Orgazmo

Released 1997
Stars Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Michael Dean Jacobs, Robyn Raab, Ron Jeremy
Directed by Trey Parker

"Orgazmo" is intended to explore new realms of campiness. It's crude, rude, profane, and funny. (That's the same sort of description applied to both "Clerks" and "There's Something about Mary.") Like many parodies, "Orgazmo" runs a little too long. Its best moments are during the first half-hour, when almost everything Parker attempts is fresh. The longer the film is on-screen, the more recycled the jokes seem. Still, "Orgazmo" has great fun mixing, matching, and lampooning three popular motion picture types: the superhero movie, the porn movie, and the "bad movie."

The story, which is about as preposterous as anything anyone could come up with, features writer/director/actor Parker as a nice, God-fearing Mormon, mighty Joe Young. Joe is trying to convert heathens in Los Angeles when he stumbles upon the house of adult film producer and all-around bad guy Maxxx Orbison. Orbison wants to cast Joe in his new superhero porn movie, Orgazmo, but the young man is reluctant because pornography is against his beliefs. After Orbison promises that there won't be any actual penetration (he'll use a stunt penis), Joe agrees -- he needs the $20,000 pay check so he can marry his sweetheart. So, dressed as the defender of all that is good and right, Joe makes his debut as Orgazmo, accompanied by his faithful sidekick, Choda Boy (Dian Bachar).

In order to more effectively spoof the genre, Orgazmo takes the form of a porn movie, with lowbrow, occasionally-inventive comedy replacing sex. Bad writing, amateurish acting, and shoddy production design are all carefully inserted for maximum effect. The arsenal of humor encompasses gay stereotyping, flatulence jokes, fight sequence parodies, attacks on the state of Utah, and visual gags featuring male buttocks and dildos of all shapes, colors, and sizes. In many ways, Orgazmo's style is reminiscent of that of the Keenan Ivory Wayans parody, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka -- unpolished but enjoyable.

Summary by James Berardinelli