# Orgazmo
*Orgazmo* is a 1997 American comedy film written, directed by, and starring [Trey Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/trey-parker), co-creator of *South Park*, about a devout Mormon missionary who reluctantly takes a role in a pornographic film as a masked superhero named Orgazmo. Produced by [Matt Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-stone), it carries an NC-17 rating and became a small cult film in the pair's catalog.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 1997; theatrical release date listed as September 6, 1997[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) |
| Director / writers | Written, directed, and edited by Trey Parker, with Matt Stone as screenwriter and producer[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) |
| Rating | NC-17; Parker filed an appeal to reduce the rating[2](https://www.deseret.com/1998/10/23/19408291/repulsive-film-is-crass-vulgar-and-hopelessly-unfunny/) |
| Box office | $582.0K gross in the United States[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) |
| Critical response | 50% on the Tomatometer (30 reviews); 66% audience score on the Popcornmeter (50,000+ ratings)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) |
| Metacritic score | 48/100, "mixed or average," based on 17 critic reviews[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/orgazmo/) |
| Runtime | Listed at 1h 30m by Rotten Tomatoes; other sources give 1h 34m[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) • [3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/orgazmo/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and cast
A Mormon missionary in Los Angeles, Joe Young (Trey Parker) requires funds so that he can wed his fiancée, Lisa (Robyn Lynne Raab). While proselytizing he wanders onto a porn film set, where filmmaker Maxxx Orbison (Michael Dean Jacobs) casts the unwitting Joe as the masked superhero Orgazmo, on condition that a "stunt cock" handles the explicit shots.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/77007/orgazmo) The in-universe film becomes a surprise hit even in the mainstream, but Joe discovers that Orbison is a criminal with sinister plans, and he and his sidekick Ben Chapleski, known as Choda Boy (Dian Bachar), become real superheroes to fight the director, using the Orgazmorator, a ray gun that induces instant orgasm.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) • [5](https://www.timeout.com/movies/orgazmo-1) • [6](https://eppc.org/publication/orgazmo/)
Matt Stone appears as Dave the Lighting Guy, and the supporting cast includes adult-film performers [Ron Jeremy](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-jeremy) (as Clark), Chasey Lain, and Juli Ashton.[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/orgazmo/) A pre-film poster figure, Ken Merckx, is credited as the "Original Orgazmo."[3](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/orgazmo/)
## Production and timing
Parker and Stone were in production on *Orgazmo*, their second low-budget feature after *Cannibal! The Musical*, when [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) approached them to create *South Park*; the film was shot before the series made them famous.[7](https://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/o/orgazmo.q.shtml) The film's mockery of [Mormonism](https://www.edgepedia.org/mormonism) is comparatively tame: the *DVD Journal* review notes it is purposefully free of gratuitous nudity, and Joe and Lisa are depicted with their virtues shown as strengths.[7](https://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/o/orgazmo.q.shtml)
## Rating and release
The Motion Picture Association assigned *Orgazmo* an NC-17 rating for explicit sexual content and dialogue, and Trey Parker filed an appeal to reduce it.[8](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/orgazmo) • [2](https://www.deseret.com/1998/10/23/19408291/repulsive-film-is-crass-vulgar-and-hopelessly-unfunny/) The rating sharply limited distribution: the film was released by October Films, earned less than $1 million at the box office, and did not land a distribution deal for almost a year despite playing at festivals.[9](https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/American%20Film%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%20%28New%20Directions%20in%20Media%29.pdf) Director Trey Parker and producer Matt Stone, vocal critics of the ratings system, later stated that although they never received any real tips to reduce the NC-17 for the independently financed *Orgazmo*, they received extensive and detailed editing suggestions from the MPAA years later for the Paramount-backed *South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut*.[10](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/170763/Melissa_Salmi.pdf) • [9](https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/American%20Film%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%20%28New%20Directions%20in%20Media%29.pdf) • [13](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-23-ca-35496-story.html) Stone detailed this contrast in Kirby Dick's documentary *This Film Is Not Yet Rated* (2006), which is itself rated NC-17.[9](https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/American%20Film%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%20%28New%20Directions%20in%20Media%29.pdf)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus describes the film as "more juvenile than provocative," with satire "too soft to compete with the *South Park* co-creator's best work."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) Roger Ebert, the *Chicago Sun-Times* critic and 1975 [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) winner, gave it half a star, calling it "the very soul of sophomorism" and writing, "I guess *Orgazmo* was a stage the boys had to go through."[11](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/orgazmo-1998) Emanuel Levy, reviewing for *Variety*, took the opposite view, calling it "massively inventive" and "a delightful movie that showcases the multiple talents of Trey Parker as writer-director-star."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo) The *DVD Journal* found the laughs uneven but noted vast technical improvement over Parker's debut, and observed that its controversies mask unexpectedly wholesome themes.[7](https://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/o/orgazmo.q.shtml)
The film has since developed a following among the pair's fans. A 2014 streaming release and later an unrated Blu-ray edition from Universal made it available in home formats, and commentaries and featurettes accompany the home-video release.[8](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/orgazmo) • [12](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/orgazmo/)
## References
1. [Orgazmo, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/orgazmo)
2. [Repulsive film is crass, vulgar - and hopelessly unfunny, Deseret News (1998)](https://www.deseret.com/1998/10/23/19408291/repulsive-film-is-crass-vulgar-and-hopelessly-unfunny/)
3. [Orgazmo Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/orgazmo/)
4. [Orgazmo, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/77007/orgazmo)
5. [Orgazmo 1997, directed by Trey Parker, Time Out](https://www.timeout.com/movies/orgazmo-1)
6. [Orgazmo, Ethics & Public Policy Center](https://eppc.org/publication/orgazmo/)
7. [The DVD Journal: Quick Reviews: Orgazmo: Special Edition](https://www.dvdjournal.com/quickreviews/o/orgazmo.q.shtml)
8. [Orgazmo, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/orgazmo)
9. [American Film in the Digital Age (excerpt)](https://nibmehub.com/opac-service/pdf/read/American%20Film%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age%20%28New%20Directions%20in%20Media%29.pdf)
10. [Melissa Salmi, Pain Over Pleasure (thesis excerpt)](https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/170763/Melissa_Salmi.pdf)
11. [Orgazmo movie review & film summary, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/orgazmo-1998)
12. [Orgazmo, Videolibrarian](https://videolibrarian.com/reviews/film/orgazmo/)
13. [La Xpm 1998 Oct 23 Ca 35496 Story, latimes.com](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-oct-23-ca-35496-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1995 to 1999 › Black and satirical comedies › Released 1995 to 1998*
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