All Man: The International Male Story

I want to see the red carpet for that premiere.

If you want to see models, check this out.

“The International Male Story is designed as a tribute to the catalog’s unique aesthetic and cultural relevance. The film mixes exclusive never-seen-before photographs and videos, interviews with super fans and celebrities, and creative re-enactments of the infamous photo shoots, and more!”

Is it actually out or are they still trying to raise money for it by releasing a trailer for a movie that doesn't exist?

What I wouldn't do to be a photographer for the catalogs...

I was thrilled when Brian Buzzini went full-frontal for Playgirl, an erection to boot.

Should be called MetroMale, because no one but gays- and gay-adjacents- bought lavender mesh thongs.

R4 It will be shown at Tribeca Festival July 9, 12 & 13. Tickets are available.

^^^ Brian was a God.

Is this going to be like the A&F documentary!

Brian Buzzini is still a god.

I used to love their catalog. There's something endearing about gorgeous men wearing ridiculous clothes. We used to joke that after you came out, you got a toaster oven and a free subscription to International Male. No one ever asked for it; it just showed up in your mailbox.

That's Steve Rally, r10. Here's Brian Buzzini's IG.

This guy, Dave Johnson, was my favorite IM model. Has anyone seen nudes of him? Where?

R11. I never signed up for it, but it miraculously found my mailbox.

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!! How delicious!

Thank you, Jebus! This is THE movie that the entire gay world has been waiting for!

Dave Johnson was my favorite, as well. Why they even had other models, I never understood. He was all I wanted to see as a teen. IM was my Tiger Beat and Dave was my Kirk Cameron.

Why did it stop publishing?

^^^ Because all the unsolicited catalogs outed gay teens in the households

R5: I remember it well.

It was fine for a while, until most of the pages got stuck together.

"It was fine for a while, until most of the pages got stuck together."

Was there a problem with the ink?

Wonder where it will be shown after the festival?

Need my International Male coffee table book!

Not most but many of the catalog models were popular porn stars from Colt, Bullet, Brentwood and later Falcon. Instantly recognizable to the core clientele but not so much to others.

Why on earth would anyone make a documentary about this? Where's the story? Who cares? Also, Carson Kressley is your big celebrity name? In 2022? He was over when he was the big celebrity in the Boys in the Band documentary 15 years ago.

International Male...ah yes, Paul Barresi in a caftan...

I still have some of my old International Male catalogs stashed away, I sometimes peruse them and think back on my youth, how eternally beautiful the men are to my captivated eyes, and so happy I never trashed them... I'll never surrender them. :-)

The catalog was pure wank material. The store in WeHo was screaming Kween central. Full of doughy spray tanned 40 yo's thinking that if the bought overpriced t rayon palazzo pants they'd look like porn stars.

The three guys above were porn stars. The guy in the middle is Gordon Grant. He had a far superior body to most porn stars at the time. He was Native American which wasn't much mentioned at the time due to still existing racism.

Sigh. Free softcore gay porn in my mailbox every other week in the 1980's in SF. That catalogue. I had tight, pleated Tuxedo Shirts in white and teal that I would wear with 501's, black motorcycle boots, and a black leather jacket, sometimes with a leather bow tie or a satin electric blue skinny tie. SO risquee... for the hot 20-something that I once was. With bronzer, manscara, and cologne. And all that hair gel. SO Masculine!!! Also had a Nehru jacket with banded collar. SO Exotic... and International. I knew it was tacky and campy, but I did get laid -- which was my singular reason for existing then. By 1987 or so, the catalogue was so over the top that I's share it with straight male friends at work and we'd deconstruct every outfit and every male model's pouty-sultry pose for hours. One of "the guys" pointed to one picture and said "I'd do him". Dead silence. I got him a subscription and we never discussed it again. Good times.

For those who are always snarking about Bomer’s looks, note that he has a thriving voice career where his looks aren’t a factor. He’s done audiobooks, movies & and tv.

