Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel played in key cities to fair reviews. • Steven Rea wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "...makes a strong case for Hefner as a consistent and underappreciated champion of racial equality and sexual emancipation. But that emancipation had a dark side." • And Joe Williams wrote in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "...the portrait of the man behind the bunnies is unrevealing." More Reviews Below...
Richard Corliss, Time: FAIR "...considering that the subject's portrait is airbrushed to the point of idealized cartoonery, you could say that, in this movie, Hugh Hefner is his own centerfold."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,854 words, 07/31/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...glosses over the 'playboy' part of his persona and focuses on the 'activist and rebel' aspects of his life as well as his humanitarianism."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 152 words, 07/01/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...doting, overlong hagiography... the film is too busy promoting St. Hugh to offer serious discussion of his life.... Hefner remains a mystery in the film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 07/30/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...an involving look at an American icon as well as an adept snapshot of our national zeitgeist from the McCarthy era through the Reagan years."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 07/30/10
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fascinating look at the birth of the first 'men's' magazine and the empire that accompanied it, which influenced generations, and decades of pop culture..."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 733 words, 08/06/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The peddler of mass-market decadence with a history of editorial stances is a worthy topic, but it's bypassed for a familiar culture-wars narrative."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 07/28/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...seems to be skirting around the edges... if you leave out 'octogenarian mammophile' and 'calendar fetishist,' you leave something essential out of the story."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 655 words, 08/06/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "No one's there to say that he could fuck whoever he wanted - and did.... Berman doesn't notice the profound inequality embedded in Hefner's idea of sexual liberation."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 08/05/10
KEY CITIES (6 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: MODERATE(cg) "...takes a mostly uncritical look at the man known almost universally as Hef.... truth be told, you've got to give the man some credit."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 537 words, 07/30/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: MODERATE(cg) "...makes a strong case for Hefner as a consistent and underappreciated champion of racial equality and sexual emancipation. But that emancipation had a dark side."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 811 words, 08/13/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: POOR(cg) "A studiously airbrushed portrait... highlights Hefner's undeniable and important good works, while skirting any serious effort at context or psychological insight."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 09/24/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "One wants to find enlightenment -- or at least entertainment -- in this reconsideration of Playboy and of Hefner. But it's tainted."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 767 words, 08/13/10
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...if you want to see an entertaining documentary that shows what Hefner does besides standing around smiling, this is a good bet."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 08/20/10
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice/LA Weekly: WEAK "The peddler of mass-market decadence with a history of editorial stances is a worthy topic, but it's bypassed for a familiar culture-wars narrative."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 274 words, 07/28/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "No one's there to say that he could fuck whoever he wanted - and did.... Berman doesn't notice the profound inequality embedded in Hefner's idea of sexual liberation."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 595 words, 08/05/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...doting, overlong hagiography... the film is too busy promoting St. Hugh to offer serious discussion of his life.... Hefner remains a mystery in the film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 07/30/10
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...an involving look at an American icon as well as an adept snapshot of our national zeitgeist from the McCarthy era through the Reagan years."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 07/30/10
Rob Nelson, Daily Variety: WEAK "By the time this oddly chaste, celebrity-studded film gets around to mentioning Hef's abiding love of animals, even a Bunny will want to hop elsewhere."(See all of Rob Nelson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 09/14/09
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD "...a revealing portrayal of a committed individual whose passions extended well beyond the fabled walls of the Playboy Mansion.... engaging -- if a tad lengthy..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 435 words, 09/11/09
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...an involving look at an American icon as well as an adept snapshot of our national zeitgeist from the McCarthy era through the Reagan years."(See all of Gary Goldstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 241 words, 07/30/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: WEAK "...doting, overlong hagiography... the film is too busy promoting St. Hugh to offer serious discussion of his life.... Hefner remains a mystery in the film..."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 07/30/10
18.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel's reviews are separated by an average 18.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (21 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel's reviews cover 32.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 12,591 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 600 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 10 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel's reviews on average broke 10 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (21 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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