As a long term listener of Howard Stern I was satisfied with the adaptation of the book to the big screen. Betty Thomas was smart enough to allow Howard be himself. It works because Stern is not really acting. Having heard the actual tapes of his father berating him as a kid, seeing Richard Portnow as Ben, was dead on accurate and funny as hell. The other highlight is Paul Giamatti as the program director called pig vomit, who is hired to control Stern's free wheeling and often vulgar on air persona. At one point the self proclaimed king of all media is subjected to a lecture on the proper way of announcing wnbc with a prolonged and exaggerated W "NNNNNNNBC;" it is exactly as it happened because I actually heard the broadcast and the constant battles between Howie and the management at the now defunct radio station. Previous to the WNBC job, we see the struggle from college radio to Briarcliff, NY to Hartford, Ct. to Detroit and the last stop before the Big Apple is Washington, D.C. It is a ride filled with odd ball characters, nude women and people behaving badly, all for the ratings, and it works due to Stern's ability to communicate at the level of a regular guy. The film is well made and should be entertaining even for non listeners.

When Betty Thomas's "Private Parts" came out, I had only loosely heard of Howard Stern, and usually in a negative context. But the movie really opened my eyes. It turns out that beyond his sometimes shocking radio content, it's all about free speech. Stern may pull some of the grossest stunts on air, but he's just showing what the First Amendment is all about. Like Lenny Bruce, George Carlin, Larry Flynt, John Waters, and the Farrelly Brothers, Stern always goes for the funniest shock value. And the movie does a great job showing that.And yes, it's true, I once got to know Aimee Luzier, who played Pig Vomit's wife. She was the assistant in a history/literature class that I took in high school.

Howard Stern is an acquired taste for the diverse and eclectic. Never listening to his radio show, but an avid listener of scattered clips on the internet, I felt Private Parts could give me the proper introduction the man I was looking for. After all, the man has been a radio icon for many years and an FCC bandit for just as long.Like him or not, Stern has changed the face of radio. He has revolutionized the definition of "talk radio." I can't stress enough that I love talk radio. I find it to be not only relaxed but an insightful way to collect information on certain, gray topics. I used to religiously listen to DreX in the Morning, a Chicago-based radio show on WKSC-FM. Once he was gone at the end of 2010 so was I. I couldn't imagine not having him on my radio every morning before I ship myself off for my daily grind. Then in March I quickly turned over to Eddie and Jobo on WJMK-FM. To this day that's my cup of coffee in the morning.Stern has been more controversial than all of three of those men combined. He threatens the very patience of the FCC, and has pretty much thrown caution and restrictions to the wind as he sits in front of the mic and speaks his mind on whatever he wants. Through various warnings and threats made from his station and the FCC, all of which have been dismissed by him, it's pretty clear that as long as there are faithful listeners, Stern isn't concerned with who he offends or what he is faced with.The movie chronicles his life starting at a very young age where we see Stern's father makes an exercise out of verbally abusing his son. This may have contributed to Stern being a very closed book. Not to mention the fact he went to an all black high school, which only made his differences stand out.As years go by, and because of his father's occupation in radio, Stern develops a passion for the airwaves. This is an awkward and unexpected choice from someone who cruised through high school saying almost nothing. The thought of him pioneering a genre of talk radio which focused more on humor than news was not even present at the time because of his very shy nature. After hits and misses at different radio shows, Stern is finally hired by WNBC in New York City where he would wind up in numerous arguments with his station manager nicknamed Pig Vomit (played very well by Paul Giamatti).Stern's run at WNBC in the eighties was where he gained his most popularity and notoriety. After tirelessly working throughout college on their own brand-name radio and at a number of dead end jobs, he finally got the break he deserved. If you can look past his crude, vulgar, shameless persona there lies a sweet, gentle, hilarious side to him. That may have been added since Hollywood is notorious for factoring in little clichés into biopics, but since Stern rejected many, many scripts before settling on this one I assume this one got it to almost pin-point accuracy.I forgot to mention that Stern married the beautiful Alison (McCormack) in 1978 after dating her prolifically throughout his run at WRNR. Alison was the first woman who ever gave Stern the time of day. But Stern makes it very clear being married to him is not an easy task. Stern is notorious for releasing private affairs with his wife over the air, which is what lead to their divorce about four years after this film was made.Private Parts is a provocative look at talk radio and where it was and now is because of Howard Stern. Sometimes it appears as if it is glossing over some events and instances that might have happened during Stern's long run. Surely he had to be suspended a few times, and maybe some of the fights with his wife lead to his expulsion from the house for a few days. But the movie doesn't dive into that as much as it looks at Stern's mark on the radio. Which is what it should look at it. It rarely simplifies the story, and comes out to be a very honest biopic work of art.Starring: Howard Stern, Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, Mary McCormack, and Paul Giamatti. Directed by: Betty Thomas.

Private Parts (1997) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Taken from Howard Stern's best selling autobiography, this film follows Sterns early years as a loser in high school all the way up to becoming the king of radio in New York City. While the majority of the film deals with his struggle of making it on the radio, we also get the story of his relationship with wife Alison (Mary McCormack). No matter what you think of Stern I think anyone will be able to enjoy this film and in fact I still remember going to see it when it was first released with someone who hated the guy with a passion and even they walked out liking him. I think a large portion of the film and the original book wanted to make people understand Stern and there's no question that the film is a bit one-sided but in the end it accomplishes what it set out to do and that is show people the real person. The film is full of raunchy humor including a great take-off on the Match Game and another terrific sequence with Stern having sex with a woman over the radio and while these comic bits are terrific what really makes the film so memorable is its charm. The film is incredibly charming and one can't help but really fall in love with Stern's character and especially the way he's determined not to stop until he reaches the top. I think the film is rather remarkable in that it can be downright filthy one moment but then sweet the next. It's really hard to mix those two things but the screenplay and director Thomas really make it work and by doing so they've created a rather special movie that keeps getting better with each new viewing. It should come as no shock but Stern makes for a terrific actor even though he's playing himself. I've heard many great actors say that playing themselves would be a very difficult thing to do but Stern handles it with no troubles as does his supporting mates Robin Quivers, Fred Norris and Jackie Martling. McCormack is also extremely good as the wife and her chemistry with Stern comes off as real and they make you feel as if you're watching a real couple. Even better is Paul Giamatti who plays Kenny, aka Pig Vomit, the man who tries to tame Stern when he gets to NBC. The fire and passion that Giamatti brings to the role is rather remarkable to watch and you can't help but laugh at loud when he and Stern are going at it. PRIVATE PARKS is a hilarious movie and a touching one that tells the rise of Stern with loving care and in the end it really delivers everything you'd want it to.