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By Ben Baroncini

Daily Bruin Contributor

Documentaries usually entail wildlife grazing on a sun-scorched savannah, or black-and-white images of soldiers marching through war-ravaged streets.

In Scott J. Gill’s newest film titled “Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy,” documentary filmmaking has been taken to another level. The film is an entertaining account of the life of Ron Jeremy, and it is simultaneously a look at the very “animalistic” urges of us all.

Jeremy is even known to his fans as the “hedgehog,” because he is small, fat and hairy. “Porn Star” is also an insightful journey into a relatively influential part of society (for better or worse), the pornography industry.

Jeremy is depicted as a very real person in the documentary. “Ron Jeremy” the persona takes a backseat to Ron Jeremy Hyatt. He is depicted as a sensitive, aspiring actor who is looking to find himself in a chaotic world of competition, superficiality and prejudice. 

A dynamic interchange of scenes from home movies to Jeremy’s various films to photos of him as a teenager, and shots of his fans wildly cheering for their idol open the movie. All along, typical porn-style music streams alongside images of silhouetted women and amorphous designs, all seemingly meant to entice the viewer into believing that this film will be a look at just another self-absorbed celebrity.

The documentary is laced with raunchy scenes, juxtaposed with the type of tastelessness that is characteristic of Jeremy’s line of work. However, underneath the sleezy facade of the film lies a very personal look at one of America’s most interesting celebrities.

The film shifts gears into an amalgam of interviews with Jeremy’s friends, “colleagues,” family and fans. Woven throughout are various episodes in which Jeremy discusses his career, his life, dreams and the often-harsh realities of being in the porn industry.

“Taking the blood is nothing,” said Jeremy regarding his monthly HIV tests, “it’s the half hour that you’re waiting for the test results, that’s hard.”

These comments run parallel to images of Jeremy, nervously pacing and shifting his feet, while the medical staff tests his blood for infection of the virus. “Any way you slice it,” said a very frank and nervous Jeremy, “it’s the one biggest pain about being in the porn industry.”

Jeremy’s aspirations to enter the mainstream entertainment industry are often frustrated because of his controversial line of work. “He’s extremely professional,” said director Adam Rifkin in the film, “he works hard … because he has to overcome the stigma of being a porno star.”

“Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy” is a documentary about a misunderstood and complex personality.

Entertaining and hilarious at times, the film also reflects the paradoxical nature of Ron Jeremy’s life: his constant striving for meaning while holding on to his “status” as a celebrity, a popular icon and as a porn star.