"Orgazmo" & Mormons

Not sure if this belongs here, MPSIMS, IMHO, wherever, but I’m sure our good Moderators and Administrators will correct me if I am errant… :wink:

Just saw the Trey Parker movie “Orgazmo” last night (loved it!) and, although there are lots of things I’d love to discuss about the film, I’m wondering if any Mormons here saw it, and what they thought about it? (The plotline revolves around a Mormon, Parker, doing his mission in LA and gets cast as Captain Orgazmo in a porn movie.)

Esprix

I never saw it, but most Mormons have a pretty good sense of humor…wait, most Mormons probably HAVEN"T seen it. Isn’t it rated NC-17? Good, practicing Mormon will NOT watch anything past pg13.

And I assume they wouldn’t be to thrilled about seeing a PG-13 movie titled Joseph Smith Was a Big Fat Poopy Head either. :wink:

Hmmm, probably not Tracer. Though like I already said, most Mormons DO have a sense of humor. :wink:

Case in point, it’s been a whole hour and I’m still chuckling over the “Joseph Smith Was a Big Fat Poopy Head”

When I lived in Salt Lake City the Blue Mouse cinema was still open (That will tell you how long ago I was there). Every year or so they’d show a old silent melodrama called “Trapped by the Mormons”. It was a british film about the horrors f a young girl who maries a Mormon, then discovers what “plural marriage” means. When it was first released it caused a row, I understand, with a lot of LDS ptotests, But the modern screenings were treated as campy classics. And everyone who had moved to SLC from elsewhere could sympathize, living in Salt Lake and having to join “private clubs” to get anything stronger than 3.2 beer, or having KBYU clip out the “racy parts” on public television, so you had to watch KUED in order to see what was missing. Trapped by the Mormons.

(Now I own a copy on video)

There was another short the used t show, and I’m sorry I missed it. “The Attack of the Giant Brine Shrimp”.

Mormons DO have a sense of humor.

tracer, that rocked the house. If there’s a ‘post of the week’ award around here I’m votin’ for that.

As one of the few un-dunked heathens in an almost entirely LDS family, it hasn’t been my experience that most Mormons have a sense of humor regarding their religion. I’ve seen Orgazmo, and pretty much any practicing Mormon I know would be extremely offended by the movie. I doubt they’d even sit through more than a few minutes of it unless you used the Ludavico technique.

Orgazmo was a hilarious movie, if you’re into that kind of humor. :smiley:

But it’s not a problem Dumbguy, because any practicing Mormon would NOT watch that movie, and most probably don’t even know it exhists.
There are some Mormons (Like any other religion) that take themselves very seriously. And there are some that can laugh at stupid, silly things aimed at them in humor.

I am a Mormon, and I have not had the pleasure of seeing the movie, but I plan on it eventually. One thing to keep in mind is that the Mormon church is made up of individuals (I know it does not always seem that way) with various senses of humor. I do not plan on being offended, but I may not find the film humorous, and I know my wife would not enjoy the film.

As far as the “R” rating thing goes, I use my own judgement, but we are counseled (not quite a commandment) to avoid those movies.

Another movie many Christians found offensive was “The Life of Brian.” I thought it was hilarious.

Remember to follow the shoe!! No the gourd!!
BBB

bbb: welcome to the SDMB! Yes, “Brian” was a little offensive, BUT also funny. Not up to “Holy Grail”, but still a hoot, sometimes.

Haven’t seen “Orgazmo”. I’m curious… did it seem to go out of it’s way to show Mormonism in a horribly bad light, or did it just have a guy, who happened to be a Mormon, get involved in a wacky situation that a Mormon wouldn’t usually be involved in? The former would just be annoying (there’s already plenty of anti-Mormon stuff floatin’ around, don’tcha know), but that latter sounds like it should be extremely humorous.

The film is an extreme insult to Mormonism but attempts to get away with it by using humor.

IMHO, it showed Mormons in a positive light!

This was why I asked the question.

