Private Parts

Rating:
Summary: "No, Say it again... W- NNNNN- B- CEEEEEE!!!!"
Review: Radio personality, Howard Stern is one of those polarizing entertainment figures, who you either love or hate. There really is no middle ground, when it comes to him. For anyone living in a cave for the last twenty years, he is the comedic 'shock jock', who pretty much pioneered the ideal, that you could talk & do just about anything on the FCC controlled radio air waves. The movie comedy, "Private Parts" is a hilarious portrayal of Stern's life and his rise to fame & success in the radio business. But it is also something else. Who would have thought, that the so called 'shocking', "King of All Media" would create for his first theatrical film ...a good old fashion love story? Thats right, instead of going the easy route of bimbos and bodily functions (O.K., there in the movie too!) he presents, what is essentially a love letter to his (now ex) wife, Alison. This autobiography gets everything right, from his geeky, introverted childhood ("Seinfeld's" George Costanza's parents have nothing on Howard's mother & father!) to his early days as a really bad Disc Jockey to his rise to fame as the #1 radio personality in the #1 radio market, New York City. Eventually Stern would reach national prominance in radio syndication. All along this journey the movie features all the ups and downs of Howard's marrige & relationship to Alison (well played by actress Mary McCormack). Director, Betty Thomas does a credible job at presenting us with an entertaining and very funny movie. The cast does quite well. It might not be big stretch to play himself, but Howard Stern proves he can actually act and his brand of humor can make the leap from radio to film. Kudos also for the rest of the Stern show regulers Robin Quivers, Jackie "the Jokeman" Martling and the always stone faced, Fred Norris. But the real scene stealer of the film is comic actor, Paul Giamatti.Giamatti plays the thankless but gut busting funny role of Howard's WNBC boss, who was nicknamed "Pig Vomit" on the radio show. With eyes and veins bulging the character tries to reign in and censor Stern and his often scatological program.Giamatti is just truely hilarious as he practically has a nervous breakdown, while Stern harangues him, live on the air! A classic comic moment that has to be seen to be believed! If you are a Howard Stern fan or just a fan of really good comedy, I would highly recommend this very funny film

Rating:
Summary: I have only one thing to say.....
Review: Kabasa Girl I love you!!! Oh my God what you did with that sausage is nothing but pure art! I must have you. Who are you? Oh my God I need you! You are the most beautiful and most gifted woman in the world!

Rating:
Summary: Love or hate him, you have to admire his life!!
Review: I've been a listener to Howard for over 20 years now and I'm very familiar with how he evolved into one of radio's most controversial DJ's. This movie was surprizingly good and accurate. Howard's performance was very good. One of the other interesting aspects was his supporting cast. Most people in their situation would have been out of their element by playing themselves, but they pulled it off. It was very entertaining and a great retrospect.

Rating:
Summary: How do I Love Howard? "Private Parts" Counts the Ways...
Review: Last week, I was languishing in the confining comfort of my small apartment, idly perusing the contents of old videotapes in a mostly-futile attempt to assuage the holiday blues. Christmas is, after all, a time to spend with those you love....and if you're a 45-year-old, premenopausal, recovering manic depressive spinster with a longstanding resignation to your own pain, then a celluloid tonic is usually a welcome panacea.

At length, I saw that I had taped 1997's "Private Parts" during its inaugural television broadcast. Happily, the film featured clips of The King of All Media interrupting the proceedings, interjecting the teleplay with his own sardonic sermons. As I laughed timidly (OK, OK, I laughed exuberantly...get off my back) at Howard's infamous inflections and enjoyed the film for the first time since 1997, I remembered these salient points: In 1994, I believed with firm conviction that Howard Stern was the devil incarnate. An uncaring, insensitive lout who wouldn't know good taste if it bit him in the generals.

By March 1996, I regarded him as a comedic genius.

"Private Parts" depicts the radio magnate in all his irreverent, groundbreaking and glorious humanity. His romance and subsequent marriage to Alison (whom he has since divorced and who is now remarried), is sweetly presented here. Yes, the shock jock is frequently maddening, and some of his material contains questionable taste. (All right, I'll come out and say it - some of his stuff is downright gross. "Butt Bongo Fiesta" has about as much appeal for this hetero as a Sapphic Satyricon has for Anita Bryant.)

