Manhood

Bobby Roth’s ode to the male condition, MANHOOD, is a darkly funny, compelling family drama that probes the depths of masculinity, specifically Jewish masculinity, in America. A sequel to Roth's JACK THE DOG, the film asks: What does it mean to be a father? Jack (Nestor Carbonell) is a commercial photographer and reformed womanizer who is a single parent to his teenage son, Sam. When his sister Jill (Janeane Garafolo) turns up distraught, on the brink of separation from her schnorrer husband Eli (John Ritter), Jack agrees to take her son Charlie for a month. The formerly incorrigible Jack now must set a good example for two teenage boys. In accepting responsibility for his son and nephew, he discovers a depth of emotion that years of skirt chasing did not provide. The teenagers, Charlie and Sam, are initially wary of each other, but shared interest in convertibles, electric guitars and girls leads to a family bond. Jill, for the first time in years, is stepping out of her timid self, but soon to be ex-husband Eli is not willing to let go. This stylish black comedy peopled by oddball characters—a violent rug salesman, a dominatrix, and the flotsam and jetsam of Los Angeles posing for headshots—asks thorny questions. How do Jewish men rid themselves of the potent mixture of internalized anti-Semitism and patriarchal hegemony? How do Jewish boys develop a positive masculinity that is playful and not hurtful? How do Jewish men show love for their sons? MANHOOD is a brilliant look at the intersection of sex, love, and family, and how they shape a man's life. Please note: this film contains some violence and sexual situations.

Bobby Roth (WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER) studied philosophy and creative writing at the University of California at Berkeley, obtaining his B.A. in Cinema at the University of Southern California in 1972. Roth received his M.F.A. in motion picture production at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1975. Roth has directed numerous feature films and television movies of the week and has written a number of screenplays. Features Roth has written and directed include Independence Day (1976), The Boss’ Son, Heartbreakers, Baja Oklahoma, Dead Solid Perfect and The Man Inside. He has directed the features Keeper of the City, Rainbow Drive and Amanda. M.O.W.’s Roth has directed include Judgement Day: The John List Story, In The Line of Duty:Kidnapped for NBC, The Emmy nominated Naomi & Wynnona: Love Can Build a Bridge for NBC, the Emmy winning The Inheritance for CBS, The Devil’s Child for ABC, A Secret Affair for CBS and A Holiday Romance for CBS. Teleplays Roth has written include Children of the Night and Separated by Murder, which he co-wrote for CBS. Roth also had an overall deal with Universal Studios to write, direct, and produce television and created, wrote and co-executive produced the pilot and thirteen episodes of ABC’s The Insiders. Other episodic television directing credits include Vengeance Unlimited, The Profiler, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Miami Vice. Roth's features have been honored at over fifty international film festivals. The Boss’s Son won “Best Feature Film,” “Best Writing” and “Best Actress” (Rita Moreno) in 1979 at the Miami International Film Festival. Roth also won “Best Director” for Circle of Power at the Knoke-Heist festival in Belgium in 1983 and Heartbreakers won the Grand Prize at the USA Film Festival at Dallas in 1985, and “Best Actor” (Nick Mancuso & Peter Coyote) at the USA Festival at Houston the same year. Roth also won the Special Jury Prize at the Virgin Islands Film Festival for Heartbreakers in 1985 and the film was named on the top ten list of seventeen major film critics in l984-85. Baja Oklahoma was nominated for four ACE awards and a Golden Globe and Dead Solid Perfect was also nominated for an ACE award.