OK, here’s the scoop:

Elder Joe Young is doing his mission in LA, and, as one can expect, things aren’t going well. Meanwhile, a well-known porn producer is in the middle of filming his latest adult epic, “Captain Orgazmo.” However, his lead in the role sucks. By chance, Elder Young knocks on his home while they are filming. Angered at the interruption, the producer has his lackeys beat Joe up, but it turns out Joe can beat them up. Seeing him in action (and finding out he was a theatre major at Brigham Young U.), the producer offers him $20K to star as Captain Orgazmo. Of course Joe is appalled at the idea, but, as he is engaged and his fiancee back home wants a big wedding at the temple in Utah***, and the producer promises they’ll use a “stunt c*ck” so Joe doesn’t actually have to have sex with any of the women, Joe agrees, but of course lies to his fiancee and tells her he’s doing “Death of a Salesman.”

All throughout the movie Joe is constantly “being Mormon,” i.e., rebukes swearing and kissing women, and never once involves himself in the actual sex. (One of the best lines: “Stick your tongue in her mouth for Christ’s sake!” “How would the Lord benefit from me sticking my tongue in anyone’s mouth?” :D) He is also continually trying to figure out what God has in mind for him, and he discovers, much to his surprise, that he’s good at this acting thing, and “Captain Orgazmo” becomes a crossover success, prompting sequels and more money. (There is a subplot, of course, where Joe actually fights crime and injustice in real life dressed as Captain Orgazmo.)

At one point his fiancee comes to visit from Utah, and discovers his secret. He, of course, quits and wants to return with her to marry her, but in the end, she discovers that, perhaps, the Lord is calling him to fight crime, albeit in an oddball way (and there is a quickie appearance by a vision of Jesus giving him the “thumbs up”).

Now, how many superheroes do you know who pray before fighting crime?

All in all, I thought Trey Parker played Joe as a straight-laced faithful Mormon who just happens to be in some oddball circumstances.

As far as the NC-17 rating, it’s unwarranted. There is no frontal nudity (we do see some nekkid butts, all men’s), only moderate profanity, and the sexual situations are decidedly comical. (The whole movie, though, was very Parker/Stone, and you can even hear them do some early versions of the characters from “South Park” if you listen carefully.) “Something About Mary” was a worse film, just for different reasons. (It should also be noted that as a direct result of the unfair rating of “Orgazmo” [NC-17 equals death at the box office, which this movie did], the two purposely made “South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut” as vulgar and crude as possible and just eked it under the R rating guidelines. The hipocrisy of the MPAA, while watching those two films, is glaringly evident.)

I did not know that the LDS advises its members not to see NC-17 rated films, but to any Mormons reading this, I’d actually recommend the film. It was very cornball and cheesy, very funny, very positive, and half as “offensive” as the worst thing you might have already seen.

Esprix

***It was pointed out to me by a very devout LDS friend that it costs nothing to have a wedding at temple, so in this the movie was inaccurate. It probably would have been better if they’d just said they needed the money for a big reception or the accoutrements, but they seem to indicate that it actually costs money just to be wed inside the building.

Strange as it may seem, there was a case not so long ago (well, about 15 to 20 years back) in which an LDS missionary was abducted and forced into sex and then stalked back to the US by an obsessed individual.

I realize that’s not the plot mentioned in the movie described above; however, it does contain the essential elements: Mormon missionary, sex, and out-of-the-ordinary experience for said missionary.

FWIW: I also plan on seeing the movie. I wasn’t offended by ZARDOZ either. Now THAT’S a cult-classic if there ever was one!

Esprix, thanks for the plot outline.

I think only the most anal of Mormons would be insulted by this movie, and only the loosest of Mormons would go see it.

Of course, seeing as how I don’t fall into the LDS category, I’m gonna try to get my hands on it ASAP :slight_smile: Sounds like a larf.

I’m LDS, anal, and I fully intend to be entertained by the movie in question.

Awesome film.

Aww. Stupid zombie threads, making me miss 'spree. :frowning:

Seems like a pointless revival of a 14-yr-old thread, too. You want to report it, andros, or should I?