Caffeinated Clint
The newly-released “Porky’s : The Ultimate Collection” features all three films – with a few extras, including commentary by Clark and a retrospective featurette, tacked onto the end of the first disc.
Dan Monahan, Wyatt Knight, Tony Ganios, Mark Herrier, Kaki Hunter, Kim Cattrall
The look on my wife’s face when she saw that I had the box set for “Porky’s” in my hand was priceless. She’s never seen any of the films in the legendary Canadian comedy series, but she knows them by reputation. She’s not alone. Most know “Porky’s” for its filthy status – but have never actually sat down to watch the thing. If they had, they’d know that there’s nothing really (well, the odd bare breast here and there, but not much) to be worried about. You’re still going to want to put the kids to bed before watching it, sure, but Grandma can stay up for it. It won’t hurt her.
“Porky’s”, ya see, isn’t so much about people “Porkin’” – I assume that’s where the mix-up is – as it about a group of rowdy teenagers who are constantly being kicked out of a shady little bar called… “Porky’s”. It’s that simple. Yep, there are a few bits of flesh here and there. There’s also some language that some may frown down upon. And there’s definitely some sexual themes floating in its river. All in all though, it’s a film that’s legendary for its smut – smut that you’d need a magnifying glass to spot.
Granted, in 1982, when “Porky’s” was released, it might have been pretty wild. There weren’t a lot of tittie movies back then, and appreciably, the ratings system was a lot tougher than it is now. (Things changed by the mid 80s, suddenly every teenage comedy featured a mass of flesh; boobs became the staple of a teen comedy).
Directed by the late Bob Clark (director of the original “Black Christmas”), “Porky’s” was a fun film. Sure, it might disappoint a few of today’s youth because they’re expecting – as I said above – a bunch of jugs jiggling around on screen, and they don’t really get that, but it’ll still have even the hardest-to-please teenager laughing at one point or another.
The first in the series, easily the best one, tells of a group of Florida high schoolers in the 50s who seek to lose their virginity which leads them to seek revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner and his redneck sheriff brother for harassing them. Besides a young Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”), there’s nobody in it of note.
“Porky’s II : The Next Day”, also directed by Clark, says our titular bunch taking on a group of religious nuts and politicos. It ain’t half as good as the first, but it still has its moments.
“Porky’s 3 : Porky’s Revenge” reintroduced audiences to the villain of the first film, Porky, but it forgot the laughs and wit of the original. The problem with this one is that the script was just completely dull. No amount of tit could save this one.
The newly-released “Porky’s : The Ultimate Collection” features all three films – with a few extras, including commentary by Clark and a retrospective featurette, tacked onto the end of the first disc.
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Reviewer : Clint Morris
