Sure, the Mormon hero is the subject of quite a few laughs, but the film almost respects him, regardless. Everyone else, with the exception of Choda-Boy, Orgazmo's sidekick, and maybe G-Fresh, the Asian Gangsta who says things like "You better check yourself before I make you wreck yourself", are vile, hideous motherfuckers, out to corrupt and rob and make off with ones soul and possibly ejaculatory abilities.
The whole carry-on is much wittier and knowing than anything called Orgazmo has any right to be. In one scene, three actors debate the degrading effects of pornography on not just woman, but men, and the general exploitation of it all, as the director waits for them to hurry the hell up and be naked.
It's like in South Park, when you have the bit at the end of the episode about "I've learned something today…" It's done for sarcastic laughs, but it also makes a lot of sense if you get past the sheer absurdity of it all.
Like the show, in fact, Orgazmo constantly subverts our expectations. Just as those ever-so-wanked-over porn stars are about to disrobe, for example, we get a big hairy arse step in front of the camera. We don't even get the silicone breast-shot, man, on account of this motherfucker's fuzz-coated anus.
It's just as funny as when someone splits a bag full of groceries in front of you in the street, except it's ok to laugh, since you're probably at home, and anyway, it's a comedy and it's by the fellas what made South Park so you're probably all trippin' on XTC or whatever the fuck you youngsters do nowadays.
Juvenile motherfucking delinquency, man. It's a cancer in the scrotum of civilisation.
There's also a plethora of brilliantly funny characters, not least Dave, The Lighting Guy, played by Stone, who says things like "I don't wanna sound like a queer or nothin', but I think Depeche Mode were a pretty sweet band".
Parker and Stone also make a virtue of their miniscule budget, never trying to disguise the fact, and actually drawing our attention to it via some hilariously inept special effects.
There's just so much warmth and humanity in it all, something you never really hear these fellas get credit for. It's always "Oh, did you see what they said about Jews / Mel Gibson / Lesbians?", but no one ever says, "Hey, by the way, did you see the incredible understanding they displayed regarding Michael Jackson, at a time when everyone else has him painted as some villainous, freakish motherfucker before the trail even started?" Who the fuck would have thought for a second that the place to find considered, intelligent debate on television is in the form of a cartoon about kids saying "Pardon my French, but you can suck my hairy balls".
Article comments
1 - Jim Carruthers
What you missed was that "Orgazmo" is primarily a kung-fu movie in structure and plot points. The stunt cocks and double-vaginal - double-anal action are just the set dressing.
And in addition to a kick ass soundtrack, it has one of the best superhero rallying cries after Ben ("It's Clobberin' Time!") Grimm :
"Go In The Front, Come Out The Back and Fuck Their Shit Up!"
Plus it Jesus Approved (tm), He gave it the thumbs up, right there near the end.
I think "Orgazmo" is a better movie than their tribute to Zucker-Abrams-Zucker "Baseketball".
2 - RJ Elliott
Good movie, great review. Two dicks up! :-/
3 - Eric Olsen
the back-alleys and rusted dumpsters of popular culture have rarely had a more charismatic and empathetic explicator - thanks Duke, you make it all seem almost noble.
4 - Eric Olsen
Oh, by the way, I'm not sure understanding is what Michael Jackson needs - he may have received altogether too much understanding over the last 20 years or so. A person with less cash, power, and understanding over that time might have had to reconcile his internal world with the external one filled with actual real living people
5 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Thanks fellas.
RJ, i just hope Roger Ebert sees fit to use that expression in his future reviewing malarky.
Jim, spot-on about the Kung Fu, although i haven't yet saw BASEketball, so i'll have to reserve judgement, by which i mean, wait till i do, in fact, see the film what goes by the name of BASEketball.
Eric, thanks, man! Nice words are always appreciated. As for Michael, i realise that right there is a pretty contentious topic, but i guess i just mean that for a show such as south park, it would have been easy to do what everyone else was doing, ie, go for cheap laughs and nothing else. It certainly had plenty of cheap laughs, but also looked on the matter sympathetically. Whilst it didn't excuse jackson, it saw that there was probably a mental illness at work there that caused him to act in what might seem like a malicious nature, but was probably genuinely innocent. He needs help, is what it seemed to say, not to be vilified.
Thanks as ever, folks.
6 - Eric Olsen
I understand - he needs help AND needs to be vilified for not getting it. Just because someone is nuts doesn't mean they aren't dangerous.
7 - TDavid
I've seen this movie discussed before but never braved it as a rental.