Movie Review: Porky's (1981)

★★★★★

The ultimate raunchy comedy only the '80s could produce. It's funny but be ready for rawness.

Ben R.

Oklahoma

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Porky's

1981

When people talk about Porky’s (1981), they usually focus on the infamous shower scene, the juvenile pranks, or the movie’s place as a pioneer of the teen sex comedy genre. And yeah, it’s all there Porky’s is unapologetically crude, hormonal, and often absurd.

But there’s more going on beneath the surface than most people give it credit for. Directed by Bob Clark (yes, the same Bob Clark who made A Christmas Story), Porky’s follows a group of high school boys in 1950s Florida as they navigate adolescence, sex, masculinity, and friendship often clumsily, and sometimes offensively.

At BoxReview.com, we like to revisit films like Porky’s not just to laugh or cringe, but to dig into what they were really trying to say intentionally or not and how they reflect the culture that created them.

The Original Teen Sex Comedy For Better or Worse

Before American Pie, before Superbad, before Road Trip or Fast Times, there was Porky’s. And while it’s definitely dated in many ways (more on that later), it set the tone for a genre that would dominate teen cinema for the next two decades.

The plot if you can call it that revolves around six high school boys who want to lose their virginity. Their journey takes them from strip clubs to backwoods brothels, with several misadventures involving gym teachers, locker room escapades, and one iconic moment involving a certain shower pipe.

But what gets overlooked in most reviews is the unexpected emotional core of the movie. Amidst the slapstick and sleaze, there’s an honest attempt to explore teen insecurity, peer pressure, and male bonding. These boys aren’t just horny caricatures they’re confused, immature, and trying to figure out who they are in a world that feeds them mixed messages about manhood.

Bob Clark’s Secret Weapon: Nostalgia with a Sting

One of the most interesting things about Porky’s is that it’s set in the 1950s but was released in the early ’80s. That 30-year gap gives the film a strange double-layered nostalgia. On the surface, it’s a love letter to hot rods, letterman jackets, and greaser culture. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a sharp edge.

Bob Clark doesn’t just recreate the ’50s he interrogates it. The film shows casual racism, antisemitism, toxic masculinity, and institutional hypocrisy not to glorify them, but to highlight how pervasive and damaging they were, even in a "simpler" time. One of the more surprising scenes involves a confrontation over racial slurs, handled with far more maturity than you'd expect in a film best known for genital-related gags.

It's this contrast between nostalgia and realism that makes Porky’s more complex than it looks. There’s a reason it resonated with audiences beyond just the nudity and punchlines.

Characters Who Feel Real (Even When They’re Ridiculous)

While Porky’s is often remembered for its outrageous scenes, it’s the characters that make it watchable today. Edward "Pee Wee" Morris is the heart of the movie a scrawny, overexcited kid desperate to prove his manhood. His journey, as exaggerated as it is, taps into something universal: the desperation to grow up fast, to be accepted, to matter.

Meanwhile, the dynamic between Brian, Tommy, and the rest of the boys reflects genuine male friendships full of teasing, loyalty, and unspoken support. These aren’t polished characters, but they feel authentic in their confusion and idiocy.

Even the adults aren’t one-note. Coach Brackett and Ms. Balbricker (yes, the name is on purpose) are cartoonish, sure, but they represent the repressive authority figures teens rebel against. And as over-the-top as they get, you can’t help but notice that the teens’ bad behavior is often reactive, not just random.

Let’s Talk About the Problematic Stuff

It wouldn’t be an honest review without acknowledging the problematic elements and Porky’s has plenty. There’s voyeurism, slut-shaming, homophobic jokes, and a ton of objectification. Some of it is played for laughs, some of it is awkwardly self-aware, but none of it flies without scrutiny today.

The good news? Porky’s doesn’t totally let its characters off the hook. Many of the “wins” come at a cost. The peeping scene famously backfires. The "cool" older guys are shown to be immature or clueless. And the supposed villain, Porky himself, becomes a symbol of unchecked power and exploitation.

Still, there’s no denying that parts of this movie have aged poorly, and modern viewers will feel the discomfort as they should. It’s a film of its time, and one that needs context.

Cultural Legacy: Bigger Than You’d Think

Porky’s was a massive box office success one of the highest-grossing Canadian films ever made at the time. It launched a franchise, influenced countless other sex comedies, and even sparked debates in Congress about decency in media.

What’s often forgotten is how weirdly influential it became. Without Porky’s, there’s arguably no American Pie, no Old School, and certainly no Superbad. It paved the way for better or worse for a generation of movies that blended raunch with (some) heart.

Final Thoughts from BoxReview.com

At BoxReview.com, we love digging into films that shaped entire genres, even when they’re messy. And Porky’s is nothing if not messy. It’s crude, problematic, wildly inappropriate and still manages to be surprisingly heartfelt, in moments.

It’s not a movie to watch uncritically, but it is one to examine. Beneath the teenage testosterone and lowbrow humor is a portrait of adolescence that still feels real, especially to anyone who remembers what it was like to be 17, stupid, and desperate to grow up.

It’s not just a dirty joke it’s a window into a time, a mindset, and a culture that’s both fascinating and worth questioning.

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Porky's

1981