Didn't know what to expect from a drama about a drug that treats erectile dysfunction and impotence. What I got was frank yet not gritty (as is usually the case), set in 90s Wales but not bleak, about sex but not sexy; all in all, it felt real, and did it's best to address as many different experiences of the men undergoing the trial as possible. I really enjoyed it. There are some excellent, believable performances in there too with (thankfully) no fake-sounding Welsh accents. There are 5 men to follow and somehow you end up caring about all of them, and their partners. Stefan Rhodri and Mark Lewis Jones' characters have some beautiful moments and stop Iwan Rheon stealing the slow. Definitely worth 87 minutes of your time.
8 Reviews
Sex, Swansea and Videotape.
ianharrison74720 February 2024
Wow ! What a sensitive subject mixed with breast cancer, diabetes, the tribulations of being gay, suicide and a VHS video player that expires. Swansea, The Gower, Morriston Hospital adds a poignancy to the plot especially as my family roamed from the Rhondda.
The cast were well balanced and it was fantastic not to be swamped by the star syndrome. Meurig played by Iwan Rheon just about stole it with his sensitivity, vulnerability and imitation of a boy who went up a mountain as a boy and came down as a man.
The surprising use of humour without being smutty was the master stroke. ( Oops ...see it's almost impossible to avoid double entendres ). The variety of outcomes for the not famous five was very different and yet believable. A great body of work from writer Matthew Barry and director Ashley Way.
The cast were well balanced and it was fantastic not to be swamped by the star syndrome. Meurig played by Iwan Rheon just about stole it with his sensitivity, vulnerability and imitation of a boy who went up a mountain as a boy and came down as a man.
The surprising use of humour without being smutty was the master stroke. ( Oops ...see it's almost impossible to avoid double entendres ). The variety of outcomes for the not famous five was very different and yet believable. A great body of work from writer Matthew Barry and director Ashley Way.
Mild, modest, passable true-tale Brit-dramedy
danieljfarthing2 January 2024
Modest Brit-dramedy "Men Up" is the true tale of Pfizer's first clinical trial of what would become the revolutionary Viagra - held in 1994 by Dr Aneurin Barnard (supported by nurse Joanna Page) at Swansea's Morriston Hospital, focussed on a group of men with diabetes related impotency (inc Iwan Rheon, Paul Rhys, Steffan Rhodri, Mark Lewis Jobes & Phaldut Sharma). The performances are decent, while director Ashely Way & writer Matthew Barry keep the tone light & the drama lukewarm as the group bonds while the pill gives clues to the impacts it'll have on their lives and their partners (inc Alexandria Roach, Alexandria Riley & Nathan Sussex). Mild but passable fare.
Cumru
owen-watts12 March 2024
This unexpectedly uplifting (pun intended) Welsh viagra dramedy from Banana collaborators RTD and Matthew Barry was splurged out after Christmas on the BBC and it's a solidly warm little package sculpted out of real events which has some hardness about it but is mostly fairly flaccid. Sorry. What it lacks in punch it makes for with a tremendously good cast, the strength of which alone convinced me to watch it. The great Rheon opposite the deeply underrated Roach are solid leads but it's really Steffan Rhodri's gentle Colin and Mark Lewis Jones's bruised Eddie that steal the show for me and pushes Men Up somewhere really deep. I'm finished.
Men Up
Prismark1017 February 2024
Men Up is a BBC television movie regarding the clinical trials for a new wonder drug formulated in the 1990s. It went on to be called Viagra.
It is based on true facts which means about 1% of it is true. This dramedy features five men who have been selected by Dr Dylan Pearce (Aneurin Barnard.) He is an expert on flaccid issues caused by diabetes.
This new wonder drug could be a boon. Especially for the men who are selected to try the pills out.
Of course during the course of the movie. There are side effects, the drug is not a quick fix. The drug cannot solve some underlying issues with some of the relationships. One or two marriages are on the verge of breaking apart. One man pretends to be hetereosexual when he has been in a same sex relationship for years. Being gay was against the rules of the medical trials. For one man the drug does not work at all.
It was enjoyable enough but to me it felt like this was a movie made by a committee. There was nothing creative or edgy here.
