This is truly one of the most obscure films you might be able to find in the video store.
Orgazmo is pure farce. It's the story of how Mormon missionary Joe Young becomes a porn star and superhero. Joe starts out as all missionaries do: going door to door, being cussed out by sweet little old ladies. One day he knocks on the wrong door and ends up playing the role of Orgazmo in a porn flick. Young Joe is pure of heart, but he really needs the money so he can get married in the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.
The nemesis of this lampoon is the evil porn producer Maxxx Orbison. He has discovered a gold mine in Joe, and uses dirty tricks and blackmail to keep him in the business. This conflict ultimately transforms Joe from being an actor playing Orgazmo into a very real superhero who must fight evil and save his fiancee from the clutches of Maxxx.
Orgazmo is one of those few farcical movies that really does have a message if you're looking for one, but laughs are always the main focus. It finds a way to poke fun at virtually everybody in the film, from the Mormons to porn stars and even Jesus, who makes a brief appearance. Orgazmo's theme is that good will defeat evil, even if the good guy isn't so snowy white. Appearance and pretense is nothing; actions are everything. This, and the jokes, and you do have a good hour and a half.
What I will knock is the editing. Orgazmo drags too much in the beginning. What I'll praise it for is cinematography. This almost looks like a home movie, or perhaps a documentary. No multi-shadowed, overlit sets here. This looks low-budget, and this look helps the film.
Orgazmo was given an NC-17 rating by the MPAA
. This made the film unreleasable to theaters. Filmmaker Trey Parker took the anger from this experience and focused it into South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut. Is Parker proving that good filmmakers will triumph over the evil ratings board? You decide.
