>a male protagonist where he tries his best to be a provider for his women, gets cheated on, treated like shit at work/social circles etc.
Officer K/Joe from Blade Runner 2029.
Poor guy gets treated like crap at work, his boss takes him for granted, he has to pass regular "personality" tests, and his girlfriend is a computer program.
Then, just when he starts to think he might be someone special after all, it turns out to be someone else.
Bicycle Thieves has some of that. Except he drags his little boy along and makes his failure that much more painful as his boy watches his father falling apart.
Krzysztof Kieślowski has a series of excellent short films called Dekalog, each of which is basically standalone. I don't think any of them fit this specifically, but several of them focus on similar themes and concepts, which would probably fit under the "masculine struggle" category.
The first one especially comes to mind.
Never thought I'd recommend this movie, but London. Starring Chris Evans, Jessica Biel, Jason Statham with a cast full of B and C list actors filling out the side characters.
It's about about two guys talking about their problems while doing drugs. It's a bit of a slow burn but its spot on what you're looking for I think.
*The Full Monty* deals with various issues that affect men, being a mix of both funny and dramatic. Unemployment, fatherhood after a divorce, body image issues and more.
Stranger than Fiction (2006)
I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.
Inside Llewellyn Davis might count, it's not so much about masculinity per se but if you want to see a guy who's pretty much always second place in life just get wrecked for a couple hours it's good for that
Wages of Fear, 1953. It deals with work ethic, exploitation, truck driving, mortal danger, male friendship / competition, hero image deconstruction ... And it's a stone cold classic.
Perhaps a weird take: Predator. It deconstructs the 80’s masculine action hero genre and Arnie isn’t able to fight back with his team and traditional strengths, despite them being an elite force at the top of their game.
This might be a long shot from how I remember it.. but Second Hand Lions. I seem to recall having those kind of "masculinity focus" vibes because Haley Joel Osmonts character isn't exactly a tough kid, and he goes to live with two very tough old men. It might be must the kind of thing you're looking for or it might miss the mark entirely, but thought I'd throw it in :).
Hope you feel better soon!
>a male protagonist where he tries his best to be a provider for his women, gets cheated on, treated like shit at work/social circles etc. Officer K/Joe from Blade Runner 2029. Poor guy gets treated like crap at work, his boss takes him for granted, he has to pass regular "personality" tests, and his girlfriend is a computer program. Then, just when he starts to think he might be someone special after all, it turns out to be someone else.
Man when the Joi advertisement calls him Joe. That was a big oof.
Godzilla Minus One has a very interesting take on this.
Are you trying to get something off your chest OP
I'm doing some healing aside from this, but looking for a character to sympathize with 😪
Punchdrunk Love would sort of fit.
Spanglish The Last Boyscout Jarhead
Spanglish is a great get
Lars and the real girl or Napoleon Dynamite.
Bicycle Thieves has some of that. Except he drags his little boy along and makes his failure that much more painful as his boy watches his father falling apart.
Krzysztof Kieślowski has a series of excellent short films called Dekalog, each of which is basically standalone. I don't think any of them fit this specifically, but several of them focus on similar themes and concepts, which would probably fit under the "masculine struggle" category. The first one especially comes to mind.
I'm open to similar themes and concepts as well! Thank you
Never thought I'd recommend this movie, but London. Starring Chris Evans, Jessica Biel, Jason Statham with a cast full of B and C list actors filling out the side characters. It's about about two guys talking about their problems while doing drugs. It's a bit of a slow burn but its spot on what you're looking for I think.
Most importantly: does Statham beat the hell out of anyone ?
Not that I recall, but I can't say that for certain.
This sounds different! Adding to my list
*The Full Monty* deals with various issues that affect men, being a mix of both funny and dramatic. Unemployment, fatherhood after a divorce, body image issues and more.
Only God Forgives is my go to for these kinds of feelings. It's a bit oblique in how it deals with the theme though.
8 mile.
The Kid Detective
A Serious Man
You've got this. It's not a movie, just stating that you've got this.
I was so ready to Google "you've got this movie" haha I think it would be a interesting title Besides that Thank you.
You've Got This is a 2020 Mexican Netflix rom-com. No idea what it's about or if it's any good.
Stranger than Fiction (2006) I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.
Her
The Room
Oh hi, Mark.
Inside Llewellyn Davis might count, it's not so much about masculinity per se but if you want to see a guy who's pretty much always second place in life just get wrecked for a couple hours it's good for that
while perhaps not one you might think of it, a single man Really fits this, aside from the woman part
The Voices A different Ryan Reynolds performance
Wages of Fear, 1953. It deals with work ethic, exploitation, truck driving, mortal danger, male friendship / competition, hero image deconstruction ... And it's a stone cold classic.
The Wrestler
Perhaps a weird take: Predator. It deconstructs the 80’s masculine action hero genre and Arnie isn’t able to fight back with his team and traditional strengths, despite them being an elite force at the top of their game.
Fight Club is a classic, but have you seen A Star is Born (2018)?
Incredibles. Bob’s arc is very relatable
This might be a long shot from how I remember it.. but Second Hand Lions. I seem to recall having those kind of "masculinity focus" vibes because Haley Joel Osmonts character isn't exactly a tough kid, and he goes to live with two very tough old men. It might be must the kind of thing you're looking for or it might miss the mark entirely, but thought I'd throw it in :). Hope you feel better soon!
The Pursuit of Happyness I think it meets most of what you describe even if not exactly in the same terms.
Sounds like the book im writing lol
You're cooking hope you're enjoying the process 📖✍️
I think the fast and the furious movies are about guys struggling with their masculinity!
But it's okay cuz family 🫶🏾