. The nighttime TV series "Playboy Penthouse" which aired around the same time was equally corny, what with the thirty-plus aged men in their Nehru jackets and medallions pretending to enjoy watching Spanky and Our Gang lip-synching a pop tune.

This puff-piece of a documentary is just as cheesy, just as corny, as the magazine was back then and would continue to be as the years progressed. "Entertainment for Yokels" should be the motto of the magazine and it sure would apply to this silly (albeit entertaining) film.