Changing Roles of Men: Nature vs. Nurture

A comprehensive if somewhat plodding look at the changing roles of men in society, filmmaker Sedric Sawyer's documentary pays particular attention to fatherhood and family issues. Talking heads interviews with various scholars, caregivers, and other concerned individuals examine the ways in which boys are reared, as well as societal expectations regarding male behavior. For instance, in one study, fussy babies were introduced to subjects with no other background information than the identification of the child's gender: baby girls were comforted and actively attended to while baby boys were assumed to merely be angry and were left alone to calm down. Taking into account racial issues, the rise of feminism, and the demise of the nuclear family, Changing Roles of Men tries to raise serious questions, but between the scattershot approach and ceaseless negativity expressed here, the program is not only simply spread too thin but also guilty of dubious assessments that many viewers will reject (such as the notion that Dan Quayle was onto something when he condemned television character Murphy Brown for electing to raise her child herself). Optional. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)