Orgazmo
Don't Judge a Movie by its Rating

Orgazmo, South Park co-creator Trey Parker's first movie, takes a comic book plot and turns it into a live action film. Parker plays Joe Young, a young Mormon missionary with the Charles Atlas Seal of Approval. Joe lives for two goals: converting the sinners of Hollywood to the Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter Day Saints, and giving his fiancée (newcomer Robyn Lynne Raab) a pricey wedding in the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake City.

While pounding the pavement in the name of religion, Joe stumbles upon the home studio of adult film director Maxxx Orbison (Michael Dean Jacobs). When Joe single-handedly wipes the floor with the Orbison's goons, Orbison asks Joe to star as Captain Orgazmo in Orbison's latest movie.

Staunchly Mormon Joe turns Orbison down. Not only would acting in a pornographic film mock his religious beliefs, it would involve intercourse, and Joe is saving himself for Lisa. But Orbison assures Joe he need not do the deed -- that's what "stunt cocks" are for -- and advises Joe to think about it. After much soul-searching and a conversation with Lisa, Joe decides God wouldn't want him to pass up all that money.

As the codpiece-clad Orgazmo, Joe and his trusty sidekick, Choda-Boy, (Dian Bachar) fight crime, save damsels in distress and get laid. They defeat their enemies with Choda-Boy's augmented sex toys and a machine called "the orgazmorator." The device stops villains in their tracks by giving them mind-blowing orgasms. As vile criminals writhe and moan, our heroes kick ass and take names.

Then things get really weird. Ben Chapleski, Choda-Boy's "real life" alter ego, goes up to his lab, creates a working orgazmorator on his slab, and life starts imitating porn. Together Joe and Ben defend a sushi bar from a very hostile take-over, and "Captain Orgazmo" goes mainstream. Pretty soon, the sword of Damocles is hanging right over Joe's head.

Hey, it could happen in a comic book.

Like the best cartoons, Orgazmo never takes itself too seriously. It teases you with the promise of nudity and never delivers in ways so creative they qualify as a minor art form. Meanwhile, the ridiculous sight gags and groaner word plays, the cartoonish villains and schticky violence will have you doing the Time Warp back to the Sixties' Batman TV show.

But what sends the film over the top into the realm of cult classics is its NC-17 rating. Omit Parker's trademark "potty mouth" dialogue, and the film could air on prime time TV, at least on the Comedy Channel. Maybe some day they'll do a late-night, double-feature picture show -- condom lollipops and "Sticky Dicks" optional.

Click here to read about the premier.

Diana L. Marsh

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