Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

ShangLuda Admirable film.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

lazytime BEEFCAKE is a mess. A mix of documentary and narrative feature, the film is a frustrating failure. When the focus is on archival footage and interviews with fascinating people like Jack LaLanne and Joe Dallesandro, it works. But then it shifts to actors to present the Bob Mizer story. And boy oh boy, are they bad actors. Even the copious amount of male flesh on display can't save BEEFCAKE. Also frustrating is the naive and sugarcoated way Mizer is portrayed. According to BEEFCAKE, Mizer just loved helping people and pleasing his customers and was practically asexual. Puh-lease. It's as if the filmmakers did not want to "go there." LaLanne must have been embarrassed to be involved in what could have been a decent documentary. Listen, if you really want to see skin, rent a porno or get those French rugby team videos from Dieux Du Stade. And if you're interested in the Athletic Model Guild and Mizer's work, seek out the old Physique Pictorials and/or the complete book compilation instead. I cringe just thinking about this movie.

Tom-207 Bob Mizer photographed handsome young men for "physical culture" magazines that appealed to gay men when little other literature for them existed. The narrative part of the film about Mizer's life and activities seems two-dimensional in its production and dramatic values--perhaps intentional stylistically. It shows Mizer in his photography studio with his models, whom he found as they literally stepped off the bus from across the country--young men who were new to Los Angeles. In fact, most of the film was shot in a studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia: Canadian sources provided some of the funding.The documentary footage provides interviews with people from the larger California health and fitness culture, like Jack La Lanne, the pioneer health and exercise guru. Born in 1914, he was still active at the time of the film. Along with others, like Joe D'Allesandro, a model and actor (discovered first by Mizer and brought to greater fame by Andy Warhol), the interviews offer an interesting counterpoint to the narrative that seems stronger than the dramatic part of the film. The different segments are linked by a mixed chorus of singers using a style popular in fifties commercials.On a professional level, Mizer was a meticulous artist who took great care with his photography, creating a new genre. Perhaps later films will explore this in depth.

harry-76 The makers of this film set a bit of a challenge for themselves. How to make an interesting movie about the world of magazine photography. The subject in this case is one that hasn't been comprehensively covered before: male physique photography. Generally speaking, in 30s the emphasis was on art, in the 40s on fitness, in the 50s on sensuality, and in the 60s on sexuality. The film explores all aspects of this industry by focusing on a few of the top photographers and their models. Surprisingly, not all participants had the same ideas or experiences about their work, nor the same recollections. In fact, these folk seemed to rather enjoy their work, which did emphasize a healthy, fit body. The relationships of the models emerges as congenial and brotherly, and the photographic activity as engaging. As in any "entertainment type industry" there were some over-the-top kibitzing, which in some cases digressed into rather kinky goings on. Still, the makers of this film manage to remain light hearted about most of it, while allowing some top models and fitness stars to share their memories in short commentary episodes. For those who were not into this area, they could simply not buy the magazines nor be concerned about the whole matter. For those who found this an area of interest, they were free to make their own choices. What caused problems were conflict with the law, which itself may be controversial. These clashes are also presented here in enactments. It was interesting to see Joe D'Allesandro, well remembered from some of Andy Warhol's films, being interviewed--and what a candid, down to earth personality he is. The fellows, though, come across as having a good time. While it may not be the most ambitious of professions, modeling at least keeps one off the streets -- that is, almost everyone.

AnitaR I really enjoyed this! I guess you'd call it a docu-drama, since it's a mixture of reality and re-enactment. The story of Max Wiser and the "Physique" magazines of the fifties was funny, sad, and startling. There were interviews with former members of the "Athletic Models Guild", and lots of male nudity. C---, a movie buddy, asked me if I found that a turn-on. Mostly I didn't, though it was interesting to see which young men came across in the pictures as personalities, and which were just standing there flexing.