30 Second Bottom Line: A documentary about an unlikely porn star, a Jewish guy who has made over 1,600 porn films in 23 years. He is not a recovering substance abuser, has been involved in no scandals and holds a Master's Degree as a special education teacher (before becoming a porn star). Now, he just wants to be respected as a legitimate actor.

Story Line: When I first heard that Ron Jeremy wanted to be respected as a serious actor, after two decades of porn films in which he's screwed over 4,000 women, (and he says) without any known children as a result, I thought he had to be kidding. As with a number of things, I was wrong again. He got into porn through the back door (no pun intended) and is so good at it, that he can't get out.

His 9 ¾ inch penis got him noticed in 1978 when his girlfriend sent his nude photo to "Playgirl Magazine." Back then he was a slim, handsome stud with the ability to create an erection on demand and control his tempo to avoid premature ejaculation. In spite of his body going to seed (overweight, often unshaven, with long ragged hair) Ron has a stable of young beauties that are anxious to be on the receiving end of his drill shaft.

Reportedly, when Ron was in the newborn nursery, the nurses commented that their husbands wished they could be lucky to be so well hung. When one realizes that the attractive women in porn films make $100-$250,000 a year, in a legal profession, one might understand why they do it. It's too easy to assume that they are beautiful airheads when that can be far from the case.

Porn Star has a similar feel as the documentary American Pimp, in dealing with a side of life we like to pretend does not exist, or which we know more about than we tend to let on. We laugh at Porn Star in part because Ron Jeremy is a funny person and he's trying to be humorous in the film. In American Pimp we laugh at the people because it's an illegal hustle, which is farther across the line than porn films, yet the two professions have much in common. Women are being paid to have sex. In Pimp I felt that the pimps and prostitutes were often playing to the camera, while in Porn Star, Jeremy does have a story to tell. Through the film he advances his personal agenda, conveying how he wants to portray the past so he can influence the future. This is an observation rather than a judgment.

The story is rather straightforward, as it tells something about his youth as a normal kid who did normal things, until he started making porn films. Jeremy obviously loves sex, as his brain and penis are in close coordination. Why does he do what he does? A few observations about his lifestyle sum it up. First he is best known for having oral sex with himself. Second, women like him, not only for his huge sex organ but also because of his desire to give oral sex to them, "…he likes to eat, he's always hungry." Finally, he believes that getting it up, and keeping in up in the heat of the action for a prolonged period of time is the "purest form of acting."

Tell Me More About It: One of the pre-conditions of shooting this film was that Jeremy would not be shown having sex. You don't see actual sexual intercourse or oral sex like you do in the films Boise Moi or Intimacy.

Ron Jeremy is a personality I wish the film had explored more. He's always networking to meet people to promote his career, and he keeps an address book that looks like a wiring diagram for the space shuttle. He constantly travels to promote his activities and he is able to maintain this hectic pace without drugs or alcohol or an entourage of admirers. Food is a passion, which is why he's overweight and it appears that the only exercise he gets is in porn films and running to catch a plane. To save money, he perpetually borrows headsets on airplanes to look at movies, uses garbage bags for suitcases and never picks up the tab for drinks or a meal.

As we meet his friends, family and business associates, we learn something about the porn industry. Like a sports star or singer, it's hard to give up what you are good at, especially if it brings you fame and fortune. If one is good at something, can make money at it and enjoy doing it, they keep on doing it. Maybe that's why although Ron Jeremy wants desperately to be accepted as a mainstream actor he does not retire from being a porn star. Like most things in life, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Pun intended.