Daddy and the Muscle Academy

1991

Action / Biography / Documentary

12
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 56% · 1 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 56% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.5/10 10 510 510

leather jacket artist anal sex male homosexuality leather homoeroticism

Plot summary

Tom of Finland is one of the gay world's few authentic icons. His drawings have had an enormous influence on gay identity. Tom's ultimate leather men are known and seen everywhere. They are symbols of gay pride and friendship. The documentary includes some titillating 'enactments' inspired by Tom's art work.

Director

Ilppo Pohjola Photo
Ilppo Pohjola

Top cast

Tom of Finland Photo
Tom of Finland as Self
Robert Henry Mizer Photo
Robert Henry Mizer as Self - Athletic Model Guild
Nayland Blake Photo
Nayland Blake as Self - artist and critic
Durk Dehner Photo
Durk Dehner as Self - Tom of Finland Foundation
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
530.38 MB
1010*720
English 2.0
NR
us  
23.976 fps
12 hr 57 min
Seeds ...
1.06 GB
1504*1072
English 5.1
NR
us  
23.976 fps
12 hr 57 min
Seeds 4

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by gus120970

Atmospheric documentary on life of Erotic artist 'Tom of Finland'

The film gives voice to the life and creative impulse of the gay erotic artist known across the gay world as 'Tom of Finland'. Essentially an interview documentary with some very brief 'enactments' inspired by Tom's artwork, this is a long way from fetish pornography but is thought-provoking nonetheless.Tom describes his early life in the Finnish army, in mundane jobs and, matter-of-factly, how he became inspired to put onto paper his exagerrated masculine fantasies of men in leather, uniforms and workwear.Most of the interview is shot in the stillness of Tom's apartment/studio, with the film broken into segments centering on themes of his work: depiction of black men and women, technique, use of models and leather as his muse: "I put on a special outfit", he explains, "if I need to be inspired".The subject is fascinating and likeable, even if the film-making is a little dry in tone. When it comes to the extremely short 'enactment' sessions, featuring shadowy, muscular figures in leather and SM play, there is none of the boldness and exuberance that the drawings, in comparison convey, even as static images.Putting its arthouse stylistic shortcomings aside, the film is a precious document of this influential artist who died a few years after it was made. The brief commentaries from friend and critics point out just how deeply Tom's fantasies have become the primers for the post-war emergent gay subcultures of Leather/SM, with all their knock-on influence on wider cultural consciousness. While outsiders may not relate to Tom's proclivities, they will be moved by his integrity and skill in realising his fantasies.
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Reviewed by ebrackene 4 / 10

Feels like a Bad Interview

Couldn't finish the film so I know this isn't the best review but I got about twenty minutes, maybe thirty in and it dragged unlike pretty much any documentary I've seen. The opening sequence is about three minutes of just dehydrated buff men and a lot of the transitions are the same, sometimes with a few vocal samples (all the same) overlapping each other. Tom talked about his creative process a little and some of his life, but I didn't feel like I was learning anything or that he was being led. Reads like an interview without the correct guiding. Would've been made much better had they relied on other voices more.

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