Pornstar: The Legend of Ron Jeremy Movie Review

Ron Jeremy is the Everyman of porn. He's big and tubby, wildly hairy, and he's made some 1,600 porn films since the 1970s.

Now he's the subject of his own documentary, Pornstar, wherein his secrets are revealed (including a CIA family, penny-pinching ways, and an obsession with his own publicity. Through a series of utterly hilarious interviews with publishers like Al Goldstein and Larry Flynt, porn starlets like Tabitha Stevens and Alisha Klass, and oddball friends like Al ("Grandpa Munster") Lewis, the truth about Ron Jeremy is revealed. Yes, it's about what you're expecting, but it is also wildly funny, one of the most sheerly entertaining documentaries since Crumb.

Jeremy is actually a pretty down to earth guy, looking for happiness and, more importantly, legitimacy in an industry that wants little to do with him (this is: mainstream films). When he does get a bit part in a real film, it's a dream come true -- that is, if he doesn't end up on the cutting room floor.

Director Scott Gill, who says he didn't know who Ron Jeremy was when this project came to him, deftly intercuts bits from Ron's past skin flicks (including a big-budget production in which he played the Red Baron) to illustrate present-day scenes and help get inside Ron's head. It's remarkably effective to see the dichotomy between his quest for mainstream success and some of the cheesy scenarios and outfits he's subjected himself to in the past. And seeing his dilapidated "black book" is worth the price of a DVD rental alone.

Notable on the DVD are a ton of deleted scenes (best moment: Jeremy hiding off camera to eavesdrop on a friend as she candidly comments about him) and a commentary by Gill and Jeremy. Jeremy completely overruns the track with a running dissection of the film, second-guessing Gill's every choice and plugging himself endlessly. It is quite funny and gives you even more insight into a strange and curious mind.

Highly recommended.

Aka Porn Star.