Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

Last updated
Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy
Porn-Star-Legend-of-Ron-Jeremy-poster.jpg
Poster of theatrical release
Directed byScott J. Gill
Produced by
  • Kirt Eftekhar
  • Scott J. Gill (producers)
  • Tim Goldberg (executive producer)
  • Sean Skelton (associate producer)
Starring Ron Jeremy
CinematographyScott J. Gill
Ralph King
Edited byScott J. Gill
Music byCarvin Knowles
Production
companies
District Films
Maelstrom Entertainment
Radius Productions
Distributed byMaelstrom Entertainment
Outrider Films
Release date
  • November 30, 2001 (2001-11-30)
CountryUnited States
Box office$421,516

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy is a 2001 American documentary film based on the life of porn actor Ron Jeremy. The film is directed and written by Scott J. Gill. The film features Ron Jeremy describing his life and career, and co-stars Larry Flynt, Adam Rifkin, Seymore Butts, Alisha Klass, Phoebe Dollar, Kenny Dollar, Jenna Jameson, and Troy Duffy. [1] The film is produced by Kirt Eftekhar, and Scott J. Gill.

Contents

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy was released theatrically on November 30, 2001, and on home media on March 25, 2003. [2] The film won various awards, including Best Feature, Audience Award at the No Dance Film Festival, and Best Film at the Melbourne Underground Film Festival. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.

Synopsis

In 1978, Ron Hyatt (now Ron Jeremy) was a teacher who dreamed of some day becoming an actor. One day his girlfriend sent his nude photo to Playgirl magazine, who published the picture as part of their "Boy Next Door" feature. [3] Later he was asked to star in a hardcore pornographic film, which he accepted; this would become starting point of his pornographic career. [3] Jeremy became one of the biggest male pornographic actors in the adult film industry. He is nicknamed "The Hedgehog" due to "measuring in at 5-foot-6 and 250 pounds, with a bushy moustache and shoulder-length, and greasy black hair". [4]

Cast

Credits adapted from Rotten Tomatoes. [2]

Reception

Ron Jeremy at 2007 AVN Awards. Ron Jeremy at 2007 AVN Awards.jpg
Ron Jeremy at 2007 AVN Awards.

Box office

In its opening weekend, Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy was screened in two theaters, grossing $23,865 with an average of $11,932 per theater. [5] In its second weekend, the film was screened in seven theatres, grossing $39,011 with an average of $5,573 per theater. [5] Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy grossed $421,516 worldwide for its 35-day run in theaters. [5]

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 48 reviews, with an average rating of 6.11/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Porn Star is both an entertaining and poignant documentary on the life of Ron Jeremy". [2] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [6]

Michael O'Sullivan, writing for The Washington Post , called Porn Star "a documentary portrait that is as sad as it is funny". [7] Edward Guthmann of San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "Shot over 18 months and edited from 150 hours of footage, "Porn Star" is a lively, ultimately sad portrait that asks a very good question – how can someone who looks as bad as Jeremy be a porn star? – and offers some reasonable answers". [8]

Collin Souter of efilmcritic wrote: "If you only want to see a documentary about a man and his oversized, flesh colored abyss, alien, you could do a lot worse. You will learn a thing or two about his butter churning technique". [9] Jim Sullivan of The Boston Globe wrote: "Gill's take on Jeremy's porn life is neither celebratory nor cautionary. It's the portrait of a porn star as a somewhat complicated man, one who savors basking in the spotlight and doesn't mind what reflection it casts". [10]

Accolades

YearAwardCategoryResultRef(s).
2001No Dance Film FestivalBest FeatureWon [11]
Audience AwardWon
2002 Melbourne Underground Film Festival Best FilmWon [12]
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best DocumentaryNominated [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Hartley</span> American pornographic actress (born 1959)

Marie Louise Hartman, known professionally as Nina Hartley, is an American pornographic film actress and sex educator. By 2017 she had appeared in more than one thousand adult films. She has been described by Las Vegas Weekly as an "outspoken feminist" and "advocate for sexual freedom", and by CNBC as "a legend in the adult world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Goldstein</span> American pornographer (1936–2013)

Alvin Goldstein was an American pornographer best known for helping normalize hardcore pornography in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alisha Klass</span> American actress

Alisha Klass is a former American pornographic actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stacy Valentine</span> American pornographic actress and model (born 1970)

Stacy Valentine is an American former pornographic actress. She is a member of both the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

Porn Star, Porn star or Pornstar may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seymore Butts</span> American pornographic filmmaker (born 1964)

Adam Glasser, known professionally as Seymore Butts, is an American pornographic film director, producer, and occasional performer who has produced hundreds of films in the gonzo genre of pornography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herschel Savage</span> American pornographic actor, director and stage actor (1952–2023)

Herschel Savage was an American pornographic actor, director, and stage actor who appeared in over 1,000 adult films. In 2002, AVN ranked him 46th on their list of The Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time. He was also inducted into the AVN and XRCO Halls of Fame.

<i>The Chase</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Adam Rifkin

The Chase is a 1994 American action comedy film written and directed by Adam Rifkin and starring Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson. Set in California, the film follows a wrongfully convicted man who kidnaps a wealthy heiress and leads police on a lengthy car chase in an attempt to escape prison, while the news media dramatize the chase to absurd extents. It features Henry Rollins, Josh Mostel, and Ray Wise in supporting roles, with cameo appearances by Anthony Kiedis and Flea of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Jeremy</span> American pornographic actor (born 1953)

Ronald Jeremy Hyatt is an American former pornographic actor.

