Rate It X

Independently-made documentary on the selling of sex in everyday advertising and in adult films and magazines--as seen by disgusted female filmmakers. There's nothing here about selling male models as beefcake; directors Paula De Koenigsberg and Lucy Winer want us to see how women only are exploited by sexist, chauvinist pigs in everything from ads to porno rags. The low-budget isn't obtrusive--we understand exactly what the two woman are after as soon as one of them asks, "Do you feel guilty about what you do?" (Their film does manage to raise some pathetic laughter, however, from the clueless, smug, smirky men interviewed, especially the nudie photographer who pronounces girls as 'goyles'.) Also, for extra measure, we get a circle of military veterans--elderly men, mind you, from the Old School--who are asked such questions as, "Why is it OK for a girl to play baseball and basketball but it's not OK for a boy to play with dolls?" This scene tips us off that De Koenigsberg and Winer are out to stir the pot, but consulting the old guard on matters of what-makes-a-man-a-man is too easy a target. We know what the answers are going to be before we hear them. ** from ****

Incredibly one-sided and biased, Rate It X is barely a documentary. The only point being made is that men are filthy perverts, intent on subjegating women and using them for their personal pleasure. The chosen subjects range from Ugly George, a Manhattan cable TV host who cajoles women into flashing their bodies on camera, to a preacher who would like to return Old Testament values to modern society. All are chosen for their various qualities of ignorance, arrogance, unattractiveness or just plain creepiness. The "erotic" baker is innocent of any crime against women, he merely makes bikini-torso cakes for male customers. Much is made of the fact that the cakes don't have heads. The revelation that men prefer a woman's breasts is less than shocking. A discussion among elderly VFW-types nearly makes a statement about middle-American values in regard to male-female roles, but the film-makers can't come up with anything more incisive to ask than "would you let your son play with dolls?" The advertising industry is put on trial for its use of attractive women in print ads, as if it was inherently evil to show women in their underwear in a women's underwear ad! An extremely narrow and unenlightened attempt to portray men as abusive brutes that fails miserably. Entertaining as an example of bad film-making.

If you're interested about how men view women (at least in the 1980's, but I think it won't change much) then this is a good one to watch. The film offers frank opinions on women from men of different races, ages, and classes. The film quality is cheap and the music is horrible, but these factors really don't have anything to do with the material it presents. It's honest, thus rather explicit.

I found the first adult video game pretty damn funny.

This film is a funny look at a frustrating subject, male sexism in America. The film was certainly ahead of its time in its focus on the things that have now become mainstream and profitable: the sexism inherent in most mass market videogames, the explosion of the porn business in America, and of course, 'Girls Gone Wild'. Yet the film is not just a polemic, it maintains a sense of humor and style throughout. It would be interesting to see what the directors think of how male outlooks have changed, and how they have stayed the same in the decades since the film's release. Much of the industry that was out in public during the 1980s is now hidden in the home. But have attitudes shifted significantly from those so incisively examined in the film?

Although appearing very dated (I assumed it was from the early to mid-seventies but is actually from 1986!) this documentary apparently still packs a wallop! Just read the other "offended" reviews by men to see how effective this film is at pushing buttons. Nothing great in terms of filmmaking, the filmmakers succeed in getting "man on the street" interviews which reveal the horrors of American sexism one after the other, from taxi drivers to veterans, from preachers to pornographers, from bakers to illustrators. The final interview is the most disturbing as it shows the incredible level of denial a the cartoonist from Hussler has before he feigns to smack his daughter.

UGH! Sad to see how little we have progressed since then.