Private Parts (1997)

Directed by Betty Thomas. Starring Howard Stern, Robin Quivers, Mary McCormack, Paul Giamatti, Fred Norris, Allison Janney, Carol Alt, Michael Murphy, Rena Santoni, Melanie Good. [R]

Controversial radio shock jock Howard Stern tries his hand in feature films with this loose, largely-episodic life story recap showing his rise from a DJ at a college radio station all the way to his “king of all media” boast after becoming the number-one radio personality at WNBC. No one’s going to break out the Olivier comparisons, but Stern proves as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind the mic, and is surprisingly appealing playing a somewhat sanitized version of himself—we get to see some of his tasteless comments and vulgar routines, but for the most part, he’s depicted as a decent guy who loves his wife (McCormack), cares about his staff (including long-time co-host Robin Quivers), and saves his naughtiest enmity for those who seek to stifle or undermine him, like his WNBC programming director nemesis, Kenny “Pig Vomit” Rushton (Giamatti). Works a little too hard to make Stern out to be the likable underdog hero who wound up conquering the world of radio, and some of the early vignettes offer little more than throwaway gags-and-brags, but it’s pretty entertaining throughout, finally kicking into high gear during a late series of “showdowns” where Howard pushes both the FCC boundaries and “Pig Vomit”’s buttons. Ivan Reitman co-produced. Look for a handful of well-known faces (and listen for a well-known stutter) in walk-ons and bit parts.

71/100