Ron Jeremy ranks as one of the hardest working actors in the film industry in more ways than one. He is listed on the IMDB for 698 movies, most of them using his famous 9 inch penis in hardcore porn. But that's only window dressing. His "secret" to success in the business is revealed later in the 75 minute documentary Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy when he describes a four hour filming session with fourteen voluptuous naked women. The producer states that Jeremy maintained an erection throughout (all in front of a 10-man film crew). Boggles the mind (and other parts of the anatomy). And no Viagra or artificial means were used!

But size and endurance are only part of the story. Porn producers are interested primarily in getting their product filmed fast and out to the market rapidly. One producer reveals that he wants his male stars to get an erection within three minutes and maintain it, and no one is better than Ron Jeremy. He also has unbelievable control, ejaculating on cue—Jeremy describes explicitly the mental powers he employs to achieve this (something along the lines of imagining Vietnam horrors, dead dogs, or ugly grandmothers).

Certainly, Jeremy has a certain charm and sense of humor (how many men could continue anal intercourse while eating chocolate cake), and many of the men interviewed describe this short hairy man with a large pot belly as their hero. Nicknamed “the Hedgehog” for his physique, Jeremy gives hope to ordinary men, considering this ugly looking fat guy has had sex with over 4,000 beautiful women. The TKE fraternity even adopted him into their organization, so prominent is he in the porn business—many of them credit Jeremy with teaching them everything they ever wanted to know about sex, especially when it comes to showing how to give women oral pleasure.

Some of the women porn stars confirm that Jeremy is the most gifted oral pleasure giver they’ve ever encountered, and he happily describes his techniques. Although most of the documentary plays like a positive promo, a handful of put-downs exist. Most are humorous, like the shocked porn star lady who reminds the producer that she had previously stated that she wouldn't have sex with this “fat fuck,” or the continual jabs from his friend Al Lewis (Grandpa Munster). One particularly lame critic is the neo Nazi, who first attacks Jeremy for his degenerate filthy films but turns out that his main objection is Jeremy's Jewish racial stock.

Born Ron Jeremy Hyatt in 1953 and growing up in Queens, he once taught special education but got out of the field after two years to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, initially playing in off-off Broadway. His big break came when his girlfriend sent a provocative picture of the then fairly well built future porn star to Playgirl magazine, published with his real name. Soon the phone calls were pouring in to the Hyatt household, and a porn producer was intrigued by his large penis (a la Boogie Nights) and a career beckoned. His surprisingly supportive father didn't mind his son embarking on a porn career—as long as it was a stepping stone to legitimate acting and as long as he didn’t use the family name.

Indeed, Jeremy gets most excited about his legitimate films, even when it's little more than a cameo. The documentary humorously includes clips that shows the premier of the 1999 Detroit Rock City, where Jeremy receives a bigger fan reaction than the main stars of the film. He proudly gives out posters of the film to fans, pointing out in the background crowd scene where his caricature is placed. The film points out that this mainstream film is soon followed by more usual Jeremy fare, Big Boob Bukkake and Buttman at Nudes a Poppin’ 9.

Lest anyone think that Jeremy takes his career seriously, the film shows him as very aware about the nature of the porn industry—his survival gift lies in his sense of humor, as well as his tightness with money, which Jeremy attributes to his Jewishness.

The revealing documentary is largely a Ron Jeremy love affair, spiked with a great deal of humor and touched with a bit of poignancy—his loneliness is captured best with a couple of long sequences in twisting underground corridors of an airport where Jeremy makes his way to his car, carrying shopping bags to save money. Another nice inclusion is a sequence with Jeremy getting his annual AIDs testing, the worst part being the half-hour wait to see if he's dodged another bullet.

Expect this documentary to remain unrated and play to a small audience—Jeremy's fans will enjoy the background and intimate behind the scenes view of the porn industry, but the film will also play well for open minded film fans, who haven't seen any of his most famous hardcore work.

If you enjoyed Boogie Nights, consider watching Porn Star. The well-conceived background information could justifiably serve well as a feature-length DVD extra for the fictional story of Dirk Diggler. It also stands on its own as the definitive documentary about the porn industry, graphically told and pictured without quite crossing the invisible MPAA line that disallows respectable arthouse screenings.
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