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By
WADE GOSSETT
This documentary on porn superstar Ron Jeremy comes in two versions, an R-rated one and the
obligatory uncut and unrated one. I gotta wonder: why would anybody who's interested in watching a feature on the porn
industry want to watch it cut up and rated by the MPAA? I mean, what's the point?
On the other hand, anybody who wants to watch "Porn Star: The Legend Of Ron Jeremy" for salacious reasons will be sorely
disappointed. Whatever sex scenes there are, are hardly erotic and not that revealing either. Like from any good
documentary feature, we learn more here about Jeremy's life, aspirations and industry rather than get any sort of any
visceral excitement.
Jeremy is an unlikely hero to millions of young men who envy his life: he's put in 25 years in the adult film industry,
having had sex in over 1,600 films. He's a short man, hirsute, overweight, inclined to sweat. Hardly an Adonis. But he
has two talents: a large penis and a lot of control over it. And perhaps ordinary guys without his talents, can look
past them and instead see him a regular guy living a fantasy life.
Well, most of what we learn about Jeremy's life is pretty depressing: Despite the thousands of women he's had sex with
in front of the camera, despite the millions he's accumulated, he's pretty much lonely and sad. He's unfulfilled
professionally -- he's always wanted to be a mainstream actor and perhaps he's realized too late that notoriety as a
porn star does not easily translate to conventional celebrity.
A learn a few things about the porn industry itself, most importantly that it is an industry that produces a mass
product for money. Hardly a surprisingly revelation. But it explains why sex flicks are rarely erotic.
"Porn Star" is unblinkingly frank, and Jeremy's story is told mostly through interviews with family, friends and
associates. His family is supportive, some of his colleagues kind and others less than charitable. Some bits are funny
(some of his co-stars, for instance, insist that he endures total body exfoliation before getting it on with him) but
it's hard to shake off the impression that this is a cautionary tale about a very profitable business that despite all
the money it churns out, it is still not considered respectable. As Jeremy found out, "porn star" remains a stigma
despite his personal (and his product's) popularity.
For a documentary, we get more supplemental features that I expected: There's an audio commentary by filmmaker Scott J.
Gill and Jeremy (the latter dominates), 11 deleted scenes (mostly extensions of interviews), a catalog of New Video
Group's Docurama films plus a few trailers, and filmographies. |