Thinking XXX is a 2004 documentary television film about the process photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders went through to create his book XXX: 30 Porn Star Portraits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Age of Porn</span> Era of mainstream success for sexually explicit films (1969–1984)

The term "Golden Age of Porn", or "porno chic", refers to a 15-year period (1969–1984) in commercial American pornography, in which sexually explicit films experienced positive attention from mainstream cinemas, movie critics, and the general public. This American period, which subsequently spread internationally, and that began before the legalization of pornography in Denmark on July 1, 1969, started on June 12, 1969, with the theatrical release of the film Blue Movie directed by Andy Warhol, and, somewhat later, with the release of the 1970 film Mona produced by Bill Osco. These films were the first adult erotic films depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States. Both influenced the making of films such as 1972's Deep Throat starring Linda Lovelace and directed by Gerard Damiano, Behind the Green Door starring Marilyn Chambers and directed by the Mitchell brothers, 1973's The Devil in Miss Jones also by Damiano, and 1976's The Opening of Misty Beethoven by Radley Metzger, the "crown jewel" of the Golden Age, according to award-winning author Toni Bentley. According to Andy Warhol, his Blue Movie film was a major influence in the making of Last Tango in Paris, an internationally controversial erotic drama film, starring Marlon Brando, and released in 1972, three years after Blue Movie was shown in theaters.

Fans of X-Rated Entertainment is a United States-based pornography fan organization founded by adult film actor, director, and critic William Margold and actress Viper. It advocates against censorship of pornography and gives annual adult film awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Lockwood</span> American pornographic actor and director (born 1970)

Kurt Lockwood is an American pornographic actor and director, model, and musician.

<i>Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry</i> 2009 American film

Naked Ambition: An R Rated Look at an X Rated Industry is a 2009 American documentary film written by Charles Holland and directed by Michael Grecco based upon the Grecco's third portrait photography book by the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belladonna (actress)</span> American pornographic actress, director, producer and model (born 1981)

Michelle Sinclair, known professionally as Belladonna, is an American former pornographic and erotic actress, director, producer, and model. Since announcing her retirement from pornography in 2012, she has acted in several mainstream films, including Inherent Vice and The Ladies of the House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pornographic film actor</span> Person who performs in pornography

A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinct pornographic subgenres and attempt to present a sexual fantasy; the actors selected for a particular role are primarily selected on their ability to create or fit that fantasy. Pornographic videos are characterized as either softcore, which does not contain depictions of sexual penetration or extreme fetishism, and hardcore, which can contain depictions of penetration or extreme fetishism, or both. The genres and sexual intensity of videos is mainly determined by demand. Depending on the genre of the film, the on-screen appearance, age, and physical features of the actors and their ability to create the sexual mood of the video is of critical importance. Most actors specialize in certain genres, such as straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, bondage, strap-on, anal, double penetration, semen swallowing, teenage, orgy, age roleplay, fauxcest, interracial or MILFs and more.

<i>Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes</i> 1998 American film

Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes is a 1998 documentary about adult film icon John C. Holmes produced and directed by Cass Paley. It was the winner of Best Feature Documentary at the 1999 South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th AVN Awards</span> 1999 American adult industry award ceremony

The 16th AVN Awards ceremony, organized by Adult Video News (AVN) honored the best of 1998 in pornographic movies and took place on January 9, 1999, at Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada. During the ceremony, AVN presented AVN Awards in 68 categories. The ceremony, televised by Playboy TV, was produced by Gary Miller and directed by Mark Stone. Comedian Robert Schimmel returned as host and actresses Alisha Klass, Midori and Serenity co-hosted the award show. Five weeks earlier in a ceremony held at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, California, on December 4, 1998, the awards for gay pornographic movies were presented in a new separate ceremony known as the GayVN Awards.

Tampa Tushy Fest, Part 1 is a 1999 American pornographic film directed by Seymore Butts and starring Alisha Klass, Samantha Stylle, Montana Gunn, and Chloe Nicholle. It became a center of a legal case about obscenity in California. The film features fisting, a sexual act where a hand is inserted into a vagina or anus, which Los Angeles City attorney Deborah Sanchez considered an obscenity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circus of Books</span> Book and pornography store in California, US

Circus of Books, also known as Chi Chi LaRue's Circus, is a bookstore and gay pornography shop in West Hollywood, California. It was established in the 1960s as "Book Circus", and in the past also had branches in the Silver Lake and Sherman Oaks neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

References

  1. "Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy". guidedoc.tv.
  2. 1 2 3 Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2001), archived from the original on 2019-11-15, retrieved 2019-11-15
  3. 1 2 "Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2002)". PopMatters. 2003-04-28. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  4. Snow, Aurora (2017-11-18). "Porn Legend Ron Jeremy Accused of Sexual-Assault by Two Women: 'I Was Scared'". Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  5. 1 2 3 "Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  6. Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy, archived from the original on 2019-11-15, retrieved 2019-11-15
  7. O'Sullivan, Michael (2002-04-12). "'Porn Star': The Bare Facts". ISSN   0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  8. Guthmann, Edward (2001-12-07). "Real portrait funny, sad in 'Porn Star'". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  9. "Movie Review – Pornstar: The Legend of Ron Jeremy – eFilmCritic". efilmcritic.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  10. "Boston.com / Arts & Entertainment / Movies". Boston Globe. 2002-02-13. Archived from the original on 2002-02-13. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  11. "No Dance Film Festival (2001)". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  12. Fung, Albert (2002-10-03). "3rd Annual Melbourne Underground Film Festival: A Report". Senses of Cinema. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  13. "Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2002". MUBI. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.