In 1992 Dirk Shafer was voted Playgirl magazine’s Man of the Year. He struggled to promote the company while hiding his homosexuality. Afterwards he produced a mockumentary about the experience, combining archival footage with comic re-enactments. We get insight into the masks queer people wear in their professional lives. But the women involved, and women’s sexuality in general, get treated like jokes. Man of the Year is an amiable film. But it feels like a missed opportunity to discuss some interesting topics.
Let’s have a look in this spoiler filled recap.
Act One: Mr. Right
Scene One: Hotel Room
DIRK SHAFER (handsome model): You’re early.
PLAYGIRL PRODUCER (pushy): Meet the lucky winner of Playgirl’s dream date contest! Our cameras will be following you on your date this evening.
CONTEST WINNER (a nervous young woman): Could I just freshen up?
DIRK SHAFER: The bathroom’s a mess.
PLAYGIRL PRODUCER: She doesn’t mind. She has brothers.
BOYFRIEND: So, I hid in the shower while my boyfriend’s date freshened up.
Scene Two: First Photo Shoot
DIRK SHAFER: I came to LA to act and got stuck doing odd jobs.
GAL PAL: I suggested, as a joke, that you submit photos to Playgirl.
PHOTOGRAPHER FRIEND: I took tasteful nudes, hiding your penis in shadow.
PLAYGIRL EXEC: I said no way. You have to show the goods.
DIRK SHAFER: So, I showed the goods.
Scene Three: Talk Show Montage
DIRK SHAFER: Playgirl asked me to answer their phone hotline. Women and men called to tell me their fantasies. I took notes.
JOAN RIVERS: What do women want?
DIRK SHAFER: Someone who listens. Someone who’ll clean house and cook dinner once and a while. Someone who’ll switch roles.
WOMEN: That’s hot.
STRAIGHT GUY: That’s weird.
GAY ACTIVIST: That’s suspicious.
PHIL DONAHUE: Drop your pants for the best buns contest!
Act Two: Pressure
Scene Four: Ambush
STALKER (A female stripper): I call Dirk’s hotline all the time! We have a real connection! I tracked down his address, but he wasn’t alone.
GAL PAL: Hi! I’m Dirk’s… fiancée! I’m carrying his baby!
STALKER: What! Just make sure she’s telling the truth Dirk! That’s she’s not some lying tramp!
BOYFRIEND: This wasn’t funny anymore.
Scene Five: TV Studio
ASSISTANT: You’re our next guest but there’s a problem. A gay activist group says they’re going to out you. Are you gay?
DIRK SHAFER: That’s nobody’s business.
ASSISTANT: You’re acting as an expert on women’s desires! If you’re gay then it’s all a lie! You’re making a mockery of the sacred position of Playgirl’s Man of the Year! I’m cancelling the interview.
DIRK SHAFER: I was acting a role. I didn’t think I was hurting anyone. But was I?
Act Three: Honesty
Scene Six: Dirk’s Apartment
BOYFRIEND: Come with me to the AIDS fundraiser.
DIRK SHAFER: I can’t be seen at a gay bar. Playgirl would find out.
BOYFRIEND: Our friends are dying!
(Phone Rings. Dirk answers.)
DIRK SHAFER: Another just did. I’m so sorry.
Scene Seven: Coming Out
DIRK SHAFER: Suddenly Playgirl didn’t matter anymore. Miss, there’s something I have to tell you.
CONTEST WINNER: Is it about that man in your shower?
DIRK SHAFER: Well…
GAY ACTIVISTS: Called it.
WOMEN: We had no idea. What a waste.
FABIO (Supermodel cameo!): The world is beautiful because it’s colorful.
(Dirk dances with his boyfriend at a gay bar as the credits roll.)
THE END
You Gotta Get a Gimmick
Here I was, standing on a pedestal for male heterosexuality, and I started thinking, Wait a minute: There’s no one doing this for gay people. There’s no one standing up and saying it’s OK to be gay and out. It made me feel guilty. ~ Dirk Shafer, The Advocate
Hollywood wasn’t interested in Dirk Shafer’s movie. He had to fundraise independently. He would direct one more film in 2001 before leaving showbiz. He passed away in 2015. Despite the scolding, Shafer comes across well. He’s presented as someone who treated women with respect. I was reminded of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s response when asked why women loved Fleabag’s Hot Priest. “He listens.”
Playgirl magazine was founded in 1973. They seemed initially reluctant to acknowledge their large gay fanbase. What is the overlap between the female and male gaze? Why were some women in 1995 repulsed by the idea of openly queer models? Why do some gay men want their porn stars to be straight? How does the porn industry mirror society’s growing acceptance of female sexuality? Of queerness? I wish Man of the Year had dug deeper into these questions. This satire’s content to nibble rather than bite.
It’s manifestly unlikely that Shafer’s favorite book was Dear Abby’s Guide to the Perfect Wedding, as the stats beneath a particularly becoming shot of his naked rear inform. And the choice of Don Rickles and Bonnie Franklin as his “fave” actor and actress — and Jaws 3-D, no less, in the cinematic category — could only be a gay man’s desperate stab at the camouflage of tastelessness. ~ The Advocate
You can read more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.