SXSW Film Reviews: 'Unhung Hero'

Unhung Hero

After his ex-girlfriend reveals that her rejection to his sports-stadium, Jumbotron marriage proposal, which went viral and hit 10 million views in four days, was due in part to his small genital proportions, Patrick Moote departs upon a global quest to determine if size really does matter, and, if so, if it can be improved upon. Whenever Spitz puts the focus on the cultural differences in how "male sizes" are valued, and the gender differences in those cultures' perspectives on sex, his debut feature film is genuinely fascinating, with Moote acting as an engaging and charismatic guide through a world of bizarre size enhancers ranging from ineffective pills to dubious plastic surgeries. Unfortunately, whenever the film shifts to its underlying conceit of Moote's personal struggle, it tends to resemble a mumblecore narrative more than a documentary, with a great deal of the all-too-convenient footage seemingly steered to fit a predetermined story arc.