Breast Augmentation on HBO

"Breast Men" was an American film that appeared on the HBO channel in 1997. It starred David Schwimmer and Chris Cooper, and centered on two medical professionals who helped develop the technology that gave rise to current breast augmentation procedure. In the film, Schwimmer's character concentrates on providing services for exotic dancers, strippers, porn stars and erotic models, while Cooper's character concentrates on helping the common woman who desires some form of alteration.

While the film was released to mixed responses from critics, many people saw the film appear on HBO. Parts of the film featured interviews of characters (all women) who received a breast augmentation. However, the interviews showed only a bare chest, and never the face or other parts of the interviewee. This fell in line with HBO's notoriety of being sexually edgy in the area of nudity in film. The film went on for distribution by HBO and its production line.

Breast Men was directed by Lawrence O'Neill and was produced by Guy Riedel and Gary Lucchesi. While it may be his only film about breast augmentation, Lucchesi has produced many films, some of which include: Gotti, Primal Fear, The Mothman Prophecies, Autumn in New York, Million Dollar Baby, Underworld: Awakening, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. He is currently the President of Lakeshore Entertainment, a job he took after serving as Vice President of TriStar Pictures.

The film was shot and edited in Galveston, Texas and several shots of the town and notable landmarks can be seen in the scenes. One of those was Star Drug, a vintage pharmacy and soda shop that appeared in the film. While Star Drug burned down a year after the film appeared on HBO, it was rebuilt and restored to its former glean. Other parts of the film feature various medical wings of the University of Texas Medical Branch, a pertinent feature since both characters were medical doctors proficient in breast augmentation. Clearly these scenes were needed for this film and its characters.

The film received a 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an even more dismal 31% audience rating. The film never went on to be any sort of success, and few fans of Cooper or Schwimmer really care to remember this flick, if they do at all. The film also experienced some rather embarrassing goofs as well. All films have various mistakes, but there are several scenes in which Schwimmer's character (who is named Christopher) is called Kevin for no reason whatsoever. Various prop and movie scene debris can also be seen to the sides of the screen when Cooper's Corvette is obliterated by an 18-wheeler.

Despite the film's less than great ratings, it can still be found on DVD in discount bins around the country. Fans who truly love Schwimmer or Cooper respectively may want to keep a copy of this movie in their collection, however, for others, it is a film that never achieved cult status and will likely never reappear on HBO as a rerun.