Tribeca Run Down: Mansome

Before the screening of Mansome I had, had a VERY busy morning and afternoon. I participated in the HIGHLY successful NY Creative Interns: Follow Your Passion Conference (check us out HERE) and was going on a teaspoon sized amount of sleep. With the temporary demise of the E trains, and the stressful day in general, to say I was less than enthusiastic to be going to another event was an understatement. I wanted sleep. Sweet baby Jesus I wanted sleep. However, I managed to arrive to the theater a lot earlier than I expected and was able to soak in my first Tribeca premiere.

Struck By Lightning (starring Glee's Chris Colfer) was just finishing up when I arrived and ecstatic moviegoers (mostly hardcore Gleeks) were panting and squealing, their way out of the theater. Making little clumped up discussion groups outside the entry way, fans were sounding like broken record players with "OH MY GAWDZ" "DID YOU SEE HIM!? ""I CANT WITH LIFE! OMG!" filling the warm NYC air. Suddenly, spurts of camera flashes went off as a waify figure bolted towards a giant SUV parked perfectly for easy entry. The blurry figure was Emma Watson. Though intrigued that she had made it to the film, my reaction was underwhelming compared to the screams that came out of the fans waiting (for what I was assuming Colfer.) After, that moment of hysteria, the fans dispersed (I guess, realizing that Chris wasn't coming) and they started to set up for Mansome.

20 minutes and a survey on whether I knew the sponsors of the Festival (I did. Got a $5 Starbucks gift card) later, the special guests started to arrive. The waiting line immediately became a game of 'Guess that Celebrity'. Gentlemen in fine suits swaggered around like it was their premiere and women in high heels and dresses lifted to the point of no return, started hitting the red carpet.

Russell Simmons coming in.

After a few minutes of spotting Russell Simmons and Morgan Spurlock, the ticket holders shuffled their way into the theater. The security was on point, making sure that the peasants did not go near the press line or the celeb royalty. Now, nothing can kill a buzz more (well, my buzz at least) when people start gawking at celebrities. Like blatant, obvious, staring. I was in the front row and almost everyone was pointing and turning and whispering. Now, I can understand the curiosity and fascination, but it got really old after awhile. Be cool people.

A clean shaven Morgan Spurlock introduces the film and I immediately warm up to him. Even after the success of his past documentaries, he still seems like an average Joe whose just really excited about being in the position he's in.

THE FILM
 Mansome is a documentary looking into the world of "man scaping" and metro sexuality. The film starts off with Will Arnett and Jason Bateman (Arrested Development fans, it's a beautiful thing) getting pampered at a local spa. Their few minutes of banter and idle conversations transition to different sections of the film (The Hair, The Mustache, The Beard, etc.) We meet quirky characters like a business entrepreneur who sells a line of cologne for men's testicles,  a man whose soul purpose in life is to take care of his beard and become the beard growing champ, and the list goes on. This is sprinkled with opinions from doctors, everyday people, and celebrities (The favorite being Zach Galifianakis.) The film is humorous however, it could have easily been shaved by 30 minutes. Some of the profiles ran a tad too long, and you could tell people were starting to get a little antsy. Though the film did raise some interesting points about male beauty, I wouldn't say that this was THE film that opens the door for "man scaping". The film only scratches the surface and is only meant to entertain (not particularly inform.) This is not like Spurlock's other documentaries. You only see him for a small chunk of the film (including a sweet/funny moment when he shaves his mustache and his son has a total melt down.) Mansome was a nice addition to the festival, however, it is not the best out of the bunch. 7.0/ 10

The cast of Mansome for Q & A (more came on stage later)

Sidebars: Morgan said Will Arnett would be onstage to do the  Q & A with the rest of the cast (he was in attendance) however, in the end he never showed up. Did something come up or did he not to even bother? The question up in the air.

Met 2 of my favorite vloggers Andy & Brian of campblood.org. True Blood fans will probably know who they are but if you love horror (or just want some good campiness) then check them out! They are fabulous!