Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Perhaps a more educated professional of film history could tie this movie in better – but to me, Porky’s released in 1981 broke many barriers mainly because for the first time in cinema it was about school aged kids and sex. It wouldn’t be until the late 1990’s that such a formula would evolve to perhaps its biggest climax by showing young youth running around naked, having lots of sex, drinking, doing drugs, and perhaps worst yet – making love to Grandma’s good old-fashioned apple pie.

But before Jason Biggs was typecast as “the apple pie guy” were movies like Porky’s. Smashing down the moral barrier – playing chicken with the censor board – and basically being at the beginning of a decade where sex would grow and grow, ahem into a movie that if made today might have ignited the careers of many of its stars – especially one who now is known as “the penis through the peep hole” guy.

The story of Porky’s, like many movies of that type is really unimportant in the overall scheme of things. The setup is however extremely important – a setup that boils down to a bunch of horny young guys who are interested in girls – especially the naked kind – and seek out the only place they know that the two intermix in utter pleasure – an establishment called Porky’s. What follows are tons of pranks and sexual situations/innuendo that are still funny today.

In case you are interested in the story, it goes something like this. The movie centers on Pee Wee Morris/Dan Monahan who’s sole purpose in life it would seem to be is to lose his virginity. His friends Billy/Mark Herrier, Tommy/Wyatt Knight, Tim/Cyril O’Reilly, and Meat/Tony Ganios all encourage him and ridicule him since that’s what friends do. A decision is made that the only way Morris is ever going to lose his virginity is to visit a bar/wh*rehouse run by a chunky fellow named Porky. But, Porky, a shrewd country hick/businessman takes Morris’ money, paid to lose his virginity, and then swiftly kicks everyone out of his joint. The boys of course, instead of realizing that they are in fact way underage to be there in the first place, vow revenge.

There are two very interesting things about Porky’s that not much literature has written on – one such subject that can be seen quite largely in movies which have similar themes. First, I’ll get to the obvious – thank you IMDB.com for this interesting fact – apparently even in 1999 this movie is still the reigning champ for being the highest grossing movie to be made in Canada. Who would have thought that our neighbors to the North would hold such a title – maybe one day if they ever turn their production of Queer as Folk into a movie they can cap off such a prehistoric title. Which leads me into the second interesting fact…

Why is it – or is it just me? – that many movies all have a collection of guys eagerly desiring sex with a girl, but instead find themselves comfortable and one could say content in the company of just their guy friends, in their underwear. It’s no surprise nowadays, when a up-and-coming young male star strips down and shows off his birthday suit – in fact it’s really a requirement. I could name at least two films off the top of my head – where the guys may “act” all macho and tough – but do so wearing nothing but their underwear. Laugh all you want – since that’s what you are meant to do – but stop and at least think – what sex or sexuality is really being presented?

The only reason I bring that up is because a movie like Porky’s is meant to – at least at that time – excite our eyes, with not just with what the end objective is for the male characters, but also what they see and we see looking at them.

As for the movie in pure cinematic history – it launched the careers of no one. Not a single actor – perhaps excused is Kim Catrall (Samantha Jones in HBO’s Sex and the City) – are known by any means today, at least not in film. Director Bob Clark wouldn’t evolve much unless you consider de-evolving by making the 1999 movie Baby Geniuses – and perhaps even scarier making a sequel Baby Geniuses: Superbabies set for release in 2003. Dan Monahan (Pee Wee Morris) would be seen later on in Baby Geniuses – but even more unknown, by appearing as a character simply named a “reporter”. As for Chuck Mitchell aka Porky his career would end with such anti-hits as Good-bye Cruel World (1982), Better Off Dead (1985), Hateman (1987), and Hollywood Zap (1995) before his death in 1992. And no, I haven’t seen any of those movies – but I thought the titles were “interesting” in a retrospective sort of way.

Overall – there really isn’t much pork…I mean meat…in Porky’s. It is funny – even by today’s standards – but to me that laugher seems to hold more meaning simply because with age I have looked at the movie more closely. That statement is not to say that one should not see the movie or in doing so they won’t have a good laugh – no, Porky’s is funny. And, lives up to the mantra that it has been labeled as. A sexy – minus the “y” movie about young guys wanting sex, dreaming of sex, thinking about sex, all the while they share each other’s company in their underwear.

Oh, and by the way – only one guy finally has sex in the movie. Leave it to American Pie to make sure that everybody has sex.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS