By Robert Scucci | Updated
I think it goes without saying that the “superhero sex comedy” or, as I like to call it, the “action porn” genre belongs to a niche audience, and for good reason. But credit must be given to young Trey Parker and Matt Stone for trying to leave their mark on this strangely specific genre with 1997. Orgasmwhich had its limited theatrical run just before South Park has become the intellectual property for which they are best known. Marking Parker’s second feature film as director, Orgasm the production value is leaps and bounds from his first film, Cannibal! The musical, but Orgasm was always intended to be a cult classic that was difficult to track down via streaming due to its controversial subject matter and execution.
At least at the time of Orgasm release, I’ve never seen a film rated NC-17 that wasn’t hidden behind a beaded curtain in the video store, solely to be accessible to the most deviant moviegoers. Ironically, Parker and Stone were more than smart in their self-censorship, making the film quite tame by today’s standards. However, the rating was justified by the MPAA due to the use of sexually suggestive props despite the fact that Orgasm there is less nudity than that of 2016 dead Pool if my calculations are correct.
An innocent Mormon turned porn star
Orgasm doesn’t tell a complex story, but its premise is quite unique in that there aren’t many films that begin with an innocent missionary with intimidating martial arts skills being recruited by a sleazy movie baron to play a pornographic superhero. , which culminates in kidnapping, gang violence, blackmail, and a veritable ray gun that subdues its subjects by stimulating them to the point of, how shall I say… extreme excitement and release.
Trey Parker’s Joe Young is a wonderfully naive young man with his whole life ahead of him, and doesn’t want to get into trouble when he agrees to work for Maxxx Orbison (Michael Dean Jacobs) as a fictional gigolo fighting the crime named Orgazmo, but agrees to star in his film because he wants to give his fiancée, Lisa (Robyn Lynn Raab), the wedding of her dreams. Accepting the job in defiance of his faith, Joe quickly finds himself signing a contract, but on the condition that a stuntman participate in his place during the steamy scenes, ethically allowing him to star in such a dirty film.
The downside of success
Thinking his performance of Orgazmo will simply be a one-off gig that will earn him a life-changing amount of money, Joe is locked into a perpetual contract with Maxxx after the film becomes a runaway success. Unlike his co-star who plays Choda Boy, Orgazmo’s sidekick Ben Chapelski (Dian Bachar of BASEketball And Electric apricot fame), Joe wants to leave the industry, but his hand is forced by Maxxx, who sees the world through the prism of greed. Luckily, Ben only works in pornography because he likes the excitement and reveals to Joe that he graduated from MIT and actually created a real-life version of Orgazmo’s weapon, the Orgazmorator .
Armed with his new weapon of massive arousal, Joe and Ben discover just how deep Maxxx Orbison’s corruption runs when Lisa is kidnapped following Joe’s refusal to fulfill his contract. It’s up to Joe and Ben to take down Maxxx and save Lisa, while Dave the photographer (Matt Stone) remains blissfully unaware of his surroundings despite the obvious tension on set. Now running through the mean streets of Los Angeles as the real Orgazmo and Choda Boy, they must take down Maxxx and his evil sidekick, A-Cup (David Dunn), and save the city from certain disaster.
Should be rated R
Orgasm‘s The NC-17 rating seems a little harsh watching today’s film, but I can understand why the censors wanted to err on the side of caution with this film. Back then, Trey Parker and Matt Stone didn’t have as much appeal or resources as they do today, and sometimes you have to take your lumps when trying to get a foothold in the film industry.
But I will say this: their self-censorship adds a whole layer of comedy to Orgasm which elevates humor to the point of absurdity. Every time a mistress lifts her shirt to shoot a scene on Maxxx’s soundstage, there’s never a full reveal, but rather the bare rear end of a man taking over, which is always a Little risky but much safer than full frontal nudity. You can say what you want about the T-Rex love sequence which I leave to your imagination if you’ve never had the pleasure of watching. Orgasmbut still, you mostly see provocative facial expressions more than anything else.
At the time of writing these lines, Orgasm is not available for streaming, but I recently saw it making its rounds on Tubi before being removed from the platform. For now you can watch Orgasm on demand via Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies, Apple TV+ and Fandango at Home.
