So my dad was this big-time sales and marketing guy who did well for himself and we were proud of him.
Unfortunately his success gave him the illusion that every one of his sons, like him, should study for a qualification in sales and marketing. My brothers and I had other ideas on what direction we wanted to take. But it was comforting to know that our friends’ fathers subjected them to similar conversations about hereditary career paths.
So it comes as no surprise that in Man Up, the new comedy coming to Vuzu, our protagonist, Will (played by Mather Zickel), comes from a family of military men. His grandfather fought in World War II and his father took part in the Vietnam War.
The closest that Will has got to any war is on his PlayStation, and in his predecessors’ eyes he is a let-down. But is he really?
He and his friends Craig (played by Christopher Moynihan) and Kenny (played by Dan Fogler) have their own definition of what being manly is about. We are introduced to them as overgrown, nerdy babies who rarely take life seriously
But they realise there is something missing in their personalities and try to get in touch with their inner selves to look for traces of what it means to be a man.
So what does it mean to be a man? Countless magazines will attribute manliness to things like a certain way of dressing, rock-hard muscles, a menacing beard, being an arm-wrestling champion and so on. On the other hand, women will list other characteristics, such as sensitivity, not being afraid to show emotion and being generally responsible.
You can imagine what the dudes in Man Up have to go through to prove that they are men. From their nerdy background, they have a long way to go before they qualify as pin-ups for masculinity. But that’s where the fun is.
All the advertising on grooming that we are bombarded with daily affects them, too, and they go through vigorous transformations. You get to judge if they have made it or not – and to answer the question: are real men are born or made?
• Man Up premieres on November 7 at 10.30pm on Vuzu (channel 116).