Porky’s, 1982
Directed by Bob Clark
Starring Dan Monahan, Mark Herrier, Wyatt Knight, Roger Wilson, Cyril O’Reilly, Tony Ganois, Kaki Hunter, Kim Cattrall, Nancy Parsons, Scott Colomby, Boyd Gaines, Doug McGrath, Chuck Mitchell and Alex Karras
SYNOPSIS:
Set in 1954, a group of Florida high schoolers seek out to help a buddy lose his virginity, which leads them to seek revenge on a sleazy nightclub owner and his redneck sheriff brother for harassing them.
Before Van Wilder, before American Pie, there was Porky’s. The “raunchy” sex comedy that delivered on one promise: if you went to see the movie, you would see boobs. It has held a legacy that is unrivalled with many comedy directors saying that this was the movie that made them want to get into filmmaking. It was lambasted by critics upon its release in 1982 for being too racy, but now 32 years on some people may be surprised at how tame it is.
Telling the story of a group of friends in the 1950s, Porky’s is the ultimate revenge story as the group are thrown out of a strip bar in another town and humiliated in the process. However, when the “rednecks” take things to far, it’s time for the boys to fight back. Oh, and they also want to “get laid”, see naked girls and Kim Cattrall has a loud sex scene.
Porky’s is perhaps best known for the “peephole” scenes in which our lead characters watch their girl classmates in the showers through holes they have carved in the walls, but there is more to the movie than just the promise of seeing boobs. The movie also deals with themes of standing up to abusive fathers, racism and bigotry. Director Bob Clark doesn’t shy away from any of these themes in what is supposed to be a light hearted sex romp and it sets the movie apart from the films that tried to copy its formula.
What makes Porky’s such a fun and charming movie however is the cast of loveable characters with good performances. Everyone knows these kids in their own circle of friends and Clark never treats them as caricatures so everyone feels real and genuine. Everyone knows a Pee Wee and Dan Monahan really makes this pathetic sack a loveable soul. Clark makes you want to see these boys win and beat the bad guys by giving them all dynamic personalities and a sweet friendship. You want to hang out with them, but you’ll always be weary that a prank is going to be played on you at any given moment.
But Porky’s really isn’t as raunchy as it was in 1982. In the last 15 years alone we have seen a man have sex with a pie so a woman having a loud orgasm just seems tame by comparison (even if it is still really funny). That’s not a slight against Porky’s as the times move on and each film in this genre has to try and top the film that came before it, but it does meant that one of its unique selling points is now null and void. However, any movie nowadays would struggle nowadays to get away with having an erect penis “penetrate” a peephole only to be grabbed by the evil Balbriker – so at least it has that going for it.
Porky’s does feel like a “boys-only” club with all of the jokes aimed towards the male sex, but this is something that should not be held against it. It’s still a fun movie with and it will have you grinning from ear to ear as the final credits roll because it delivers on everything it promised. It might seem tame by today’s standards, but there is more to Porky’s than meets the eye.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published June 23, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
