PRIVATE PARTS
A film review by Chuck Dowling
Copyright 1997 Chuck Dowling
Private Parts (1997) ***1/2 out of ***** - Cast: Howard Stern, Robin Quivers, Mary McCormack, Fred Norris, Paul Giamatti, Gary Dell'Abate, Jackie Martling, Carol Alt, David Letterman, many musician cameos. Written By: Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko. Directed By: Betty Thomas. Running Time: 109 minutes.
Before I review this film I need to set a few things straight about my views of Howard Stern. I have no views of Howard Stern. Now please, before you Stern fans start sending me hate mail consisting of "YOU SUCK! STERN RULES!", let me explain. I live in a town where Howard Stern's radio show is not aired. My only exposure to the man is when I occasionally watch the 30 minute show of his on the E! network. And, just watching that show is not sufficient enough to form an opinion of the man. The E! show represents, at the most, 1/6th of his daily radio show. So please, understand that I have no preconceived opinions about Howard Stern. I'm not a fan, and I'm not an enemy. Let's continue...
"Private Parts" chronicles shock-jock Howard Stern's rise to fame and fortune. The story begins as Stern recalls his childhood to airplane seatmate Carol Alt. We see a few select scenes from Howard's childhood: His early brushes with radio, and his days at an all-black high school, for example. Then the main story begins: Howard Stern wants to be a disc jockey.
We see Howard working various radio jobs across the country, meeting his future wife Alison (Mary McCormack), and assembling the team which he currently employs. These scenes are certainly entertaining, but aren't necessarily laugh out loud funny.
The hilarious scenes come later as Howard has moved to New York City to work at WNBC radio. The network weasels who hired him without even knowing what kind of show he did are shocked to discover the content of his radio show. They attempt to censor him at every opportunity through an executive named Kenny (Paul Giamatti), and these confrontations provide the best moments of the film. I don't particularily think that Stern's radio persona is all that funny, but when he's fighting the establishment it serves a purpose. (Please, I liked the film, no "YOU SUCK! STERN RULES!" letters.)
There are some flaws in the film, mainly the interruptions in the story so some naked woman or society freak can tell us that Howard is now in Detroit or whereever. They don't fit the film and are an unwanted distraction. The film ends abruptly and it feels like there's much more story to tell. I'll be looking forward to a possible sequel to continue that story. Stern proves himself to be a good actor, but the true test will come when he plays a character other than himself. I'll be looking forward to that as well. [R]
-- Chuck Dowling Visit Chuck's Movie Reviews at http://users.southeast.net/~chuckd21/ Over 1,600 movies rated and/or reviewed! Movie news, film related links, and reader's reviews.
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