Carson Kressley is a judge on Drag Race R26, a huge TV show that continues to increase its viewer numbers every year. He’s a bonafide celebrity, like it or not. He’s also genuinely nice.

And yet no one ever talks about him.

I'll be wearing this to the premiere. Stylish, masculine, and easy to take off to reveal my after party outfit.

Ugh, I remember getting this magazine as a kid because my mom never looked in it and just thought it was a regular clothing handout.

Then I remember downloading photos of Brian Buzzini on a slow ass modem in the early aughts just to wack it to.

Wasn't Spencer Garbet involved with Barbra's stepson?

Spencer Garbett committed suicide in 1997 at the age of 27. He was a Star Search male spokesmodel in six episodes in the 90s.

I never understood it. He had so much going for him.

We got a trailer yet? I feel like we have been waiting for years for this, we talked about this back in 2019, 2020? Glad it's finally premiering.

I just looked at the Tribeca FF lineup for this year. Man it's from hunger. No wonder this got in.

I bought the jute espadrilles in Jr. High thinking I would look stylish.

They fucking hurt my feet after 2 hours!

People talk about Carson Kressley, R34. What I’m quite certain of, however, is they never talk about you.

(R40) I saw the lineup too. Jon Hamm and Ray Romano? Really? That’s the best they got.

Does Tim Allen have a film too? I didn’t realize these actors still worked.

The catalogs are pretty well archived on Google Images. It's hard to imagine what there could be to "document" in a documentary film about this silly line of "fashion."

[quote] while the documentary is tongue in cheek, its analysis of postwar American masculinity, the devastating effects of the AIDS crisis, and fashion’s power to bridge the cultural barriers between gay and straight men is wholly sincere.

It’s not just photos of the magazine.

^Yes, certain, International Male Magazine did ALL of those things. Without it, NO American men would be wearing caftans today. Its cultural importance simply CAN'T be overstressed.

Between this and the A&F documentary, it’s a great time for homoerotic documentaries.

This the kind of niche film that is presented at film festivals. There is no expectation that it will be a commercial hit. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t have been made. Nobody is required to watch it.

I was a teen and subscribed to this magazine. Boy, was my family in denial. Not once did I buy anything; you kidding?

this is the model that ushered me into manhood...something about the chest...

I remember wearing a shirt I bought at IM, a tank top, at the gym in the 80’s. My friend asked me if it was the shirt I bought at international Male. I said be quiet, I don’t want anyone to know. He said, “ oh honey, they already know.”

When I was a young gayling, "Oh, honey they already know" was the classic reply to all the closeted nellies.

R51 Can you elaborate on “ushered?”

Jeez they really are overselling it’s impact.

^ Says YOU. I can't wait for this.

R34 he was a contestant on the popular CBS reality show Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year. You need to give up.

If it doesn’t feature Rusty Joiner, I’m not interested.

R57 and who watches CBS gran? Commercial television is so last century

How to watch this

The premiere was sponsored by Grindr

For most, the lounge and promenade & beach fashion (I dare you to call their fashion streetwear!) was too campy for most people, but there was a small group of people who found it rather daring to express yourself in that way (campy and gay) in public. It's like with some guys considering gay porn performers total badass heroes for having unapologetic gay sex for all to see.

If anyone sees this at Tribeca, please report back to us.

Just watched this at home. An interesting history of the IM magazine definitely worth watching. Visually appealing as interviews are interspersed with photos of gorgeous models in stunning clothing (and underwear). Anyone who remembers the magazine will especially enjoy it.

I agree, r64. It brought back memories of the 70s and 80s.

Never heard of it, but just from the link at OP you realize how much better looking models were back then.

Bomer is pretty inspired casting. He was born for this.

Back when men had pubic hair, so carefully teased in IM.

A good review

Free to watch on Tubi.

When I subscribed to GQ back in 1980 I started receiving catalogs from International Male for years. I never ordered anything from it, but it had some of the hottest male models around.

When men were men and not Boy George wannabes

it was fairly interesting. How a niche catalog became a pop culture reference.