alicesalisbury It's a little like the director watched a documentary once and said 'Yeah, like the idea but ya know what would make this better - less analysis and more boobs'. It is a docu-drama about Hugh Hefner, so there's no point getting upset by naked ladies or the objectification of women, that's sort of the point. But that's no excuse for the total lack of insight, cultural analysis or fresh perspectives. In fact, it's the flimsy content in the serious bits that makes the parade of girls feel skeezy. You can't help feeling they've been put in less because that was the reality of the situation (though I'm sure it was) and more because the writer/ director/ actors couldn't think of another way to fill screen time. If you're hoping for a documentary version of Madmen - sumptuously stylish but also searingly insightful about the mindset of the era - this isn't it. The snazzy suits and tasteful furniture is there, but none of the intelligent observation. It's a shame. This is a fascinating period in American cultural development and, love him or hate him, HH was at the heart of it; perhaps not driving things single handed in the way this documentary is desperate to suggest, but defiantly right there in the middle. If you love the Hef and already buy into his myth you'll probably like this. If you are expecting genuine insight, or even just halfway decent acting, then this falls flat on it's bunny-tailed behind.

vapingcookie This series would've been a 10/10 for me except for the last episode. I absolutely loved seeing the story of Hef's life--there was so much I didn't know about him. I just can't get past the fact that he never even named his girlfriends before Crystal--when Holly, Bridget, and Kendra were a huge part of his life (and revenue!) for years. The show makes it seem like Holly and company were just some of the random girls he was around, yet he didn't mind making a whole show about their lives. I get that he and Holly didn't end on good terms--but that should have been a part of the story. I have a hard time believing the other parts of it now. Such a shame, it was perfection before the BS of the last episode.

TheMovonka "American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story" is an interesting way of modern biography to invite viewers to be part of the history of an empire led and built by Hugh Hefner and his long term comrades.With the meanwhile usual approach of reenacting key scenes in the development of the Playboy Magazine including its whole empire by young actors as Matt Whelan or various actresses to embody famous playmates over the years, a young generation can experience the roller-coaster of a successful enterprise and the life of its founder.By combining the recreated series plots with original footage, interviews and pictures, Amazon offers a well-structured and entertaining documentary to feel informed and motivated for own ventures to build, own ways to pursue and own values to live for. Despite the ten episodes are well cut to deliver high points in the 60 year Playboy story, highs and lows repeat especially concerning the way how positive Hefs life, decisions or thoughts are presented. In the light of personal tragedies, business decisions or love dramas, the series is a little too black and white instead of fair gray to reality besides a questionable impersonation of Hugh Hefner by the quite different looking main actor. This does not lower any entertainment, but gives away mostly idealistic opinions only. You may all challenge by yourself, is Hef really happy, wasn't he quite fake to his first wife and kids, is he true to himself anyhow and is Playboy lying about their core business model to avoid critiques? I say, have fun in discussing it after being pulled in into the world of Business, Boys and Bunnies of Playboy.

cloudsponge Fascinating and riveting. As much as this presentation covers it still just scratches the surface, so there are any number of things that are not touched on, but what there is gives us an overview of his superlative career. There is a bit of hagiography going on so we see Hef only in the best light. There are things here that have expanded my knowledge and corrected some misunderstandings. Watching this I realize how deeply influenced I have been by Hugh Hefner and his empire. Sex IS good. War IS bad. We are all human under the skin: all races, nationalities, religions, sexes and sexual orientations. It isn't such a bad idea to let loose and enjoy life once in a while and have a good time. I liked the structure, the mix of documentary footage and dramatizations slipping from one to the other as two different ways to tell the storyI realized how much I used to really love the illustrations in the magazine. Some of the best artwork and artists ever, in the past.