Porky's Revenge has
never been available on DVD until now. It is included in a set titled "Porky's:
The Ultimate Collection," which includes the original, still my favorite raunchy
teen comedy of all time, Porky's II: The Next Day and Porky's Revenge. The
three-film set is affordable, making it a real entertainment bargain, due for
release May 22nd.
First, a
word about the original Porky's, with some insight from the feature length commentary and
special features from writer/director Bob Clark. He wrote the script over a
period of 15 years, based on his own High School and College experiences,
legends at his High School, and a few stunts that others told him about. He
encountered nothing but resistance in getting it made. Even after Fox
greenlighted it, they pulled funding. Clark didn't give up, and convinced them
to go ahead. Fox balked at releasing the finished film, but agreed to a test
screening. When that was a huge success, they still didn't believe it, and held
several other test screenings. The results were not merely encouraging. Audiences
were rolling in the aisles. They finally had to accept that, raunch and all,
they had a huge hit on their hands. Over half the funding was Canadian, and the
film remains the all-time leader among Canadian films at the international box
office. I was gratified to
hear Bob Clark say that the scene in the principal's office was the best comedy
scene ever shot. I have contended that since the first time I saw it. It is one
continuous 4.5 minute shot, was brilliantly written and perfectly acted.
Clark did Porky's II: The Next Day, but it was a much lesser film, and much of the raunch was
cut to present seriosu social issues. In his 15 years of development, Bob Clark had loaded the original with all
his best material, and was at the bottom of the well.
Porky's Revenge, the third and last in the Porky's franchise, used much of
the original cast, but Bob Clark had nothing to do with the project. This time,
the coach is into Porky for serious gambling debts, and the the team is on the way to the state championships. They decide
to help the coach, but plans, as Robert Burns said "gang aft agley." They end up
promising to throw the game, Meat meets a girl with a great figure and a face
that would stop a truck, who turns out to be Porky's daughter, and a Biology
teacher tries to make Meat ineligible to play due to grades.
The new team got it partly right. They set it at
Angel Beach High with many of the same characters, and pitted them against
Porky. They also continued the theme of making the girls the smart ones, and
having the boys the brunt of most of the gags. Unfortunately they put entirely too much plot
into it, and didn't leave enough room for the humor. Further, the cast was
getting a little long in the tooth. Only Kaki Hunter still
looked believable as a high schooler.
Objectively this film would have to be considered quite poor if measured
solely on its own merit, without reference to its predecessors, but fans of the franchise will
probably
enjoy spending a little more time with Wendy, Meat, Schwartz, Mrs Ballbricker,
and the rest of the Angel Beach pussies.
Porky's Revenge was the only theatrical film ever
directed by TV legend James Komack, who was probably most closely
associated with the show "The Courtship of Eddie's Father," for which
he was Mr. Everything: producer, actor, director, and writer! He also
wrote, directed, or produced such 70s classics as "Welcome Back,
Kotter" and "Chico and the Man."
