Reviews

This movie is one of the very best character studies of an athlete. The script, the direction, and Costner's performance yield an insightful profile of a driven character. Driven but not a jerk, and so the course of the relationship developed between the athlete and Kelly Preston's character is credible and engaging. The ways in which the other players are brought into the episodes that tell us about the main character resonate for amateur players and other baseball fans. All the performances ring familiar and true. Vin Scully is given the green light on cornball baseball homilies, but just to have Vinny's voice seasoning the movie gives authority and authenticity throughout.

I saw Pornografollies at a midnight movie in North San Diego in 1970 or 1971. The audience laughed uncontrollably. This movie was as shocking as a Todd Browning feature, shockingly funny in an absurd guerrilla theatre way. Presented as a variety show, these follies are a series of performance pieces by earnest stage troupers. Some people would no doubt see this movie as pornographic; and, I have no doubt that the filmmakers would like nothing better than to watch the faces of those people as they watched the movie. The production values are homemade. I don't remember much camera movement, if any at all. Its brazenness elevates Pornografollies from a 3 to a 6. Watch for a Tommy Chong lookalike doing a softshoe with a light touch, and an ensemble of three to six actors performing the synchronized "Roll-A-Joint" number.