Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel is a 2009 documentary film directed by Brigitte Berman about Hugh Hefner, creator of Playboy magazine. Berman previously directed the Academy Award-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got.[1]
Selected cast
The documentary includes clips and interviews with:
- Hugh Hefner
- Josh White
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Sammy Davis Jr
- Joan Baez
- Jim Brown
- Dick Cavett
- Pat Boone
- Susan Brownmiller
- Gene Simmons
- Jenny McCarthy
- Mike Wallace
- Dick Gregory
- Tony Curtis
- Shannon Tweed
- Jesse Jackson
- Tony Bennett
- James Caan
- David Steinberg
- George Lucas
- Ruth Westheimer (Dr. Ruth)
- Bill Maher
- Pete Seeger
Production
It was also produced by Berman, along with Peter Raymont and Victor Solnicki. Neither Hefner nor his company had any formal role in the making of the documentary, though he gave the filmmakers considerable access.[2] The documentary filmed from 10 January 2008 to 31 August 2008 in Ontario.[3]
Release and reception
The film opened on 30 July 2010 in Los Angeles.[4] in only four theaters for three days grossing $10,000—$2,500 per theater.[5]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 59% of 54 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.4 out of 10.[6] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 55 based on 16 reviews.[7]
Further reading
- Puente, Maria (28 July 2010). "Hugh Hefner Documentary Reveals More Than Pretty Faces". USA Today.
- Sherman, Betsy (10 August 2010). "Review: Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel". The Boston Phoenix. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012.
References
- ^ Corliss, Richard (31 July 2010). "Hugh Hefner Documentary: Airbrushed". Time. Time Warner. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ Klein, Andy (28 July 2010). "New documentary paints an airbrushed portrait of Hugh Hefner". The Brand X Daily. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Production in Ontario 2008" (PDF). Ontario Media Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
- ^ Goldstein, Gary (30 July 2010). "Movie review: 'Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, and Rebel (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ "Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 October 2011.