I started this review section only a few weeks ago. I’ve been getting advanced screening tickets to upcoming movies and have been going to one or two every week, so I decided I would start reviewing some of these movies to try to help hype them up before they hit theaters nationwide. I was excited when I found out that people had been seeing these reviews, but I was even more excited when one of these people was Ray Harrington.
I’ve never met Ray before. We only know each other through Facebook, as we have many mutual friends who are comedians in the New England comedy scene. I think I friended Ray around a year ago after I saw his 2012 short film, “Relax,” that won him Best Actor and Best Film in the 48 Hour Film Festival. The film follows Harrington’s character, a soft spoken man who is in much need of a vacation. While he’s away, he relieves his stress and has a much more enjoyable time than you would think. While the short is funny, the scene in the credits is absolutely hilarious and really shows you who Harrington is and the type of onscreen charm he has. Check out the short below.
About a week ago, Harrington messaged me on Facebook to ask if I would do a review on his documentary. I was honored. I’ve been following the documentary since it was in pre-production and have been wanting to see it since I first found out about it. A little over a year ago now, I left New England and moved to Colorado. I miss the New England comedy scene all the time and felt even more left out of it when I knew it would be a long time before I would get to see the documentary. The film has been screening all over New England and I thought it would be forever until I got a chance to see it. However, Ray sent over a screening of it for me to watch and review.
“Be A Man” is a full-length documentary that follows Harrington as he sets out to discover what exactly it means to be a man. Harrington was raised only by his mother and never really had any male influences in his life growing up. Upon finding out his wife was pregnant, he wanted to prepare himself for being a father and he wanted his child to have not only a father in their life, but a male influence as well.
Throughout the film, Harrington goes through different experiments to test his manliness. Some of these things include heavily drinking, driving fast cars, and fighting a world-renowned boxer. Harrington tries to define what it is to be a man by different stereotypes he’s gathered over the years through television, film, and other things he comes across everyday.
The film is absolutely hilarious, which is no surprise. Harrington is quick on his feet and his interactions with others is genuine. In one part of the documentary, the Maine native spends an afternoon at the Rhode Island Comedy Connection, a venue where he routinely performs, and he gets drunk with the bartender as he tries to figure out what manly drink he will now make his usual at bars and clubs. When someone asks me now who I would love to drink with, alive or dead, I would definitely say Harrington. Harrington goes full-throttle throughout every task he takes on in the film, and while the documentary is full of humorous situations, the end of the film is completely heartfelt.
Harrington is a well known comedian who tours around the country and performs with other well known comedians. Throughout the film, Harrington and his crew interview comedians such as Comedy Central’s Kyle Kinane, The League’s Stephen Rannazzisi, and Back to the Future’s Thomas F. Wilson. You’ll see these familiar faces give their take on what it takes to be a man and show a side of them that you have never really seen before.
Make sure to like the film on Facebook so you can see when a screening is coming to your area: https://www.facebook.com/BeAManTheFilm?fref=ts
And check out the trailer here:
