t’s a bright, beautiful spring day.” From the risqué neon signs of the Porky’s bar to the introduction of the lead character – shown contending with an early morning erection – this film doesn’t attempt to approach its subject matter with any sort of subtlety. It definitely isn’t trying to hide its intentions, though the early shots of cars and the Angel Beach High School (in Florida) are mildly reminiscent of the sets and personas of “American Graffiti” – not just with the confusion and aimlessness but also the expectations, small-town shenanigans, and steadily disappearing innocence (it’s actually set in the 1950s, as opposed to “Graffiti’s” ‘60s milieu).

Essentially, the main roles are a collection of hormone-addled, girl-chasing, slang-spewing, uncomfortably-adolescent young men who engage in all sorts of horny hijinks, competing against one another for greater and greater acts of lewdness. As with many sex comedies of the ‘80s – of which this one certainly had some influence, considering its edginess and feature-length sequels – it dwells on the ultimate goal of getting laid, though the gathering of central teens are mostly interchangeable when it comes to which one is supposed to be the primary protagonist for that particular mission. “What we need here is some professional help.”

Edward “Pee Wee” Morris (Dan Monahan) is one of the more memorable of the bunch (no one is markedly sympathetic), though they’re all primarily just indistinguishably loud, cackling, and obnoxious. And even as they strive continuously to conquer a member of the opposite sex, they’re almost more interested in conducting elaborate pranks. It’s not enough just to trade gossipy stories or spy on the girls’ locker room; they routinely orchestrate sexually-charged schemes to generate maximum embarrassment. Yet when they decide that going to Porky’s strip club in the neighboring county is sure to be the answer to their juvenile woes, the gang discovers a new, shared interest: revenge. The portly Porky (Chuck Mitchell) is a bully – and this assortment of young adults is destined to cook up a fitting (if farfetched) plot for comeuppance.

Nudity, sex jokes, rivalry, and all sorts of off-color humor find their way into the film, but camaraderie, friendship, and teamwork are also relevant concepts as pals Billy (Mark Herrier), Meat (Tony Ganios), Tommy (Wyatt Knight), Mickey (Roger Wilson), Tim (Cyril O’Reilly), Brian (Scott Colomby), and others waywardly weave their way through the mundanity – or overwhelming nature – of teenage disorientation. There really isn’t much of a straightforward premise, as the characters basically just go through a series of experiences, though many of the scenes are exceptionally remarkable (and now iconic), including those involving Kaki Hunter as the sporting Wendy, a young Kim Cattrall as a screeching coach, and Nancy Parsons as the no-nonsense Beulah Balbricker – who snags her troublemaking quarry in a terribly compromising way. By the end, even with the notable commentary on racism and standing up against narrow-minded views, it’s the lowbrow, envelope-pushing sexual components that remain most prominent (interestingly, the picture promotes awareness of venereal diseases and the requisite use of condoms). It’s not consistently funny, nor is it completely original, but the focus on fun-loving mischief over mean-spirited trickery helps to make “Porky’s” a significant chapter in the teen sex comedy subgenre (as well as one of the most commercially successful), even if its qualities as a work of art are undoubtedly flimsy.

– Mike Massie