It is based on true facts which means about 1% of it is true. This dramedy features five men who have been selected by Dr Dylan Pearce (Aneurin Barnard.) He is an expert on flaccid issues caused by diabetes.
This new wonder drug could be a boon. Especially for the men who are selected to try the pills out.
Of course during the course of the movie. There are side effects, the drug is not a quick fix. The drug cannot solve some underlying issues with some of the relationships. One or two marriages are on the verge of breaking apart. One man pretends to be hetereosexual when he has been in a same sex relationship for years. Being gay was against the rules of the medical trials. For one man the drug does not work at all.
It was enjoyable enough but to me it felt like this was a movie made by a committee. There was nothing creative or edgy here.
The BBC at its best.
Sleepin_Dragon30 December 2023
Swansea is chosen as the first location for trials of Viagra, a new medication designed to combat male impotence. The men involved in the trial form an unlikely friendship.
Well this was a real bolt out of the blue, a reminder if exactly what The BBC is capable of, as though it came from a time where The Beeb truly was delivering first class, pioneering drama.
It's very funny, it's very moving, not so much a taboo subject now as it would have been back in the 90's, but still a very sensitive area for many men.
Pete and Alice's story was very sad, Meurig's story was perhaps the highlight for me.
Chewed up tapes from Blockbuster, M People, Blur, they brought back 1994 as if it were yesterday. It was a terrific production, credit to the team involved.
I know I'm biased, hailing from this great City, but Swansea looks awesome, they picked some great locations for filming.
What can you say about the cast, phenomenal performances, Paul Rhys, Iwan Rheon, Alexandra Roach, all of them.
Swansea's finest, Joanna Page, what can I say, nothing but sheer adoration, talk about sincere, genuine and wonderful.
9/10.
Well this was a real bolt out of the blue, a reminder if exactly what The BBC is capable of, as though it came from a time where The Beeb truly was delivering first class, pioneering drama.
It's very funny, it's very moving, not so much a taboo subject now as it would have been back in the 90's, but still a very sensitive area for many men.
Pete and Alice's story was very sad, Meurig's story was perhaps the highlight for me.
Chewed up tapes from Blockbuster, M People, Blur, they brought back 1994 as if it were yesterday. It was a terrific production, credit to the team involved.
I know I'm biased, hailing from this great City, but Swansea looks awesome, they picked some great locations for filming.
What can you say about the cast, phenomenal performances, Paul Rhys, Iwan Rheon, Alexandra Roach, all of them.
Swansea's finest, Joanna Page, what can I say, nothing but sheer adoration, talk about sincere, genuine and wonderful.
9/10.
Light entertainment done well
Flickerat15 January 2024
How refreshing it is to watch a program set outside London and not be distracted by fake accents or characters shoehorned in to the script.
A well put together cast with a range of threads running through the main narrative. The film isn't going to break any records but it tells an interesting story from different points of view. It doesn't try to be anything it's not by going over the top with the storylines or time-period references.
The story itself is one that deserves to be told and the film is sympathetic to the feelings of people that would have taken part in the real life trials.
An enjoyable watch, which should be praised for concentrating on telling the story.
A well put together cast with a range of threads running through the main narrative. The film isn't going to break any records but it tells an interesting story from different points of view. It doesn't try to be anything it's not by going over the top with the storylines or time-period references.
The story itself is one that deserves to be told and the film is sympathetic to the feelings of people that would have taken part in the real life trials.
An enjoyable watch, which should be praised for concentrating on telling the story.
Why was this made?
Cinebuff385 April 2024
I can imagine the writers of this sittng in a meeting wondering what they can produce as an excuse to show couples engaged in sexual activity. The outcome? Men up, A one off (Thank god) drama about the discovery of the drug called viagra. This break through may have been a game changer for many long suffering men, but as a drama it was about as relavent as news that churchill lost the election after the war. Had it concentrated more about the process of the discovery and less about the patiants, even if it were to have just cut out the bonking in the bedroom scenes, it might have worked better. But the writers were only interested in something that would show as much titilation as possible thus failing to produce something that would qualify as being something intelegent.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
