First off, I get a tremendous kick out of porn films. Reveling in their crappy production values and atrocious acting is a wildly amusing way to spend a few hours. Although I wouldn't blink twice if the entire industry collapsed, I have certainly seen enough of this genre to know who Sir Ron Jeremy is. Plus, he is an alma madder of my New York High School, having graduated 20 years before I did. So he is like the school's dirty little secret. A would-be school teacher turned porn star who the boys adore and the teachers deplore.
Like other porn stars asked to give interviews about their biz, I assumed a documentary on Ron Jeremy's (born 'Ron Jeremy Hyatt') life would reveal him to be a whacko who ridiculously believes the porn business is a legitimate industry that should be taken seriously. Of course, the billions of dollars is generates annually can't be ignored either.
What a shock it was to learn that Ron Jermey, or 'the Hedgehog' as he is lovingly called, is 'in' on the joke with the rest of us. He knows that his whole celebrity is completely absurd, and even comments that he is so popular because the fans can relate to a 'schlub' like him. The film often follows Ron through his daily life and shows him to be, basically, a really nice guy who just fell into the porn world because a girlfriend submitted his nude photo Playgirl, without even telling him. From there, the adult-film industry basically pursued HIM!! Remember, at the time, he was thin, young, and while still average-looking, his porn star 'equipment' was undeniable.
The documentary is intercut with interviews with others in the porn world discussing Ron Jeremy, the man apart from all the 'glamour.' We learn of his intense cheapness (he is the richest man in the business, but only flies coach, literally uses plastic garbage bags for luggage, wears clothing he purchased from thrift stores 20 years ago, and won't pick up a check if his life depends on it), his excessive living (he eats whatever/whenever he wants, never exercises and indulges in sex - however he is adamantly anti-drug, including Viagra), and his desire to break into the 'real' acting world (he will do ANYTHING related to cinema - he once flew himself to Paris to film a movie where he appeared on screen for less than 2 seconds before being killed).
We even meet his father, who like Ron, treats the whole situation like a huge practical joke. Listening to Ron's dad talk nonchalantly about Ron's abnormally large equipment, and laugh about the embarrassment his son has brought the Hyatt family, is precious. It takes all the 'dirtiness' out of it, and makes the whole idea of a guy having sex on film for a living just seem like a lot of fun.
However, you are still left feeling a bit sorry for ol' Ron. His true life-long ambition is for Hollywood to take him seriosuly, and not use his name as the punchline for so-many bad jokes. Interestingly, he does have an impressive resume, but it's made pretty clear that he is already damaged goods in Hollywood. No matter what he does, or where he goes, he will always be Ron Jeremy, Porn Star. No matter how hard he tries, he will never leave that stigma behind - a victim of his own celebrity I suppose. Yet, it is a little difficult to feel TOO bad for a guy who's slept with over 2000 women, and gotten paid handsomely to boot.
Fun movie, very revealing, my rating: 9
Like other porn stars asked to give interviews about their biz, I assumed a documentary on Ron Jeremy's (born 'Ron Jeremy Hyatt') life would reveal him to be a whacko who ridiculously believes the porn business is a legitimate industry that should be taken seriously. Of course, the billions of dollars is generates annually can't be ignored either.
What a shock it was to learn that Ron Jermey, or 'the Hedgehog' as he is lovingly called, is 'in' on the joke with the rest of us. He knows that his whole celebrity is completely absurd, and even comments that he is so popular because the fans can relate to a 'schlub' like him. The film often follows Ron through his daily life and shows him to be, basically, a really nice guy who just fell into the porn world because a girlfriend submitted his nude photo Playgirl, without even telling him. From there, the adult-film industry basically pursued HIM!! Remember, at the time, he was thin, young, and while still average-looking, his porn star 'equipment' was undeniable.
The documentary is intercut with interviews with others in the porn world discussing Ron Jeremy, the man apart from all the 'glamour.' We learn of his intense cheapness (he is the richest man in the business, but only flies coach, literally uses plastic garbage bags for luggage, wears clothing he purchased from thrift stores 20 years ago, and won't pick up a check if his life depends on it), his excessive living (he eats whatever/whenever he wants, never exercises and indulges in sex - however he is adamantly anti-drug, including Viagra), and his desire to break into the 'real' acting world (he will do ANYTHING related to cinema - he once flew himself to Paris to film a movie where he appeared on screen for less than 2 seconds before being killed).
We even meet his father, who like Ron, treats the whole situation like a huge practical joke. Listening to Ron's dad talk nonchalantly about Ron's abnormally large equipment, and laugh about the embarrassment his son has brought the Hyatt family, is precious. It takes all the 'dirtiness' out of it, and makes the whole idea of a guy having sex on film for a living just seem like a lot of fun.
However, you are still left feeling a bit sorry for ol' Ron. His true life-long ambition is for Hollywood to take him seriosuly, and not use his name as the punchline for so-many bad jokes. Interestingly, he does have an impressive resume, but it's made pretty clear that he is already damaged goods in Hollywood. No matter what he does, or where he goes, he will always be Ron Jeremy, Porn Star. No matter how hard he tries, he will never leave that stigma behind - a victim of his own celebrity I suppose. Yet, it is a little difficult to feel TOO bad for a guy who's slept with over 2000 women, and gotten paid handsomely to boot.
Fun movie, very revealing, my rating: 9