Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist and Rebel is a 2009 documentary film directed by Brigitte Berman about Hugh Hefner, creator of Playboy magazine. Berman previously directed the Academy Award-winning documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got.

Selected cast

The documentary includes clips and interviews with:

Production

It was also produced by Berman, along with Peter Raymont and Victor Solnicki. Neither Hefner nor his company had any formal role in the making of the documentary, though he gave the filmmakers considerable access. The documentary filmed from 10 January 2008 to 31 August 2008 in Ontario.

Release and reception

The film opened on 30 July 2010 in Los Angeles. in only four theaters for three days grossing $10,000—$2,500 per theater. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 59% of 54 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6.4 out of 10. Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 55 based on 16 reviews.