Porky's . Weekly Alibi . 10-13-97

Porky's

DIRECTED BY: Bob Clark

REVIEWED: 10-13-97

When this flick first came out, I was completely baffled by my friends proclaiming it to be the laff sensation of their young lives--it just looked stupid to me. Now that I've finally seen it, I'm still baffled--oh, it's funny, all right--not poop-yer-pants hysterical, by any means, but adequately laugh-inducing. No, I'm baffled because none of my pals caught on to the truth about this movie. On the surface, Porky's seems to be about a bunch of 1950s teens peeping at girls in the shower, but those horny teens spend 90 percent of the movie half-naked in the locker room or completely naked in a shack in the woods (purportedly in an effort to get into some female flesh). And I'm here to tell ya, for a bunch of teenage boys, these guys are waaay too comfortable being naked around each other. When I was a teenager, the mere mention of the word "dong" in reference to another guy was enough to get you a severe indian burn. Let's face it: We're talkin' ManLove here. Consider: The movie carries a really heavy-handed message about "tolerance" in the guise of bigoted tough-guy Cavanaugh's dislike of new kid Brian because he's Jewish. Only after Brian bests the tough-guy in a manly fistfight does Cavanaugh learn to respect the new kid. Later, at the dance (where the guys are indifferent as to which girl they dance with--being around one another is enough), Cavanaugh's even more bigoted dad gives him hell for being punched out by a Jew. Cavanaugh replies: "If being a man means being like you, I'd rather be queer." Uh-huh. Case closed. Porky's is not about horny teens trying to bang a little beaver--it's about the burgeoning homosexuality of a group of South Florida high-school boys and how they deal with it in the repressive Eisenhower era. Need more proof? Only one of the guys gets laid during the movie, and it happens on a school bus with the School Slut, as numerous people stand around to "witness" the (actually unseen by anyone) event. But I contend that this girl is not a slut at all--she's the local fag-hag, courageously putting her "rep" on the line to act as a beard for these young fellows. I used to believe Reservoir Dogs was the gayest movie ever made, but not anymore. (Fox)

--Scott Phillips

Other Films by Bob Clark
A Christmas Story
Baby Geniuses
Black Christmas
Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

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