We Are Men
By Joyce Slaton,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Offensive male bonding comedy has stereotypes, sex talk.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.
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What's the Story?
A few weeks ago, Carter (Chris Smith) was abandoned at the altar by his ex. Now he's out of a job (since he was working for his girlfriend's dad) and needs somewhere new to live. He finds it in Tarzana, at a luxury apartment complex where he meets Frank (Tony Shalhoub), in recovery from his fourth divorce; Stuart (Jerry O'Connell), a doctor on his second divorce; and Gil (Kal Penn), who was cheating on his wife yet hopes she'll still take him back. All four men have been roughed up by love. Now they're bonding with each other, heading out to clubs to find romance (or what passes for it for at night) and finding solace in friendship and beer.
Is It Any Good?
It's a shame when great comic actors are given limp material to work with, and that's the case here, with four fine actors playing tired horndogs who wouldn't be out of place in a teen sex comedy from the '80s. Really, all these guys, who range from their mid-30s to their 50s, are all going out to clubs? And twentysomething women are giving them attention and even going home with them? C'mon. Though the viewer can easily believe that a divorced man would seek to soothe his battered heart with some female company, are men of these ages likely to both seek and find these partners in a dance club frequented by women who look barely old enough to drink?
It all just feels unrealistic, yet not wacky enough to reach levels of satiric absurdity. And so WE ARE MEN floats in some middle ground, where the audience can recognize that various scenarios are supposed to be hilarious, and yet they're not laughing. There is great comedy to be found in the pain of divorce and reluctant singlehood, but this isn't it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the believability of the characters. Is this how men act together? Is this how they talk and relate to each other? Is We Are Men realistic?
Are the characters on We Are Men supposed to be poor, wealthy, or middle class? What kinds of clothes do they wear? What cars do they drive? Where and how do they live? Do characters of their economic status in real life display these consumer signs?
Are we supposed to like the men of We Are Men? What about the female characters? Is this show aimed at men, women, or both? What makes you draw this conclusion?
TV Details
- Premiere date: September 30, 2013
- Cast: Jerry O'Connell, Kal Penn, Tony Shalhoub
- Network: CBS
- Genre: Comedy
- Topics: Friendship
- TV rating: TV-PG
- Last updated: October 14, 2022
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