Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
From America's greatest beardsman, to Morgan Spurlock's own mustache, Executive Producers Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Ben Silverman bring us a hilarious look at men's identity in the 21st century. Models, actors, experts and comedians weigh in on what it is to be a man in a world where the definition of masculinity has become as diverse as a hipster's facial hair in Williamsburg. The hilarious follicles of men's idiosyncratic grooming habits are thoroughly combed over as men finally take a long hard look in the mirror.
Mansome is a lightweight Morgan Spurlock documentary that mines mildly amusing territory in men's grooming and masculinity, buoyed by celebrity talking heads and comedic segments. The plot is episodic and unfocused, lacking a compelling through-line beyond loosely connected vignettes about beards and vanity. Acting/participation from the celebrity guests and subjects is uneven and often feels staged. Cinematography is functional and unremarkable, typical of mid-budget documentary work. Novelty earns a slight bump for its specific comedic angle on male grooming culture and identity, which was relatively fresh for 2012, though it never digs deep enough to be truly distinctive. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying, failing to coalesce the scattered threads into any meaningful conclusion.