.” Only the description should have an important caveat: This smorgasbord of images of men in the sexy outfits that adorned Burkard’s 1976 creation were aimed at a specific subset of men. Telling a straightforward tale about this queer-skewing business, “All Man” opens up inquiries on how masculinity has been packaged for the American consumer, straight and gay alike.
As Darling and Reed’s film outlines, such congruence of ideals is what makes this cult phenomenon a perfect vehicle through which to examine how American masculinity was reshaped in the latter half of the 20th century. The clothing International Male sold opened up men to experiment with color and patterns, expanding the parameters of what it meant to look like a man.
With a tight 84-minute runtime, “All Man” is a breezy affair. Indeed, Bright Light Bright Light’s synth disco score, matched with Megan Toenyes’s playful ’80s-inspired animated graphics maintain a buoyant vibe that feels very much in keeping with International Male’s tongue-in-cheek appeal.