‘South Park’ Creators Unsurprisingly Made a Movie Slapped With an NC-17 Rating
South Park (1997– present) is arguably the second longest-running adult animated television show after The Simpsons(1989 – present). While both series aren’t necessarily considered child-friendly, South Park often features adult themes only cynical adults can appreciate. It shouldn’t be surprising that the creators of South Park succeeded in creating a comedy-drama that was slapped with an NC-17 rating.
South Park fans expect offensive material
South Park frequently depicts taboo subject matter, portrays various religions for comic effect, disregards conservative sensibilities, and sarcastically depicts liberal causes. Adding to that, despite Comedy Channel being for mature audiences, it allows younger viewers easy access to South Park episodes. Some parents have felt the show’s content is too insensitive and causes their children to behave rebelliously and ignore their direction.
Numerous episodes have provoked controversy and sparked debates concerning how far is too far. For example, in episode 90, entitled Child Abduction Is Not Funny, the parents of South Park grow overly worried about their children’s safety.
The root of the parent’s concern lies in the constant media coverage of child abductions, terrorist threats, and school shootings. As a result, the city council hires the owner of City Wok, Mr. Lu Kim to erect a “Great Wall of China” around South Park.
Nevertheless, South Park has aired far more controversial episodes that include The China Probrem, Crack Baby Athletic Association, and Cripple Fight, among others. No list of controversial South Park episodes is complete without mentioning Trapped In The Closet, one of its most well-known episodes. In it, the creators mock Tom Cruise and his religion of choice, Scientology.
The title Orgazmo should be clue enough for its NC-17 rating
The film Orgazmo (1997) by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, is sort of a movie within a movie. The main character, Joe Young (Trey Parker), is a mild-mannered Mormon missionary who happens to be spreading the good word in Los Angeles. Needing money to marry his fiance Lisa (Robyn Lynne), he finds himself on a film set. However, Young fails to realize he actually stumbled onto the set of an X-rated movie.
Maxxx Orbison (Michael Dean Jacobs), a bad-tempered porn director, casts the credulous Young as a superhero dubbed “Orgazmo.” Like Batman, Orgazmo has a sidekick named Ben (Dian Bachar).
Unlike Batman, Orgazmo’s crime-fighting weapon is a device called the “Orgazmorator” that causes criminals to climax until incapacitated.” The X-rated film Orgazmo surprisingly becomes an overnight sensation, including within the mainstream film industry.
However, despite all the success and promise of fame, Young finds out that Maxxx Orbison is a criminal mastermind. Young and his sidekick decide to become real-life superheroes to thwart the porn director’s sinister plans. Considering the film’s premise and who wrote it, the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) NC-17 rating isn’t shocking. The MPAA is the organization responsible for rating movies and television shows in the United States.
According to IMDb, the MPAA rated Orgazmo NC-17 for its explicit sexual content and dialogue. One moderator wrote, “Lots and lots of vagina-shaped objects are shown throughout the movie, and one character wears a dildo on his head in several scenes.”
Another wrote, “A man shoots a dog with the orgazmo gun, and the dog (a German Shepherd) runs over to him and starts humping him the man tries to crawl away, but the dog keeps on going.” Nonetheless, one moderator labeled the film as “Mild,” commenting, “Comic fighting and explosions. Nothing graphic or unsettling.”
Orgazmo’s ratings and reviews
On Rotten Tomatoes, Orgazmo received a 47% from critics, while its audience score is 66%. With ratings from critics below 50%, it’s not surprising to find some critics that loved the film and others who hated it. As for IMDb reviews, it fared slightly better with a 6.1/10-star rating as of writing.
Dennis Schwartz, editor of Ozus’ World Movie Reviews wrote that Orgazmo was “An ineffective comical sci-fi cartoonish farce on Mormons and the porn film business.” Freelance reviewer Rich Cline for the BBC wrote, “Stupid but also sharply funny.”
Among viewers, the sentiment was much the same, with more cool to lukewarm reviews than hot. “Was there ever a broad target that Matt Stone and Trey Parker DIDN’T go after,” wrote one two-star reviewer. A one-star review was accompanied by, “The script is as bad as [sic] first season of South Park.”
Among five-star reviews, people wrote, “LOL, the greatest 1.5 hours ever!!!!!!!!!! Adults only 18 and older!!!!!!!!!!” Another added, “This is the best movie ever it’s so stupid it’s funny!”
