Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2009)
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60% of critics liked it
(45 reviews) -
67% of users liked it
(362 ratings)
An intimate look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner's fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Rare footage and compelling interviews with a remarkable who's who of 20th Century… More An intimate look at the outspoken, flamboyant founder of the Playboy empire. With humor and insight, the film captures Hefner's fierce battles with the government, the religious right and militant feminists. Rare footage and compelling interviews with a remarkable who's who of 20th Century American pop culture, present a brilliant and entertaining snapshot of the life of an extraordinary man and the controversies that surrounded him. -- (C) Phase 4
- Directed By
- Brigitte Berman
- Genres
- Documentary, Special Interest
R,
- In Theaters
- Jul 30, 2010 Limited
- Studio
- Phase 4 Films
Critic Reviews
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Cliff Doerksen, Chicago Reader
Even after 124 minutes of praise he still seems like a sad bastard.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Hefner's Playboy Foundation fought for civil liberties in general. The cost for these activities came out of his profits, and that didn't give him a moment's pause.
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
A studiously airbrushed portrait of its subject, this obsequious biography of Hugh Hefner highlights his undeniable and important good works, while skirting any serious effort at context or psychological insight.
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Claudia Puig, USA Today
This is not a probing examination of Hef in all his complexity.
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Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR
This eye-opening documentary reveals the mensch beneath the moolah, the ardent social reformer beneath the paisley-patterned shirts.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
- Hugh Hefner
- Joan Baez
- Tony Bennett
- Pat Boone
- Fr. Malcom Boyd
- Ray Bradbury
- Jim Brown
- Susan Brownmiller
- Vincent Bugliosi
- James Caan
- Dick Cavett
- Robert Culp
- Tony Curtis
- Linda Gordon
- Dick Gregory
- Tim Hauser
- Keith Hefner
- Jesse Jackson
- Burt Joseph
- Dr. Lois Lee
- Nat Lehrman
- George Lucas
- Bill Maher
- Jenny McCarthy
- Vicki McCarty
- Barry Melton
- Mary Beth O'Connor
- Art Paul
- Dennis Prager
- Dick Rosenzweig
- Loretta Sanchez
- Pete Seeger
- Eldon Sellers
- Gene Simmons
- David Steinberg
- Shannon Tweed
- Mike Wallace
- Dr. Ruth Westheimer
- Gahan Wilson
- Larry Adler
- Lenny Bruce
- William F. Buckley Jr.
- Country Joe and the Fish
- Miles Davis
- Sammy Davis Jr.
- Dorothy Donegan
- Bobbie Doyle
- Jerry Falwell
- Gateway Singers
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Alex Haley
- Charles Keating
- Lambert, Hendricks and Ross
- Max Lerner
- Dr. David Reuben
- Buddy Rich
- Gore Vidal
- Josh White, Sr.
- Christie Hefner
