The hedgehog: fat, hairy, sweaty and, to be quite honest, hung. Ron Jeremy is a man who has the name and face recognition (amongst other things) that few other than conventional movies stars ever receive. Yet, this is a man who exists on the fringes of the entertainment society in the poorly lit and increasingly poorly written world of adult films. “”Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy,”” is a documentary that delves into the life of man who’s effigy has become synonymous with sex, but who wants to be known for more than his exceptional endowment.
Given Jeremy’s many mainstream bit parts, such as in “”Orgasmo,”” and cult status thanks to his thousands of adult films with titles as classy and tasteful as “”Sgt. Pecker’s Lonely Hearts Club Gang Bang,”” Jeremy’s slow creep into the mainstream seems utterly inevitable, and this film comes off as one of his many endeavors into the legitimized entertainment field.
The film itself is a surprisingly emotional look into a man who is idolized by fans for his role in well over 1,600 adult films (and an even greater number of sexual partners). The picture that develops is a complex one, reveling many joys, desires, dreams, failures and pains of a human being, one that happens to have sex in front of a massive audience for a living.
At times, Jeremy seems compulsive and obsessive, working constantly on many different fields: adult films, Hollywood films, music videos, trade shows and stand up acts amongst others. We catch glimpse’s of his massive journal of people, their phone numbers, and how they relate to each other, a taped together binder that Jeremy has been carrying for almost twenty years. Each name connects to other names to give the porn star a quick reference as to where he knows the person and what they can do for his career. The screen shots of this tome is mind boggling; covered in hundreds of names, separated by cities and states; this is a man who lets no one, ever, pass through his fingers.
Jeremy travels constantly, and from what is revealed by the film, probably most days of the year he is coming or going for his many different gigs. He claims to travel so much that those who wish to book him have trouble paying for his air fare because he doesn’t know where he will be coming from. “”Porn Star”” takes us to many diverse locations; the taping of a Kiss music video for “”Detroit Rock City,”” a Hollywood party, his honorary induction into a frat and even on stage with Kid Rock.
All this is not simply a narcissistic drive, but something else entirely; perhaps it is Jeremy’s desire to leave the adult business. He openly conjectures that he might lead such a hectic life style to make up for his lack of romantic connections. Often Jeremy speaks to the camera like a child, fascinated by his own stardom, grateful and in awe of what he has accomplished; but other times, he shows that there is more to who Ron Jeremy wanted to be: he always wanted to be a legitimate actor.
Formally, “”Porn Star”” is an aesthetically pleasing presentation: the editing is well crafted, sprinting back and fourth between narratives of Ron’s youth, his entrance into porn, err … adult film and his life as he lives it now. The juxtaposition reveals much that you would not expect about the enigmatic and exposed star. There is a sense of loneliness constructed by the sheer number of women Jeremy has slept with and the few that he actually has maintained an emotional connection to; other times he seems enthusiastic to be living his life the way he does, even if it is hectic.
Oddly enough, there is not much skin in this seeming skin flick; in fact “”Porn Star”” is very accurately described as a documentary. While this version of the film is not rated; the version titled “”The Legend of Ron Jeremy”” has less nudity for a mild “”R”” rating; yet there is hardly any actual pornography in “”Porn Star.”” There are certainly many naked, or at least bare chested women, and a few men as well, but the film stops far from becoming steamy, maintaining an odd sense of decorum even as they follow Jeremy and try to capture his preparations for an on-screen encounter.
“”Porn Star”” is by far the most unexpected documentary you are likely to ever see, but then again, Ron Jeremy is by far the most unlikely porn star to ever hump his way into the hearts and bedrooms of so many Americans. If nothing else, you’ll never be able to look at that fat little middle-aged Jewish man the same way when he pops up where you would least expect him.
