Men's Lives

With the rise of the women's movement in America, men have been forced to question, to some extent, male stereotypes and the roles they're expected to play. This rather twee documentary never gets much beyond asking very general questions, alternating between half-baked theorising and studying a variety of male groups, from the children's playground through to the student dance. The film largely ignores the gap between a male ideal and various interpretations of that ideal, and also skates over the implications of language and its emotional charges. When there's the curious contradiction of an 'effeminate' young male dancer defending himself in classic macho terms - 'A man is someone who will stand up for what he thinks is right' - the film fails to even notice the wires crossing.