Private Parts: On-This-Day Thursday
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Every Thursday, an older film released on this opening weekend years ago will be reviewed. They can be classics, or simply popular films that happened to be released to the world on the same date.
For March 7th, we are going to have a look at Private Parts.
Say what you want about the “King of All Media” Howard Stern, but the guy knows how to get your attention. He’s done just that for decades; it started when he was small time, and has continued throughout his many forms of on-air and on-screen dominations (mostly television). The late ‘90s was the peak moment for Stern to try and capitalize on making his own satire of the schmaltzy biographical dramas (or comedies) that were being pumped out mindlessly, and Private Parts stems from his autobiography of the same name. For non-listeners, Stern used to relish in making up stories on the fly, no matter how grounded in reality or fictitious they may be. His dictation of his own life is very similar, as he proudly wears the hat of an unreliable narrator (he’s a situation stirrer, after all, and it’s all in jest for those who are in the know).
That translates relatively well in the film adaptation by Betty Thomas (and produced by Ivan Reitman). In the same way that Stern tells his life with a wink every so often, the Private Parts film is as serious as it is clearly poking fun at the conventional biopic. One interesting note is how the major professional loved ones in Stern’s life (co-host Robin Quivers and staff member Fred Norris included) are played by these actual people; similarly, Stern plays himself. Family members are performed by actors, likely to separate Stern’s private life from, well, Private Parts. People Stern disliked — real or not — are played by actors as well, including a then-unknown Paul Giamatti as a tyrannical program director over at NBC; in his prime, Stern could spot talent a mile away, and allegedly told Giamatti he was going to be huge one day (and he was certainly right: even here, Giamatti shines, despite his intentional worminess).
The use of actual Howard Stern staff members playing themselves makes for an interesting recount of events.
Are the Howard Stern crew good at acting? I’m not going to say no, because many other people have said so. I don’t think that’s necessarily true, despite their lack of training or natural talent. If you look at Private Parts as a straight up comedy film, then it’s easy to say that Stern and friends can’t get the job done. However, as a slice of meta commentary, having these people play themselves adds a certain element that even the best actors sometimes can’t get: that inner spark of connectivity with the source material on such an untouchable wavelength. Besides, they’re also having fun reenacting these events (even in hyperbolic ways), and I don’t sincerely think anyone here believes they’re fabulous at acting; there are a number of jokes that relay this, including fictitious awards season successes.
For any haters of Howard Stern, Private Parts might seem like an exercise in caring or relatability. For any fans, this will obviously be gold, considering there’s a warmth underneath the madness and taboo (particularly being able to see the faces of these iconic voices having fun and reliving their histories in their own way). For people who are neither a lover or a loather, Private Parts is equal elements interesting and passable (excluding the taboo stuff which may bother some viewers, but you’d be a fool to watch Private Parts if you know you’ll be upset by it). It’s an experiment that kind of works, as well as enough of a twist on a tired formula to have just a smidgen of life breathed back into it. I’m not sure if there’s any cause for Stern and friends to ever try this again, but I kind of wish there was, because of the door of possibilities that was opened here; I do like what Private Parts pulls off (a retelling of Stern’s life strictly from Stern the on-air radio personality with bite), but I think I’d love what it was capable of even more (a completely metaphysical take on the broadcasting industries told by the biggest names in the business).
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.