PRIVATE PARTS
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Copyright 1997 Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: WNBC's all-the-stops-out shock jock
tells us the story of his life and stars in the
film adaptation of his own autobiography. Mostly
it is his side of the battles he fought to get and
keep his brand of crude humor on the radio in spite
of his management and at times the FCC. Stern's
antics are often funny, but the basic situation of
the irreverent rebel against the dictatorial
authority is well-trodden territory. Rating: +1 (-
4 to +4)
New York Critics: 13 positive, 2 negative, 4 mixed
Howard Stern will do just about anything to be funny on the radio from having guests strip naked (could anything be more pointless in this medium!), having another stick a thirteen inch kielbasa down her throat, inducing a listener to have an orgasm from the vibration of her woofer, and making dead fetus jokes the day after his wife's miscarriage. His humor is not so much off-color as two counties away from being even near- color. PRIVATE PARTS is his autobiography in book form and the film based on the book. Except for his personal style of gags the plot is of how his straight-laced management at his various jobs tried to tone him down and how he always reacted by becoming even more of the Bad Boy of Radio. This basic conflict is the same sort of thing we saw in NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE, MEATBALLS, STRIPES, and GHOSTBUSTERS. Since each of those films was either produced or directed by Ivan Reitman, it should come as no surprise that he produced PRIVATE PARTS also.
As the film Howard Stern (played by Howard Stern) opens is performing a stage act as Fartman in a pair of pants tailored to leave his butt cheeks exposed. As Stern walks back stage he worries that his humor is not appreciated by others as he gets disapproving stares from other performers. To a woman sitting next to him on a plane, he begins to recount his life, told in a flashback. We start with Stern as a cute child with a father who seems constantly angry. Starting as a geeky teenager and then as a geeky adult (who looks a lot like Weird Al Yankovic), he goes from one radio job to the next fighting unsympathetic management and territorial fellow disk jockeys. At first he is usually the victim of these conflicts, and he drifts through jobs in one city after another. Stern finds himself in larger and larger conflicts culminating in his being hired at New York City's WNBC whom we are told hired him only on the basis of his high ratings at his previous job at a Washington DC radio station. When they found out the nature of his radio program they decide it is necessary to tame him. But in a series of battles Stern always wins eventually because he is so popular with the listeners.
Howard Stern could conceivably be a good actor with the right sort of material, but here he is cast hopelessly against type. He never seems get much of a handle on his character and without an understanding of what makes someone like Howard Stern tick, he seems to be just going through the motions. Along the way Stern picks up the rest of his comedy team including his female straight man, Robin Quivers playing herself. Quivers is charming as is Mary McCormack as Stern's long suffering and ever-perfect wife Alison. Holding his own for the comic drive of the film is Paul Giamatti as the NBC executive who has vowed to tame Stern and who, at least to hear Stern tell it, is hopelessly outclassed by the classless Stern.
Ironically with all the sexist and sexual humor, the film was directed by a woman, Betty Thomas (who some will remember played Lucy Bates in "Hill Street Blues"). This is a cotton candy film, light, pleasant, but without much substance and what little there is made to go a long way. If there is not a whole lot to think about here, at least the film moves well and is entertaining. Probably people not offended by the style of humor will enjoy the show. This is the kind of film that generates from critics a lot of positive votes but not a lot of enthusiasm. I rate is a +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
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