Does penis size matter? Clinton native Patrick Moote believes he has answered the long sought-after question in his new documentary film.
The film, called “Unhung Hero,” stars Moote in a journey around the world to answer the simple but sometimes taboo question.
The 2002 South Whidbey High School graduate began his search after a failed proposal to his then-girlfriend at a UCLA basketball game went viral on Youtube. Her reasoning, he later learned, was because of the size of his penis. More than 10 million hits and several Youtube responses later, Moote wanted to find out just how important a man’s genitalia really is.
A special one-night-only screening of the film, directed by Brian Spitz, will begin at 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30 at the Clyde Theatre followed by a Q-and-A session with Moote.
He started working on the “(penis vernacular)-umentary,” as he describes in the film, in the beginning of 2012. In the movie, he and a team of three set out to find answers by asking people on the street, consulting sexologists and porn stars, and taking a lot of pills.
“The question hadn’t been asked like this and not openly talked about it,” Moote said. “It could have gone horribly wrong.”
Moote sampled many growth solutions, from pills to suction gadgets, and even a new form of weightlifting.
But while the team was filming, they began to realize there was more to the issue than just size.
“I knew I didn’t want to make a 90-minute (penis vernacular) joke,” he said. “It was about insecurities — real or fabricated — and how do you deal with them. That’s what it became about.”
The film helps people embrace insecurities and start a dialogue about it, he said. Once people start to talk, it diffuses the situation.
“What was important at the beginning wasn’t what was important at the end,” Moote said. 
Since the film was made, Moote has received a lot of positive feedback from reviews and in person. He said people have come up to him to share their own insecurities during screenings, which was rewarding for him.
The film has screened at SXSW, Traverse City Film Festival, Open Roof Festival in Toronto and the Seattle International Film Festival.
The film also features several faces in the community from Moote’s life, including his family, friends, childhood pediatrician and ex-girlfriends. The film will be released on DVD in late November or early December.
“I’m proud of this penis documentary,” he said. “It’s a cool project, I don’t know what it will do for my career, whether it helps or hurts.”
Moote is currently working on several projects with his production company, All Mod Cons. He started the company with another Whidbey native, Jordan Albertsen. He also launched a podcast channel with his brother, Brian, called Moote Points.
Moote will be on the island for a short two-day trip and available for questions before and after the showing, most likely at Mo’s, he said.
“I’m not going to lie, I get more nervous about hometown screenings than any other screenings,” he said. “But I also believe in the message behind the film — that makes it easy.”
