Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy

I'm female, well-educated, mid-40s. I've seen maybe 3 dozen porn movies in my lifetime, and in my opinion, and apparently Ron Jeremy agrees with me, porn does not degrade women. Nor does it degrade men. These actors are well paid for what they do. Some women may do it because they can't get any other kind of work, but you could say the same thing about waiting tables or working fast-food. Anyway, I digress. This movie is a funny, behind-the-scenes peek into the business. Ron is a personable, self-deprecating man, who is driven to be somebody. Anybody. He just wants people to pay attention and to notice him. More than likely this drive resulted from his mother's sudden death when he was 10 years old. What a devastation that must have been to a young boy. So he grew up wanting the attention and adoration he probably didn't get enough of as a child. And he certainly has succeeded. As an actor who has appeared in over 1,500 x-rated films in his lifetime, Ron Jeremy has achieved cult status. His only wish is to make it into mainstream film and leave his past behind. He's had bit parts here and there, but the majority of mainstream Hollywood won't give him a chance because of the stigma he carries. This is his life. Don't watch this movie expecting to see graphic sex scenes because you'll be disappointed. You'll see nudity and even a few glimpses of Ron's 9 3/4" (his measurement, not mine) but that's about it. Mostly what you see is lots of interviews and clips about his life. It's worth a rental, especially if you are a fan of x-rated films or Jeremy himself. If you don't like nudity or porn, then skip this one.

Stumbling upon this late last night on cable I decided to give it a go. This is the life of one of the longest surviving porn actors in the business.

Two things that struck me was that Ron seems like he's an extremely nice guy. He's the type of guy that you'd want at your party because he's so interested in having fun. The other thing that struck me was that despite the upbeat demeanor it was all terribly sad. Its not that the life is a bad thing, rather its simply that Ron is trying so hard to be "Ron - Superstar" and to break into mainstream movies that he's completely missed the chance of having anything approaching a what is considered a normal life, there is no girlfriend, wife or family, there is only the drive to be famous. You can sense the sadness in him, in talking about his girlfriends, the desire of kids. I also found it telling when he said that he looked for certain things at a party, and mentioned that food rated higher than women.

I liked the film, but was left both liking Ron more than before and being left clueless as to why we should care.

Definitely worth seeing

7 out of 10

Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy proves my point that you can always learn something from a documentary. I started watching this on a lark and figured it would be pretty mindless entertainment; and it was, but it was still fairly enjoyable. Scott Gill's documentary style wasn't anything ground breaking, rather it was pretty standard with straight interviews and photos. It was the subject who actually made this film as enjoyable as it was – as notorious as he is, he is actually pretty engaging at times, and it was interesting to see how a Jewish kid from New York who received a teaching degree eventually became a very unlikely porn star. His following is pretty rabid, and that's a good thing since he is full of self-promotion. What I thought would be a film solely worthy of a couple of eye rolls turned out to not be fantastic, but interesting nonetheless.

--Shelly

Ron Jeremy was not always the fat, slightly slovenly looking man he is today. When he entered the pornography business in the late 1970s he was reasonably if not uniquely attractive, determined to make a name for himself on stage and screen as a serious actor, and he saw pornography as a way to pay the bills and make contacts in the film industry.

The idea was not quite as far-out as it might seem. At the time, pornography was a big screen venue and films came with plots, dialogue, and reasonable budgets. As it happened, Jeremy had what it took to be a porn star and then some: a nine and three-quarters inch endowment and the amazing ability to control it on cue. But he failed to recognize a well-established show business fact that not even such legendary (and comparatively discreet) performers as Gypsy Rose Lee could overcome. Once a stripper, always a stripper. Once a porn star, always a porn star.

Twenty years after he made his adult film debut Ron Jeremy is still a porn star, only these days he is a chunky, sloppy one who commands a following largely due to his unlikely appearance and quasi-comic persona and who continues the career thanks to that near-inhuman control. And even as he takes a monthly AIDS test, scrambles for extra and bit work in mainstream film, and makes one porn flick after another he continues to dream of a "legitimate" acting career that will never come.

In theory, it is the stuff of both great comedy and great tragedy, but this fairly short documentary is neither; it has a touch of pathos, a touch of humor, but it never goes far enough in its exploration of Jeremy as a human being. I did laugh a little and I did feel a bit sorry for him, but the big questions were never asked and the big issues were never more than indicated. In the end, I feel like I met Jeremy at a party in passing--and when he left the room I knew little more about him than I did when he first came in.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

This documentary was an enjoyable watch. Pretty much anybody who has seen a porno at one time or another in their life has seen Ron Jeremy. I have seen plenty over the years, but I particularly like his work in clothes-on roles in non-porn films, such as Citizen Toxie, Orgazmo, etc.

Here, we have an interesting look into Ron's personal life. We all know Ron for all of the women he's had sex with in his lifetime, despite having a less than perfect physical appearance. Or, as Ron puts it in this movie, he proves that "anyone can get laid!" Despite all the women, however, Ron's life is fairly rough. This film lets you take a look at Ron's PACKED schedule and gigantic book of phone numbers, and we see that this guy is ALWAYS on the road and is ALWAYS busy. All of the travel has got to be hard on his body (although Jenna Jameson will help soothe his wounds).

Basically, you'll end up cheering on Ron for all of the beautiful women he gets paid to {sleep with}, but you'll also feel sorry for him when you see how tough his life really is.