I am not a fan of _South_Park_--never have been, likely never will be. So
I was surprised to find myself laughing during the early moments of this
big screen comedy written, directed, and starring the popular adult
animated series's co-creator (with Matt Stone, who also has a small role
here), Trey Parker. He plays Joe Young, an innocent door-to-door Mormon
preacher who unwittingly finds himself an adult film superstar after
naively agreeing to play the title role in a pornographic superhero flick
called _Orgazmo_.
But as amusing as the setup and a few jokes (an old lady's F-word-ridden
tirade about Mormons, a title card reading "Hollywood" appearing on a shot
of the Hollywood sign) are, recurring gags that initially garner a giggle
wear thin fast. An ebonics-spouting Asian sushi bar owner named G-Fresh
(Masao San) is funny the first time we see him, the joke grows old with
each subsequent appearance. The same can be said for the knowingly cheesy
chopsocky action scenes and Orgazmo sidekick Choda-Boy's (Dian Bachar) vast
array of dildo-derived gadgets. (The pervasive presence of sex toys
undoubtedly factored in the MPAA's decision to brand this crude but quite
tame film with an overly restrictive NC-17 rating.) Before long, the
entirety of the film follows suit, straining to fill the rest of its slim
90-minute running time with a dull subplot in which Joe must fight off some
heavies harassing G-Fresh.
What is consistently funny, however, are the songs on soundtrack. The
Parker-penned opening theme, "Now You're a Man," is a hilarious parody of
"macho" hard rock ("What makes a man?/Is it the woman in his hands/Just
'cause she has big titties?"). Even better is the closing tune, a bossa
nova groove that is quite seductive... until it gets to the hilariously
absurd title lyric, which is repeated ad nauseum in the chorus: "Sorry
about your penis."