Comedy Central is set to make its first foray into the much-scrutinized original cable movie market this Sunday with “Porn ‘n Chicken,” a lighthearted-turned-introspective depiction of a real-life Ivy League club. The story centers on a secret society of male and female Yale University students who have gathered weekly since 1996 to eat cheap fried chicken and watch pornography.
While deep-fried food and fornication appeal to a large subset of Comedy Central’s audience and America in general, is “Porn ‘n Chicken” worth a two-hour Sunday sitdown? It depends on who you are. Judging by the lackluster HBO season thus far, “P ‘n C,” as the club’s name is abbreviated, may not be such a bad escape from your Sunday doldrums. Viewers are encouraged to play along at home by breaking out some Schlitz and KFC as you, ahem, take in the film.
A watered-down, coming-of-age story, “Porn ‘n Chicken” focuses on five main characters–Josh, an anal, grade-obsessed senior aspiring to attend law school; Quentin, club originator, troublemaker and the glue that holds the club together; Polly, the lone female lead character, an outspoken member with a little secret; Andy, a nice guy with a little secret that he keeps hidden “in the closet;” and Lenny, an eccentric workaholic who just wants one night of bliss.
The hedonistic and simultaneously heart-pounding/artery-clogging club hits a roadblock when its free-spirited society clashes with Dean Richard Widehead, played by Kurt Fuller, who is perhaps most remembered from his role opposite Rob Lowe as producer of Wayne and Garth’s late-night network show in “Wayne’s World.”
A wealthy alum running for office, Roger Stone, pressures Widehead to shut down the club or money will be withheld from the university. Anarchy ensues, and despite latent concerns about the overall value of “P ‘n C,” the club perseveres even as the beer gets warm and the chicken gets cold.
The turning point of the film comes when the members of “Porn ‘n Chicken” decide to take the club one step further and film their own little masterpiece. The members of the secret society even seek the advice of porn legends Ron Jeremy and Jenna Jameson, as each member begins to question whether the risk of shattered futures is worth filming their own porn, which they dub “The StaXXX.”
There are somewhat entertaining, if not ill-informed, depictions of “college life” throughout “Porn ‘n Chicken,” and there is an equally pervasive pseudo-intellectualism that seems to drag the film down in certain sequences. Granted, “P ‘n C” depicts an Ivy League school, but the massively oversized dorm rooms, overly philosophical conversations and unrealistically mature attitudes of the participants may be enough to bring some viewers to change the channel, even if a history lesson awaits them on “The Sopranos.”
“Porn ‘n Chicken” is less about the actual porn and chicken and more about a group of students at the crossroads of their lives. For the characters and Ivy League students who participate in the actual club, “Porn ‘n Chicken” represents one last chance to forget the system and its rules and enjoy life before settling into a routine of 80-hour workweeks, stale Sanka and faked smiles with annoying co-workers.
So, if you should happen to have a couple of spare hours Sunday night, pull up a leg or a wing and find out what all the fuss is about. Just remember to wash your hands afterward.
“Porn ‘n Chicken” premieres on Comedy Central this Sunday night at 9 p.m.
