Ron Jeremy suffers from low-grade narcolepsy and is a dangerous driver. In the documentary ‘The Legend of Ron Jeremy” you actually see the man struggle to stay awake, then fall asleep while driving his car down the highway. Ron Jeremy is nearly a household name when it comes to porn. Ron has appeared in 1600 movies in the last 25 years and filmed falling asleep only once while having sex. This DVD can be found at the Portland Public Library, which carries an eclectic selection of DVDs and VHS tapes. You can get tapes there for free.
The filmmakers do not seek to qualify or justify pornography, they simply look at aspects of Jeremy’s life. The film portrays Jeremy fairly well-most of the harsh comments come from his friends. One quote explains why Ron is so fat, “it’s because he eats so much healthy food.” He is a mass consumer.
Jeremy’s comedy gets slammed in a humorous montage sequence. His routine is humorless and mechanical, offering pathetic one-liners about backstage blowjobs and being late to work. Jeremy is desperate to go mainstream, but as one fan notes, he always gets killed in mainstream movies. Taking a look at Jeremy’s filmography in the DVD extras reveals that he has been cut from more movies than he has appeared in.
The video does offer the explanation that Jeremy’s popularity is due largely in part to his averageness. As one fan in the movie says he grew up watching Ron Jeremy have sex. One man demonstrated the cunnilingus techniques which he learned from watching Jeremy in movies.
The story of how Jeremy rose from off-off-off Broadway (the Bronx) to be a star of porn is covered, including a brief explanation of the history of porn’s legality. During the 1970’s and early 80’s, ownership and distribution of porn was legal but to perform was akin to prostitution until the 1980’s Freedman Decision.
The apprehension that Jeremy experiences while waiting for the results of his HIV test could be considered a tender moment in film.
“The Legend of Ron Jeremy” was directed by Scott J. Gill, produced by Gill and Kirt Eftekhar and released by Maelstorm Entertainment in 2002. Total running time: 75 minutes.