Docuseries review: American Playboy

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content/reviews/series/american-playboy.md

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+title = "American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story"
+date = 2020-11-05
+
+[taxonomies]
+tags = ["reviews", "series", "playboy", "amazon", "hugh hefner"]
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+
+[IMDB Summary](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5968748/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3):
+The Amazon Original Series draws from unprecedented access to more than 17,000
+hours of footage and over 2,600 scrapbooks from Hefner's personal archives,
+chronicling the life of an American icon and the history of the brand he
+created.
+
+<!-- more -->
+
+{{ stars(stars=1) }}
+
+A series about Hugh Hefner, creator of the "Playboy" magazine. And, more than
+than, a series *for* Hugh Hefner.
+
+One sided documentary/docuseries is not something new, but I can remember
+something so blatantly for the subject like this before.
+
+Oh sure, Hefner came with an idea for a entering-adulthood-male magazine and
+managed to interview some important personalities, give tips on wines and music
+and clothing. And have naked women on them.
+
+But, oh look, Playboy interviews Malcolm X, look like progressive they are! Oh,
+look, they are showing a black woman naked on their pages! Oh, look, Penthouse
+shows up, showing more risqué content, but Playboy won't do that with their
+women, 'cause they are not about this. Oh no, poor Hefner is being attacked by
+feminists for showing women as objects, and he can't understand, 'cause he
+feels he's liberating and empowering them!
+
+(Although I reckon feminists are right on this one, one can't stop thinking how
+Playboy also treated men as objects: buy this, drink that, listen to this;
+otherwise, you're not cool. Not in the same proportion, I understand, but
+still...)
+
+Oh, and Hefner? Focused on his business and not his (first) family, but that's
+a problem with the way he was raised, not his. Oh, bad things, Hefner divorce,
+but they are still friends. But fret not, one model caught his eyes and BLAM!
+Love at the first sight! But it didn't last. Poor Hefner. But oh look, another
+model! Another love at first sight! They are really meant to be together.
+Except they don't 'cause she turned singer and he went to have afairs. How can
+Hefner be happy if there isn't a woman near him? But don't be sad, they are
+still friends. ANOTHER model caught his eye! They immediately fall in love. And
+it lasts till they divorce, but hey, there are still friends! Another model!
+(Rinse, repeat).
+
+The love life of Hefner is one of the things that made me really pissed. He
+openly admits he can't be alone, his affairs are sidelined, ex-wifes always say
+he's so loving, just *one* admits she didn't like that he wanted an open
+marriage for him and not for her and one you can clearly see that she does not
+want to have Hef around, looks annoyed in the filming, but the narration said
+they divorce and are "friends".
+
+This is the kind of thing that push a documentary down. There are no downsides
+of Hefner: He's loving, he's successful and he got ideas. Things he did wrong?
+No, no things wrong, he's perfect!
+
+The series is interesting around the initial episodes, showing the steps in the
+creation of the Playboy magazine. But then it gets into this "social aspect" of
+the magazine, and doesn't pip a thing about Hefner affairs, and it gets
+annoying as fuck.