A look at the battles Hugh Hefner fought over the years against the U.S. government, the religious right, and militant feminists.
Director:
Brigitte BermanWriter:
Brigitte Berman
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Title: Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel (2009)
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2 nominations.
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Cast
| Credited cast: | |||
| Larry Adler | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
 |
Bobbie Arnstein | ... | Herself (archive footage) |
| Joan Baez | ... | Herself: Folk Singer / Activist | |
| Count Basie | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Tony Bennett | ... | Himself: Singer | |
| Pat Boone | ... | Himself - Christian Activist, Singer | |
|
|
Malcolm Boyd | ... | Himself: Author (as Reverend Malcolm Boyd) |
| Ray Bradbury | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| Jim Brown | ... | Himself - Social Activist / Retired NFL Player | |
| Susan Brownmiller | ... | Herself: Feminist / Author | |
| Lenny Bruce | ... | Himself (archive footage) | |
| William F. Buckley | ... | Himself (archive footage) (as William F. Buckley Jr.) | |
| Vincent Bugliosi | ... | Himself: Attorney / Author (as Vince Bugliosi) | |
| James Caan | ... | Himself | |
| Dick Cavett | ... | Himself: TV Talk Show Host | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
An revealing 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. Written by Brigitte Berman
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for graphic nudity and sexual content | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
CanadaLanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 June 2010 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Hugh Hefner See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$11,145, 1 August 2010, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$21,878, 8 August 2010Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
|Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalAspect Ratio:
16:9 HD
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Did You Know?
Alternate Versions
After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009 in a 135 min. version, the film was later trimmed down to its current 124 minutes length. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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For one thing I think this Hugh Hefner documentary is quite complete regarding the content, after watching it I think I learned all there is to know about Hugh Hefner; Hefner really open up when he's interviewed, there's plenty of archive footage, newspapers clippings and Playboy Magazine excerpts in it that are shown to shown to the viewers... But I can't get over this feeling that more could have been done, in my opinion this documentary is cold, there's absolutely no emotions in it... When we compare it to a masterpiece like Hollywood producer Robert Evans 2002 biography "The Kid Stays In The Picture" we can understand that a lot more could have been done to make this a real powerful work of art... In the Robert Evans documentary there's plenty of beautiful powerful music, the pictures are vivid and look as if they were created by a real painter it's a real eye candy and there's a narrator who guide us through the whole picture, all this help make that an unforgettable documentary... In this Hugh Hefner dodumentary there's plenty of peoples interviewed but there's nothing to glue them together, the viewer is left assembling the pieces of the puzzle bhy himself which demand a lot of concentration, I think doing it that way cases the viewer to make extra efforts to understand the story... If a narrator would have presented us on a gold platter what is important to remember in the story like they did in the Robert Evans biography watching would have been somewhat less difficult... I may seem picky but as goes the saying "the devil is in the details"... Also they presented us a lot of interviews bits with various peoples but no one was really important, who cares about what Pat Boones or Gene Simmons have to say about Playboy, in my opinion Hugh Hefner would have deserved interviews with former presidents, Clint Eastwood and David Letterman for example... Overall I would say this Hugh Hefner documentary is well researched and worth watching, but it's a shame nobody did the real official Playboy worthy documentary that Hugh Hefner deserved before he dies... This is more a cheap made-for-TV movie rather than a professional Michael Moore-like feature...