Porky's Revenge [DVD]
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Director : James Komack
Screenplay : Ziggy Steinberg
MPAA Rating : R
Year of Release : 1985
Stars : Dan Monahan (Pee Wee Morris), Wyatt Knight (Tommy Turner), Tony Ganios (Meat Tuperello), Mark Herrier (Billy), Kaki Hunter (Wendy Williams), Scott Colomby (Brian Schwartz), Nancy Parsons (Beulah Balbricker), Chuck Mitchell (Porky Wallace), Rose McVeigh (Miss Webster), Fred Buch (Mr. Dobish), Wendy Feign (Blossom)
By the time Porky's Revenge limped into theaters with a cast that looked far too old to still be in high school and an astounding lack of both humor and daring, it had been three years and one sequel since Bob Clark's raunchy-endearing Porky's had kicked off a torrent of teen sex comedies. Even if Porky's Revenge had been good, by 1985 there had been so many Porky's imitators that it was all but impossible to seem original or even particularly provocative, which is most likely why Clark opted out of having any involvement this time around.
Since their careers weren't going anywhere else, all the regulars returned for this final endeavor: the perpetually randy and frustrated Pee Wee Morris (Dan Monahan), the in-control schemers Tommy Turner (Wyatt Knight) and Billy (Mark Herrier), the increasingly gargantuan Meat Tuperello (Tony Ganios), the enterprising Brian Schwartz (Scott Colomby), and, of course, their female coconspirator, Wendy Williams (Kaki Hunter). The Nazi-esque Beulah Balbricker (Nancy Parsons) also returns, although this time she benefits from a redemptive subplot that frees her of her repressive ways by reuniting her with a lost love. Porky's Revenge also marks the return of Porky himself (the indomitable Chuck Mitchell), who was absent from Porky's II: The Next Day because the high school kids were too busy fighting corrupt politicians, a hypocritical evangelical, and the Ku Klux Klan.
Although Porky's II was a barely coherent and bizarre stew of hormonal comedy and liberal-social activism, at least it had guts. Porky's Revenge is the very definition of gutless--it can barely muster enough energy to bumble through a string of practical jokes and body gags before running out of steam as it essentially repeats the destructive finale of the original. The ostensible story is that the returning heroes, now seniors at the fictional Angel Beach High in Florida, run afoul of Porky's new operation, a massive illegal gambling boat. Porky, still the corpulent symbol of everything cruel and vile in the world, hasn't changed a bit, but having seen him get his comeuppance once before, there's isn't much pleasure in traveling that road again, even it involves kidnapping Meat and trying to force him to marry Porky's oversexed daughter (Wendy Feign).
Director James Komack, who started as a comedian in the 1950s before graduating to producing and directing television, milks what he can from Ziggy Steinberg's (The Boss's Wife) lackluster and derivative script. There is a rather amusing and over-the-top sequence in which the boys sneak into the apartment of the school's wicked (but, of course, sexy) biology teacher (Rose McVeigh) to steal a test in order to help Meat pass the course, but instead wind up spying on her tricked-out sexual shenanigans with the school's chaplain (Fred Buch). If there's one constant target in the Porky's movies, it's hypocrisy, but passing off a group of thirtysomething actors as high school students and recycling old jokes and tired gags makes Porky's Revenge reek of that which it's trying to skewer.
| Porky's Revenge DVD | |
 Porky's Revenge is available exclusively as part of the “Porky's: The Ultimate Collection” three-disc box set, which also includes Porky's (1982) and Porky's II: The Next Day (1983). | |
| Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 |
| Anamorphic | Yes |
| Audio | |
| Subtitles | English, Spanish |
| Supplements | Original theatrical trailers |
| Distributor | 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment |
| SRP | $29.98 (box set) |
| Release Date | May 22, 2007 |
| VIDEO & AUDIO | |
| Of all the movies in the “Porky's Ultimate Collection” box set, Porky's Revenge, which is making its DVD debut, looks the worst, which probably reflects the inherent look of the film itself. Despite a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, the image is soft and lacking in detail, particularly in long shots. The colors seem bit faded, as well, although the image is clean throughout. The Dolby surround soundtrack is fine--dialogue is clear and there is no noticeable hiss or aural artifacts. | |
| SUPPLEMENTS | |
| The only supplements on this disc are the original theatrical trailers for all three Porky's films. | |
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