Porky's
Directed by Bob Clark
- comedy
The story
In 1954 Florida, a group of high school boys head to a strip club in the Everglades in an attempt to lose their collective virginity. When the club's owner and his sheriff brother swindle them out of their money and embarrass them, the boys plan revenge.
What it’s like
Bright, sun-bleached Florida daylight gives way to sweaty night scenes of swamp lights, cheap neon and dim roadhouse interiors, all shot in a plain, broadly lit style with little atmosphere to speak of. The camera is workmanlike: wide master shots, quick cuts between groups of teenagers, and plenty of mugging faces held a beat too long for the gag to land. The soundtrack leans on 1950s rock and doo-wop, bright and insistent, with a lot of cheeky sound cues around the comic set pieces. Vibe: loud, raunchy, nostalgic teen farce, the kind to put on with friends for a laugh rather than to sit alone with. Pacing is brisk and episodic, built on pranks and escalating mishaps, and the emotional register stays broad and goofy, with the boys' bravado and humiliation played for slapstick rather than real feeling. Intensity is high on sexual content and crude humour: nudity, sex talk, voyeurism and leering attitudes toward women are constant, and there is some racist and bigoted humour, plus a few fights and a revenge scheme that turns physical and rough, though it stays comic rather than truly violent. Not gentle, and not for anyone wanting sensitive or romantic coming-of-age. For viewers who enjoy irreverent, rowdy 1980s sex comedies and nostalgic period silliness with a tolerance for its dated attitudes.
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