Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Boobs-'n'-booze comedy is a hard "R" for a reason.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Porky's
What's the Story?
In PORKY'S, this raunchy teen comedy set in 1950's Florida, a group of high school guys are obsessed with losing their virginity. They peek at naked girls showering, measure their reproductive organs, and talk endlessly of "doing it" -- favoring strippers and prostitutes once it becomes clear they won't get any action from their female classmates. In desperation, they gather up some money and ask the local strip club owner Porky (Chuck Mitchell) to provide professional ladies. When they get dunked in alligator-infested water instead, the boys plan a vengeful scheme to get back at Porky. While at school, they ogle the hot phys-ed teacher Miss Honeywell (Kim Cattrall) and hide from boxcar-sized gym teacher Ms. Balbricker (Nancy Parsons), who is out to get them. Occasionally, they deal with the rampant racism and anti-Semitism of the times, as one member of their crew is Jewish.
Is It Any Good?
This movie has somehow remained one of the most popular raunchy comedies of its time, even if it's not nearly as funny as it once seemed. In the late '70s and '80s, several influential movies about adolescence were set in the '50s (American Graffiti, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Animal House are among the best) presumably because that's the decade when the filmmakers grew up. Porky's was the bawdiest of the bunch.
Porky's is far from a message movie. Part nostalgia trip, part coming-of-age story, it's ultimately about a group of high school horndogs looking for a good time. And that's a theme that has certainly lasted throughout the decades.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teen sexuality and the legacy of raunchy high school films lik Porky's. The movie was made in the '80s but set in the '50s. What has changed in the way high school students talk about and approach sex? What movies accurately depict teen life today?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 19, 1982
- On DVD or streaming : October 24, 2006
- Cast : Dan Monahan , Mark Herrier , Wyatt Knight
- Director : Bob Clark
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 31, 2024
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