Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Vultural ~ Sheesh, another Morgan Spurlock documentary. Male grooming - appearance - how men behold themselves - females point of view. Shallow work here, that skittered from one topic to another and lingered too long on marginal aspects (eg: the beard competition). Beards, mustaches, haircuts, toupees, all discussed for no apparent point. Men have always grown or worn those - who cares? Section of the product "Fresh Balls" was funny as anything. Also the older male comments that the current fad for body shaving is turning men into Barbie dolls. Film should have followed that path. Instead this is a time waster with no focus. Spurlock strikes me as more agreeable than Michael Moore, probably better to have a drink with. His output, however, causes me to think he is running out of things to say.

ecby6887 'Mansome', a 2012 documentary directed by Morgan Spurlock (of 'Supersize Me' fame), seeks to answer the following questions about manliness in today's society: Have commonly accepted ideas of "men" changed with the advent of "manscaping", grooming, and the more commonly accepted "metrosexual" look? The documentary is advertised as having an all-star cast of Judd Apatow-esque "crude comedy" actors (Zach Galifianakis, Paul Rudd, Jason Bateman, etc) answering questions in "candid interviews" about their own personal struggle with being comfortable in their "gender role". In actuality, these actors answer questions briefly, and are truly only there for comic relief and to transition the documentary into the next subject. They are rarely seen. (I believe Zach Galifianakis is only in the film for a short one minute clip or so.) Actually, I was a little nonplussed in the way the movie was advertised. It's as if these "stoner comedy" characters were the epitome of manliness. (It almost made my heart break for the future of humanity.)Mansome originally caught my eye on my Netflix account because I teach a unit in my 12th grade curriculum on Media and Gender Portrayal. We talk quite a bit about (and try to come to some conclusion or consensus of) what it means to be a man in today's society and how the media panders to, or cultivates our understanding of "manliness" and gender roles. In the past, I've shown various parts of documentaries, and I think that with the changing view towards masculinity in our society, I would like to add various clips of different types of portrayals of men. The documentary unfolds in distinct sections, starting with a discussion about Morgan Spurlock's mustache. Spurlock talks about how his mustache has become a part of his identity, and struggles with shaving it off. The purpose of shaving it off is slightly unclear, except that he needs a "change", as he's had the 'stache for most of his life. He finally shaves it off, has an identity crisis, his daughter cries at the sight of his face, and he decides that he made a huge mistake by shaving. Although, as a woman, I don't understand the emotional connection to a mustache or facial hair, I can understand how hair (for me, my long blonde hair that I cut short once, and felt like a completely different person) can sometimes define you and become a part of your identity. A perfect example is a friend of mine, who whenever anyone asks about him, the first comment from his circle of friends is, "He just has a really solidly grown beard!" The entire segment did feel a little contrived, however, as if the purpose of the documentary from the first 20 mins was to explain that to men, appearance is everything. I don't find this to be true or even a compelling message to analyze and deconstruct as a statement on masculinity.This segment is shortly followed by a bearded wonder, a gentleman who considers himself a "beardsman" and competes in "beard competitions" internationally. At this point, although a hilarious segment, I couldn't possibly believe what I was watching. The entire rest of the movie seems to go for the "humor" aspect, completely disregarding the essential question that the film presented from the first segment. Other ideas presented in the film review body products, hair products, the male physique, and hair loss. The audience has limited interaction with Morgan Spurlock (except for his mustache-shaving incident of 2012 as the first scene). This is a far cry from Spurlock's previous endeavors in documentary film making, where he's been actively involved in narrating and crafting a plot, focus, and call to action in his films. Actually, you wouldn't even know that Morgan Spurlock was the director if you didn't see his name in the opening credits. The documentary pulls from so many interview sources (some famous people, some people we don't know or care about) and uses the rhetorical appeals of ethos ("credible sources", like Zach Galifianakis, who makes a point to reference his qualifications to discuss beards because of his solid beard) and pathos (an emotional appeal, like where some women talk about kissing a gentleman with a beard), but uses very little, if any at all, logical statements or statistics. The film itself is very minimalistic. Interviews were conducted in front of a gray colored wall, and these interviews are used for transition pieces to each segment of the film. The rest of the film is primarily filmed on location, and is an expository documentary film. My ultimate review is that while this film is pretty entertaining and amusing from an over- the-top character perspective, the message of masculinity seems a little one-dimensional and falls flat. I would not actually take this film as anything more than riding on the coat tails of current trends in society. If you're looking for something funny, you will probably enjoy this film. If you're looking for something that actually attacks the questions I listed above, this will not do it for you.

Movie_Muse_Reviews What does it mean to be a man? That question has been asked by everyone from anthropologists and sociologists to your literal average joe. "Mansome" looks at this age-old topic from the perspective of the modern trend in male grooming, and by that I mean the recent pop-culture awareness of centuries-old male grooming.Documentarian Morgan Spurlock has always been fascinated by certain cultures, so to speak, and in exploring several characters that are either employed by or at least somewhat preoccupied with the male aesthetic, he attempts to uncover some truths about how men feel about their appearance and how the appearance of men matters in society. He even turns the camera on himself as a mustache-wearer to understand the significance of facial hair.The subject matter warrants a more open conversation just considering the taboo of men openly discussing the connection they feel between their bodies and their self-esteem. At the same time, Spurlock comes at it with too wide a lens; "Mansome" would work much better as a series of 45 to 60 minute documentaries on each of the "sections" he covers: mustaches, beards, hair, body hair, the face, etc. As he does so well, Spurlock finds great subjects to follow in each category, people unaware that the microscope is on them psychologically as people as much as it is their facial hair or whatever category of grooming they fall under. We see people with egos, pure narcissists and people more honest about the superficiality of it all. Between sections of the film we are presented with light bits between Will Arnett and Jason Bateman at a day spa discussing nothing of any true relevance to the big picture of the documentary. In fact, it feels as though the "Arrested Development" stars are acting as the public perception of themselves, not just being themselves, and the whole thing comes across as Spurlock using his Hollywood clout to bring some attention to his film."Mansome" also beefs up its resume with interviews featuring Judd Apatow, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis and other notable personalities who can offer amusing insights into "manscaping." Although hearing more from the experts Spurlock interviews would probably bring more depth to the plots of the many subjects of the film, they help with the film's entertainment factor in a way few docs can.Ultimately, the film raises a lot of interesting questions but never gets the chance to follow through on any of them. The gears will start turning for viewers who have never considered the topic, but there's nothing mind-altering to be found. The most that can be gleaned is that men take grooming with varying degrees of seriousness, and their choice to do so can either be considered highly unnecessary or liberating.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit moviemusereviews.com

BlindMan-11 Was Justin Bateman kidding? This was more like a school project for summer. The filming and editing was so amateur that I do wonder who he got to hold and focus (if it was even a person doing it and not a chimp) is beyond me.The subject was interesting but it went nowhere. It is more like a teenage boys hangup with hair and then balding men's hangup with the lack of hair. My God, it was all about hair and then it went on and on with each subject about their hair.This was painful to watch but I do give each movie the full chance so I do watch from the beginning to the end.To make this a good movie it should be just the opening credits and the closing credits and leave out all the foolishness in between.Justin, come on man - are you on crack? The only good line in the movie was - Back, Sac and Crack...