Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.5

Porky's II: The Next Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 18, 2016

Every film year, there are a few movies that emerge from out of nowhere to become not only top-grossing hits, but miniature phenomenons as well, commanding attention from a public that’s responding to something primal about the pictures, while entertainment press spends countless hours trying to decode impossible allure. In 1982, “Porky’s” was one of the chosen few, emerging as a tiny production only interested in bawdy behavior and a few moral lessons, and ending up one of the biggest successes of the year. No one saw it coming, and many wished it never happened, but “Porky’s” managed to capture the imagination of its audience, using a blend of nostalgia and lewd behavior to entice ticket-buyers into return trips, essentially legitimizing the teen hornball subgenre that eventually plagued the moviegoing decade. Bare breasts and bad pranks made up writer/director Bob Clark’s formula, and he wasn’t about to let a good thing go unmolested, getting the band back together in quick fashion for the 1983 sequel, “Porky’s II: The Next Day,” which isn’t truly a continuation of the Angel Beach High saga, but more of a remake, only with more sermonizing and less nudity. Apparently Clark wasn’t paying attention to his initial achievement.

Following his surprising success when questing to lose his virginity, Pee Wee (Dan Monahan) is eager to get even with his friends for their endless insults, working with girlfriend Wendy (Kaki Hunter) to arrange a group sex extravaganza for the likes of Tommy (Wyatt Knight), Billy (Mark Herrier), and Meat (Tony Ganios). When his plans for revenge fall apart, Pee Wee turns his attention to the theater, where Angel Beach High School is putting on an “Evening with Shakespeare,” exposing the students to the dramatic arts in ways that challenge their prejudices. Helping to shake up the norm is the casting of Native America teen John (Joseph Runningfox) as Romeo, and the local evangelical society doesn’t like it one bit, with Reverend Flavel (Bill Wiley) and gym teacher Balbricker (Nancy Parsons) working to shut down the show, eventually teaming with the Ku Klux Klan for maximum intimidation power. Turning to Commissioner Gebhardt (Edward Winter) for political help, the Angel Beach High gang soon realizes it’s up to them to get things done, gearing up for a fight against hate and corruption.

1983 was an interesting year for Bob Clark, who managed to juggle production demands for “The Next Day” with “A Christmas Story,” which is the feature that clearly emerges as the quality work, with time spent on design, casting, writing, and overall tone. The “Porky’s” sequel looks like it was written in an afternoon and shot on weekends, barely putting in the effort to come up with a reason for the Angel Beach High pals to reunite for additional mischief. If there’s a plot to “The Next Day,” it takes an eternity to arrive, with a third of the movie devoted to Pee Wee’s grand plan of comeuppance, where the recently de-virginized young man, now confident after romancing Wendy, attempts to orchestrate a “gang bang” to sucker his pals into complete humiliation. The details of the mission are vague at best, but it does give Clark enough filler before moving on to more pressing matters. If there are any laughs to be had here, they’re found in the opening act, which remains as loose and carefree as the production gets, while also offering a rare blast of nudity to please fanatics.

The rest of “The Next Day” recycles conflicts from the previous picture, with the boys returning to torment Balbricker, this time laboring to shock the gym teacher by stuffing a snake into a school toilet she’s about to void into. Prejudice also returns to town. While “Porky’s” dealt with anti-Semitism, “The Next Day” amplifies hate toward the local Seminole community, with John’s casting as Romeo, where he kisses a white woman, causing an uproar that triggers religious condemnation from Reverend Flavel and the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan, who employ scare tactics to help squash the stage event. Instead of inventing something fresh and raunchy for the characters, Clark just reworks cartoony antagonisms between racists and teenagers, keeping the Angel Beach High gang one step ahead of politicians once they realize they’re up against incredible corruption, necessitating an elaborate scheme to expose evil to light. It’s all very tired and unenthusiastically executed, with Clark failing to correct many of his previous mistakes, including the bungling of defined personalities outside of Pee Wee and Wendy, who are the bright spots in an otherwise nondescript cast.

Porky's II: The Next Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Making its Blu-ray debut, "The Next Day" isn't refreshed for HD enjoyment, with the disc providing a fairly fatigued AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. While the feature is shot softly for period recreation purposes (and to hide the age of the actors), detail still feels unsatisfying, missing a fresh scan to bring out the best of the effort's visuals, including its reliance on animated facial responses for everything presented in front of the cast. Some texture remains with costuming and set decoration. Colors are muted, lacking primary vibrancy, with only extreme hues making a proper impression. Delineation is adequate. Source is in passable shape, but speckling and some wear and tear is detected.

Porky's II: The Next Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix handled very sharply, with crispy highs during dialogue exchanges. Dramatic intent isn't harmed, but voices sound a bit thin, and hiss is detected throughout the listening experience. Scoring cues aren't special, becoming more functional than commanding, barely making an impression. Atmospherics also lack oomph, delivering only the basics in group dynamic and rural Florida visits.

Porky's II: The Next Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:26, SD) is included.

Porky's II: The Next Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Clark keeps "The Next Day" in primary colors, depicting good versus evil in broad chunks of madcap antics. He also imagines his grand finale as an homage to the Marx Brothers, with the Angel Beach High gang using sudden surges of cleverness to challenge white supremacists with one-liners, while Pee Wee and Wendy go the theatrical route, with the young woman dressing up as a bosomy floozy to embarrass Gebhardt at a fancy restaurant, though, again, the production doesn't take time to think about what it's committing to film. It simply splatters bizarre slapstick on the screen and moves on to the next dreary bit. Perhaps "Porky's II: The Next Day" didn't have to try to fill studio expectations, only requiring focus and a run time over 90 minutes to meet contractual needs. Not that "Porky's" is any type of classic, but for such a significant hit, it's a little crazy that Clark and Co. didn't put in the effort to do something with the follow-up, with their main concern being the limitation of nudity, not the quality of stupidity.