Dom Robinson reviews

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Cert:

Cat.no: 16350 DVD

Running time: 187 minutes

Year: 1981/1983

Pressing: 2001

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 20/15 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0

Languages: English

Subtitles: 11 languages available

Widescreen: 1.85:1

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: 2 * DVD 5

Price: £19.99

Extras: Trailers

Director:

Bob Clark (Baby Geniuses 1 & 2, The Emperor's New Clothes, From the Hip, Loose Cannons, Porky's 1 & 2, Turk 182!)

Producer:

Don Carmody and Bob Clark

Screenplay:

Bob Clark / Alan Ormsby and Roger Swaybill

Music:

Paul Zaza and Carl Zittrer / Carl Zittrer

Cast:

Pee Wee Morris: Dan Monahan
Billy: Mark Herrier
Tommy Turner: Wyatt Knight
Mickey Jarvis: Roger Wilson
Wendy Williams: Kaki Hunter
Miss Honeywell: Kim Cattrall
Beulah Ballbricker: Nancy Parsons
Cherry Forever: Susan Clark
Porky Wallace: Chuck Mitchell

Set in the 1950s at Angel Beach High, the film also follows the (mis)fortunes of Billy (Mark Herrier), Tommy Turner (Wyatt Knight), Mickey Jarvis (Roger Wilson), Meat and school bike Wendy Williams (Kaki Hunter). Pee Wee had a bad experience after being set up with Wendy, but now gets a chance at losing his cherry as the lads are off tonight to visit the whorehouse "Porky's", but after being thrown out they're seeking revenge and that's not easy given that the owner's brother is sheriff.

Classic moments in this film include Miss Honeywell (Kim Cattrall) getting turned on in the boys' locker room, the appearance of Cherry Forever (Susan Clark), the time when three of the lads peek into the girls' shower room and discover the disgusting PE teacher Miss Balbricker (Nancy Parsons) and the resultant scene in the office when what was exposed gets discussed in length, much to the amusement of everyone but Balbricker...

Sadly, the same cannot be said of the sequel, subtitled "The Next Day" because that's when it happens. The students decide to stage "An Evening with Shakespeare", but Balbricker views the bard's works as obscene and it is shut down with the help of corrupt politicians seeking re-election. However, there's barely a laugh to be had and when it sinks into the nadir of showing off a load of naked old men, it's just pitiful.

I haven't seen the third film in the series - Porky's Revenge - and since it's not included here I don't know if it's a blessing or not, but the plot finds Porky (Chuck Mitchell) reopening his club in a Mississippi riverboat.

Kim Cattrall in your changing room:
something to think about.

Both films are presented in their original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio and are anamorphic, but both look very soft and have a number of minor print glitches throughout. As for sound, both were made in mono and are presented in Dolby Pro Logic here, but it makes no difference since they're hardly effects-laden comedies.

There are 20 chapters for the first film and 15 for the second, menus are static and silent and the only extras given are Trailers (16:9 anamorphic widescreen) for each film. Subtitles come in 11 languages: English for the hearing-impaired, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese and Swedish.

Again, with this double-bill there's no reason to issue the films on two separate DVD 5s, since they would both have easily fitted on a single DVD 9.

Porky's Porky's 2 PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.