Porn Star - The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2001)

69% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(5,772 ratings)

In 1978, Ron Hyatt was a special education teacher who, like many people, dreamed of some day becoming an actor. One day, Ron's girlfriend sent a nude photo of him on a whim to Playgirl magazine, who published it as part of their "Boy Next Door" feature; before long, Ron was asked to appear in a… More In 1978, Ron Hyatt was a special education teacher who, like many people, dreamed of some day becoming an actor. One day, Ron's girlfriend sent a nude photo of him on a whim to Playgirl magazine, who published it as part of their "Boy Next Door" feature; before long, Ron was asked to appear in a hardcore pornographic movie, and thus was the beginning of the career of Ron Jeremy, one of biggest and least-likely male stars in the adult film industry. Short, pudgy, and possessing an excess of body hair, Jeremy hardly looks like anyone's idea of a sex-show stud, but Jeremy's charm, intelligence, self-effacing good humor, and professional attitude in a business where such focus is rare made him the best-known man in porn, starring in literally hundreds of adult films and eventually breaking through to bit parts and cameo roles in mainstream features. Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy is a feature- length documentary that offers an inside look at Ron Jeremy's life and career, including interviews with his friends, co-workers, and family; the film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2001 No Dance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Scott J. Gill
Genres: Documentary, Television, Comedy

In Theaters: Nov 30, 2001 Wide
On DVD: Mar 25, 2003
Studio: Maelstrom

Critic Reviews

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
A documentary portrait that is as sad as it is funny.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Hey, big surprise: Ron Jeremy craves attention. That's the revelation in Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy.
Tom Maurstad, Dallas Morning News
As Porn Star makes clear, for all the sex and parties, very little in Ron Jeremy's life is either sexy or fun.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
A fascinating if finally familiar portrait.
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
There are many profound things to regret on this freighted Earth, and who am I to suggest that Jeremy's failed quest isn't one of them -- or that having to watch this movie isn't another.
Jim Sullivan, Boston Globe
There are conflicting thoughts you can take away from this. You can be turned on or appalled. You can find Jeremy lucky or pathetic. You can laugh with him or at him.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
definitive documentary about the porn industry
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Porn Star runs out of insight and surprises long before the closing credits roll.
Mark Robison, Reno Gazette-Journal
If you want a cautionary tale about the evils of porn, this ain't it.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Yes, it's about what you're expecting, but it is also wildly funny, one of the most sheerly entertaining documentaries since Crumb.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
It's a rough (but fascinating) life, and it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
Brent Simon, Entertainment Today
Few of the recent spate of porn docs offer up the truthful duality of Scott Gill's Porn Star, which examines the daydreams and hard nights of the world's most improbable sex symbol.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
This film is surprisingly interesting and funny, and more than a little poignant.
Kevin N. Laforest, Montreal Film Journal
This all comes through demented editing and a great funky score, which makes watching this documentary a consistently enjoyable and often hilarious experience.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Eric B

Ron Jeremy is widely recognized, well-hung, tightfisted with money and still unmarried. He has sex on camera, loves food, gets monthly AIDS tests, has a supportive Jewish family, craves mainstream success, travels a lot and has the craziest phone book you've ever seen. Got it?… More
Ron Jeremy is widely recognized, well-hung, tightfisted with money and still unmarried. He has sex on camera, loves food, gets monthly AIDS tests, has a supportive Jewish family, craves mainstream success, travels a lot and has the craziest phone book you've ever seen. Got it? This documentary tries a little too hard to be light and fun, when there is plenty of edgier material that could have been explored. For a documentary about a veteran porn actor, the film is strangely unprovocative. The most useful things I took away were the slang meaning of "woodsman" and my discovery that Ron has a Masters degree in special education. I saw him outside the Hustler store on Sunset Boulevard once...if I had known he loved attention so much, I might have said hello.
Christopher B

Whitewashing of Jeremy's shady career. Apparently this guy is not the lovable hedgehog he's portrayed as here if you read anything serious about him (Cinema Sewer has an interesting article on his multiple rape accusations). It's sad how desperately this film and… More
Whitewashing of Jeremy's shady career. Apparently this guy is not the lovable hedgehog he's portrayed as here if you read anything serious about him (Cinema Sewer has an interesting article on his multiple rape accusations). It's sad how desperately this film and Jeremy himself want to make him a pop culture phenomenom.