Porky’s (1981)

In Florida in the late 1950s, a gang of fun-loving, horny teenage boys from Angel Beach High seeks revenge against the redneck proprietor of Porky’s (a local honky-tonk strip joint bar-cum-whorehouse) and his brother, who is the local sheriff, after they are ripped off and thrown out.

Sex-starved Pee Wee (Dan Monahan), rueful, thoughtful Billy (Mark Herrier), temperamental, tow-headed regular guy Mickey (Roger Wilson) and their pal Tommy (Wyatt Knight) wreak havoc on high school teachers Balbricker (Nancy Parsons) and Honeywell (Kim Cattrall) along the way.

Their quest to lose their virginity leads them to all sorts of zany situations, from the mother of all shower scenes to a romp with an ear-splitting Kim Cattrall, to a raucous and fateful visit to the titular strip club.

It’s a poor man’s Animal House (1978), but the sheer tastelessness still manages to exude a strange charm. The movie’s endless dirty jokes aren’t really at anyone’s expense, and its few moments of nastiness are wildly out of place.

The ambience is that of a fraternity hazing in which nobody gets hurt.

In any other movie, these kids would wind up dead as doornails for their mischief against Porky and his vicious henchmen. In Porky’s sunny view of things, though, the boys’ attack on Porky merely leads to a scene in which Porky is outsmarted by the entire Angel Beach High School Marching Band.

Director Bob Clark makes a few misguided nods to serious issues such as anti-Semitism, but, for the most part, he sticks to a seamless mix of vulgar sexual gags and spectacular slapstick that is most definitely not PC – but is often hugely entertaining, nevertheless.

Despite a meagre budget and a mostly no-name cast, Porky’s went on to become one of the highest-grossing Canadian films of all time and remains a cult classic.

Two substandard sequels followed in 1983 (Porky’s II: The Next Day) and 1985 (Porky’s Revenge).

Director Bob Clark died in a tragic car crash in 2007.

Pee Wee
Dan Monahan
Billy
Mark Herrier
Tommy
Wyatt Knight
Mickey
Roger Wilson
Tim
Cyril O’Reilly
Meat
Tony Ganios
Honeywell
Kim Cattrall
Wendy
Kaki Hunter
Miss Balbricker
Nancy Parsons
Brian Schwartz
Scott Colomby
Cherry Forever
Susan Clark
Sheriff Wallace
Alex Karras
Porky
Chuck Mitchell

Director
Bob Clark