But "Private Parts" doesn't represent the nadir of Stern's career. Rather, it reveals layers of sensitivity and kindness beneath the rough-hewn exterior. In some ways, Stern is Everyman - a testament to his massive success. Although by now fabulously wealthy, Stern has many of the same problems that millions of others share: marital issues, childrearing dilemmas, anal-retentive bosses, etc. - and "Private Parts" presents the endearing vulnerability at his core. (His scenes with Robin Quivers present this skillfully.)

In a nutshell, this film is a fitting explanation for why I came to love Howard Stern. And that's probably why my depression lifted last week upon viewing this film.

I don't watch Howard's E! shows much any longer. Most of them now concern strippers, sophomoric stunts and assorted juvenilia that I have no interest in watching. However........

In 1999, soon after separating from Alison, Stern devoted a portion of his morning radio show to "Sheera, Princess of Power." Sheera had recently died, and, true to form, the softhearted Stern had taken her in when she was an abandoned kitten. A lifelong feline-o-maniac, I found myself riveted to Stern's monologue, not even realizing I was weeping my eyes out. Soon enough, my Great King interjected some brutal humor into the proceedings, describing how he "spilled Sheera's ashes all over the carpet." Now I began laughing uproariously through my tears.

That, to be sure, is the man I love.

Rating:
Summary: America's Controversial Host
Review: Howard Stern's "Private Parts" does an excellent job examining Stern's life from his youth to his radio days. The movie humanizes Stern by showing that although he is known for his rebellious antics on the radio, he actually has concerns for people who are in his life, including his former wife, who he met when he was young. The movie does present some scenes that give a superficial impression of how controversial Stern is. Scenes such as him asking a caller to make sex-sounds on the air, for instance, are prevalent in the movie; however, the movie is in fairly good taste.

On the acting: the acting is actually quite well-done, and I suspect the main reason is because he's playing himself. But many other actors would have a difficult time playing themselves, including quite embarassing roles regarding their past. (In Howard's case, his hair in the 1970s was probably a huge embarassment). Yet there was this feeling that one was visiting him throughout his life . . . that this was real and not actually a movie about the man.

So what happens? The most important part of the movie relates to Howard's close associates--such as Robin. Howard Stern meets Robin when she works as a newscaster on the air, present objective information. He starts to ask her questions about her personal life, which was quite uncommon in the old days, and later, chooses to hire her as another on-air personality. We see from this movie that Howard was also willing to confront traditional rules and regulations regarding the airwaves and see how far it could go. Stations that cover his radio show have been fined millions of dollars for his experimentation. Yet Howard continues to this day. And we can see from recent developments that Mr. Stern has had a huge impact on our culture.

The FCC, for instance, recently ruled that one may use the F-word on the radio and television, as long as the comment is not related to the description of the act in which the word describes. Ironic but interesting.

Michael Gordon
Los Angeles

Rating:
Summary: Has Its Moments
Review: Yes, this watered-down pseudo-autobiography has some genuinely funny moments, but for the most part PRIVATE PARTS fails to deliver the same raunchy "shock" available daily by listening to Howard Stern's syndicated radio show or by watching his cable telecasts. If I--your humble reviewer--wish to get Mrs. Mikels upset in a New York minute all I need do is tune in to a Stern TV broadcast, then watch this normally tolerant woman start foaming at the mouth.

Yep, couch time again.

Unfortunately, Stern's outrageous, misogynistic persona is neutered in this film--no doubt to appeal to a mainstream audience. But by softening Stern the character becomes a superficial parody; a "kinder, gentler" Howard is unappealing to both his fans and his dissenters. Granted, the movie depicts some of Stern's famous (infamous?) radio spoofs, but only as a device to show Howard as a disc jockey trying to break free from the bondage of management nimrods rather than the broadcaster's true psychological inclination.

Kind of takes all the fun out of the man, if you ask me.

