Search - Ringmaster on DVD

Talk about guilty pleasures...

JLind555 | 10/10/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let me state here and now: I loathe the "Jerry Springer" TV show. I think it's contemptible the way he exploits the vulnerabilities of low-income people desperate for their fifteen minutes of fame, encourages them to bare all their sordid secrets on nationwide TV, and then claims he's doing it all for a greater good. So I expected to loathe this movie when I caught it on late night TV recently, and instead ended up on the floor laughing myself halfway into a coma. So why would I like this film, trashy as it is, and hate the show?

One reason is Springer's ability to spoof himself; he has the grace not to take himself too seriously; he knows exactly what a schlockmeister he is, and he plays himself to the hilt in this movie. Another is that while on the TV we only see the people doing their bad thing on stage (and the audience egging them on with howls of "Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!"), in the film we see the hacks and flacks who help to prey on these people and get them to make themselves look their very worst in front of a national audience. And thirdly, the characters in the film are so over-the-top, so grotesquely stereotyped, we can safely laugh at them because they look so unreal.

Here are Angel and Starletta, trailer trash and ghetto trash, winning the chance of a life time to appear on TV as the subjects of segments of "My traitor friends" and "You did WHAT with your stepdaddy?!" Angel is a 17 year old motel maid with a mother only 15 years her senior, sharing a trailer with mom's hubby, with whom Angel is having an affair, right under mom's nose. And don't think mom doesn't know what her skanky offspring is up to; when mom crashes the party and catches the two of them in the act, she goes right off and turns the tables with Angel's sort-of-fiance. Meanwhile, Starletta has caught her supposed best friend in bed with her no-good philandering boytoy Demond, amid a great deal of hair-pulling and name-calling.

Angel, Starletta, and their entourages are all called to LA to appear on Jerry's show, but Angel's stepdad gets cold feet at the last minute, realizing some things are too private to be discussed on TV, and walks out. Not to worry; there's plenty of adventure on the side between Angel and the philandering Demond, who somehow gets inveighled into getting it on with Angel's mom as well. Turns out that there is action galore for the show even without the stepdad. When Starletta's two-timing girlfriends announce from the audience they caught Angel with Demond, Starletta rushes the stage (amid the usual howls of "Jerry") and goes for Angel literally tooth and nail; and when Angel's clueless boyfriend, who looks like the only word he is capable of is "Duh", turns out to have been awake at the switch after all and announces to nationwide TV that Angel is carrying her stepdaddy's baby (Mom didn't know THAT tidbit), all hell breaks loose. The show segments of the film look a lot like what's shown on TV, with the notable exception that the bleeped-out words are very much unbleeped (if profanity disturbs you, get some earplugs to watch this movie with), and the nudity isn't pixeled into abstraction.

This is a film to watch if you're in the mood for some mindless diversion, which everybody needs from time to time. Just be warned that to watch this movie in VHS, you will have to scroll through 18 minutes of commercials to get to the start of the film. Get the DVD."

Depressed? Watch This!

06/07/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This weekend I was depressed. I felt I didn't make enough money, am stuck in a dead-end computer job, up to my neck in debt, am fat and ugly (I'm a 38 Asian-Latino male with braces!), and had serious doubts about my current relationship until I watched this movie. This movie made me laugh at my self-doubts, with a truly ridiculous zing. This movie proves no matter how bad things can get, there are a lot of other Americans out there with lives much worse than mine. I'm a big fan of Jerry Springer. I think he shows the side of America most of us want to sweep under the rug. As his interview on Good Morning America pointed out, it's acceptable when Arnold or Bruce show violence. Or, it's acceptable when our elected governmental officials sleep around, embezzle, or yell at one another during law making sessions. No one tells the story of these people, except him."

Personally Jerry: one adore-able book!

student@harvard | 04/23/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I love Jerry Springer's 'Ringmaster' book; this book is about the Jerry show and yet more exclusively about Jerry himself; and especially about his past - pictures of his family, himself as a child..facts and memories on his childhood, family and 'his years' up to now. Jerry becomes pretty personal in his 'Ringmaster' book, and his honesty is as clear as ever. For anyone who is a Springer fan-this is a god-send. For anyone who isnt a Springer fan..why not..the read is just as good."

Springer... the most controversial talk show host and author

student@harvard | Boston Metro Area | 06/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jerry! Jerry!The crowd chants wildly. However, one must look past this seemingly low-class, degrading form of entertainment. I found this work quite refreshing. As a scholar, I do not get the chance to fully appreciate the world around me. For this reason, I miss out on meeting many of my fellow men and women. I have lost touch with the average joe and I find this quite disheartening.However, Mr. Springer has given me the chance to connect with millions of Americans. These people real and their stories are not made up. Springer vividly portrays the joys, sorrows, and anguish that these brave men and women are facing. Perhaps the most touching was the story of the 400 pound man that left his wife for a 3 foot tall transvestite. I really feel that reading this book helps me appreciate the needs of others. I am forced to realize that all around me, people are suffering. I am spurred on to be a better person because of Mr. Springer and his friends.I too can chant "Jerry! Jerry!" with pride. Thank you Jerry."