Movie Description
Private Parts is a 1997 American biographical comedy film produced by Ivan Reitman and directed by Betty Thomas. The film is an adaptation of the autobiographical chapters from the best selling 1993 book of the same name by radio personality Howard Stern, developed from a script by Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko. It follows Stern's life from boyhood and his rise to success in radio. Stern and several of his radio show staff star as themselves, including newscaster and co-host Robin Quivers, producers Fred Norris and Gary Dell'Abate, and comedian Jackie Martling. The film also stars Mary McCormack, Allison Janney, and Paul Giamatti.
After a proposed film featuring Stern as his superhero character Fartman fell through, development for a new film began in 1994, several months after Private Parts was released. Stern signed with Rysher Entertainment, who agreed to fund its production, and teamed with Reitman who thought a biographical take on Stern's life was best suited for a film. Production was delayed after Stern rejected 22 scripts from several screenwriters until he accepted one developed by Blum and Kalesniko in late 1995. Filming took place in the New York City area and Washington, D.C. in 1996 with a budget of $28 million, during which Stern continued to host his radio show each weekday morning. Numerous celebrities and family members of the radio show staff make cameo appearances in the film. The soundtrack is formed of songs from several rock bands as well as two original tracks featuring Stern performing with Rob Zombie and the Dust Brothers.
The film premiered on February 27, 1997 at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden and theatrically released on March 7 by Paramount Pictures. It debuted at number one on the US box office in its opening weekend with a gross of $14.6 million and earned a domestic total of $41.2 million. It received mostly positive reviews from film critics, a group whom Stern made a conscious effort to please, including the public who did not listen to the radio show or were not fans of his. In 1998, the film was released on DVD and Stern won a Blockbuster Award for Favorite Male Newcomer for his performance. Stern shot additional scenes for a censored version of the film prior to its premiere television broadcast on the USA Network in 1999.