On the positive side (and the film, as I've said, does have its moments), Stern is surprisingly comfortable and believable in front of a camera, and his unwavering loyalty to fellow broadcaster Robin Quivers is fascinating. But if you're looking for a real dose of Howard Stern I suggest you bypass PRIVATE PARTS and tune in to his cable show. That is, if your wife will let you.
--D. Mikels

Rating:
Summary: Why is Robin always portrayed as Mrs. Incredible?
Review: I always was a Stern fan (up until Jackie left and Artie Lange took over, who's as funny as a lightswitch) but, once again, Robin Quivers is shown as some amazing entity as she always was on the show (even though her job is to recycle everything Howard says and to gather up other people's news reports, as long as they're funny in some way, and soundbytes). It's obvious they're trying to cover up the truth, her incredible stupidity and lack of talent.

Howard bows to her in the film and she's the only one who's 'allowed' to tell Howard to eff himself. If you ask me, she's a spoilt brat who has her backside kissed on the show (one of Howard's rules), and, inevitably, it clearly shows in this film.

C'mon guys. Just because she was raped by dad, doesn't mean she has to be praised a la Kim Jong-Il. I've known girls who were raped by Dad but they don't go shouting about it. Enough already...

Rating:
Summary: Howard Stern Exposes Himself!
Review: Many celebrities have made movies to capitalize on their fifteen minutes of fame. Howard Stern's "Private Parts" is an outstanding exception to the rule that all vanity projects stink. There are three things that set this movie apart from Jerry Springer's "Ringmaster" and films of that ilk. First of all, Howard Stern has real acting ability. He displays genuine emotions in a realistic manner. Second, this movie is genuinely funny. Howard delights at ridiculing authority figures, but is also not afraid to poke fun at himself. This movie has more laugh out loud scenes in it than the vast majority of so-called comedies. Third, this film doesn't gloss over his shortcomings and failures with some idealized, Hollywood version of his rise to fame and fortune. Howard's first few jobs as a disc jockey were disasters, until he found his true voice. Once he started talking about his personal life in a humorous manner over the air, his radio show's ratings kept going up and up. After becoming the number one disc jockey in Washington, DC, Howard is hired by NBC to work at their flagship radio station in New York City. Amazingly, none of the executives have a clue as to what his radio show was like. After they discover that Howard Stern is a shock jock who continually pushes the envelope, they try to tame him and tone down his show, with disastrous results. Eventually, the fans are drawn to his outrageous antics and Howard's show becomes the number one radio show in New York City. Howard Stern's radio show is syndicated nationally, his book becomes a bestseller, his movie is a critical and commercial success, and Howard Stern rightfully ascends to the throne as "The King Of All Media." Long live the King!

Rating:
Summary: An often funny autobiography of the King of All Media
Review: I have been a Howard Stern fan for years now, watching his show as often as I can. I have also wanted to know the story behind him and his colleagues' rise to power. This movie showed plenty of it, but not all of it. It basically summarizes his childhood and early years and shows us some of his influences to become a radio personality. Most of the movie is a flashback panning his lifetime as he moves from small town disc-jockey to well-known local personality to huge radio star. He meets many of his sidekicks and good friends throughout the movie, such as Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling. Unfortunately, the flashback cuts off in the mid-80's and doesn't touch at the next ten years of his career. Either way, the movie was able to make us feel sorry and compassionate for who much of society calls the Antichrist. It has its funny moments and some sad moments, but in the end it's a decent comedy. Private Parts has some gross-out humor and a fair share of nudity. I would definitely not like this movie as much if I weren't a Stern fan, but I am, so I love it.

Score: 7.5/10

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious whether your a fan of Stern's or not
Review: Although the film takes a different turn from his book of the same title, Howard Stern's Private Parts is a laugh out loud hilarious film from beginning to end. Through Howard's narration we see him from childhood on, to his FCC hellraising days at WNBC, and a re-enactment of having the first naked woman in the history of radio on his show (and she is played by Jenna Jameson no less). Through Betty Thomas' direction we don't see the crude and obnoxious shock jock that people love to hate, but we see the flawed human underneath the crude exterior. Other Stern Show regulars Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, and Jackie Martling (well, Jackie isn't anymore) play themselves, and Stuttering John's rant while the credits are rolling will make you laugh so hard you'll fall off the couch. All in all, even thise who aren't fans of his radio show will get quite a bit of laughs out of this hilarious movie.