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How to Be a Man

Name: How to Be a Man
Director: Chadd Harbold
Released: 2013
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

3.5/10

Limited

2013

Not Rated

Director

Chadd Harbold

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

How to Be a Man operates within a traditional comedic framework emphasizing patriarchal values. The story revolves around a father teaching his unborn son through crude lessons, reinforcing standard gender roles. The film lacks diverse representation, focusing instead on homogeneous, Anglo-Saxon-centric clichés typical of its genre. While the protagonist's cancer diagnosis adds a layer of vulnerability, the illness primarily serves as a narrative device rather than a deep exploration of disability.

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Category Breakdown

Does How to Be a Man have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film focuses on traditional father-to-son relationships and does not include any non-cisgender identities or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does How to Be a Man portray gender?

Limited

The movie emphasizes traditional masculine roles and lessons on manhood, showing the protagonist's vulnerability through illness but reinforcing patriarchal themes.

How racially and ethnically diverse is How to Be a Man?

Limited

The context provides no indication of a diverse or non-Anglo-Saxon majority cast. The narrative appears to follow standard comedic clichés with potentially homogeneous casting.

How does How to Be a Man represent religion and culture?

Limited

The film highlights traditional family structures and masculine identity, without challenging Western institutions or promoting secular views.

Does How to Be a Man include disability representation?

Fair

The rare cancer diagnosis introduces a health crisis but it is unclear if it offers the character real ability to act or just serves as a plot device.

Present on Screen

The film introduces a layer of vulnerability through the protagonist's battle with cancer.
It explores themes of paternal responsibility and legacy.

Limited or Absent

The narrative lacks representation of non-cisgender identities or LGBTQ+ perspectives.
The film relies on traditional masculine roles without challenging gender norms.
There is no evidence of racial or ethnic diversity within the cast or story.
The portrayal of illness may serve more as a plot device than a meaningful exploration of disability.

Official Synopsis

When former comedian Mark McCarthy is faced with a rare form of cancer, he hires a young, impressionable cameraman to document his crude and comical lessons on what it means to be a man for his unborn son.

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