| Orgazmo |
I have mixed feelings about the television series SOUTH PARK. For the one person who may be unaware of this cult hit, it is a crudely animated (the production looks like construction paper cutouts), scatological story about the adventures of four third graders in Colorado, one of whom generally meets an untimely end sparking cries of "Oh my God! They've killed Kenny! You bastards!" The episodes I've watched veer wildly from amusing (notably the Emmy-nominated episode about Big Gay Al and his Big Gay Boat Ride) to the disgusting (i.e., the Christmas episode featuring Mr. Hankey, a dancing turd.) So when I heard that one of the brains behind the show had written, directed and starred in a movie about a Mormon who finds success as the lead in a pornographic movie, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would it be as crude and possibly inflammatory as the TV show or would it be a disappointment? Imagine my surprise when it proved to be an amusing amalgam of 50s romantic movies, martial arts films and sophomoric humor. ORGAZMO opens with comic book-style credits, introducing the title character, a superhero who carries a laser beam that induces pleasure which he deploys as a means of defeating the bad guys. We then meet our hero, the innocuously named Joe Young (Parker), a Mormon missionary assigned to proselytize in the Hollywood. Doors are slammed, sweet little old ladies curse at him, and guard dogs attack him. When he calls at the home of Maxx Orbison, a porno producer, Young displays his martial arts abilities, impressing the producer. (That Young is handsome doesn't hurt either.) Orbison makes him an offer — play the title role of Captain Orgazmo in the film being shot and Young can earn a bundle of money, enough to marry his sweetheart back in Utah. Torn, Young thinks it over and agrees as long as he doesn't actually have to engage in sex (a stunt double is used). Once he has become Captain Orgazmo, Young is befriended by actor Ben Chapleski (Dian Bachar), a diminutive budding scientist who plays his sidekick who finds new and "interesting" uses for sex toys. Chapleski freely admits he's in porn for the women but his heart is really in inventing — and in fact, he has developed his own "oragasmorator". Soon the pair are involved in a convoluted life imitates art scheme, taking on a gang of thugs who are harassing a local sushi restaurant owner. What Joe Young didn't count on was the phenomenal success of the video ORGAZMO and as he tries to leave the world of porn, he finds it is not as easy as he thinks. The humor in the film is not as low-brow as SOUTH PARK and not all the jokes are winners, but the film has an almost sweet tone to it. Parker and company have chosen a style of playing that walks the fine line between farce and outrageousness, but because the actors are so committed to their roles, the audience goes with it. Somehow the MPAA saw fit to slap the film with an NC-17 rating. There are one or two scenes of simulated sex that are no more wild than one sees on cable television and other films set in the porn industry (chiefly, BOOGIE NIGHTS) avoided the NC-17 label. The only real nudity are male rear ends so the rating must simply be a result of the appearance of sex toys in certain scenes — a penis, even if it is made of plastic, must be the offensive material. Otherwise, this is a pleasant little satire that plays like a cross between the 1960s BATMAN and THE GREEN HORNET (with their campy fight scenes), a bad Bruce Lee movie and a saccharine love story where the good guys triumph. For me, the biggest surprise was Parker. He has the making of a capable leading actor (something not displayed the dreadful BASEKETBALL). Handsome, bleached blond with a goofy charisma, Parker carries this frothy concoction and invests so much into the film that you can't help but surrender to it and go along for the ride. ORGAZMO is no prize-winner but it is a delightful comedy. Rating: C+ MPAA Rating: NC-17 |
| © 2005 by C. E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |