# Ringmaster (1998)

### reviewed by
Nathaniel R. Atcheson

    Ringmaster (1998)

Director: Neil Abramson Cast: John Capodice, Michael Dudikoff, Molly Hagan, Jaime Pressly, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Jerry Springer, Michael Jai White Screenplay: John Bernstein Producers: Gary W. Goldstein, Steven Stabler Runtime: 90 min. US Distribution: Artisan Rated R: sexual content, language

Copyright 1998 Nathaniel R. Atcheson

I've watched The Jerry Springer Show on only a few occasions, and each time I lasted for about ten minutes before I was forced to change the channel. I find the show sickening and depressing. I wonder what kind of people would display themselves in such a degrading fashion just for a chance to be on television. I went to see Ringmaster because I thought that it might answer my questions; I hoped that, just maybe, it would give a little insight into the individuals willing to make fools of themselves on a national program.

Ringmaster did not answer my questions. The only insight I got was into Jerry Springer, who seems like a nice guy at first, until it becomes clear that the film is just a big whack at self-promotion. The picture doesn't seem like entertainment so much as a message in the form of a film: Springer, in the climax, adds a personal observation, in which he states that the poor have just as much of a right to make fools of themselves as the rich. I have some arguments with this, but I'll get to those later -- let's talk about the film first.

It revolves around two groups of people destined to appear on the Jerry show. The first group features a young woman named Connie (Molly Hagan), whose 19 year-old daughter Angel (Jaime Pressly) and husband, Rusty (Michael Dudikoff), are having sex (their segment is entitled, "You Did What With Your Stepdaddy?"). To get back at her daughter, Connie performs fellatio on Angel's fiancée, Willie (Ashley Holbrook). This is when Connie calls the Jerry show to see about appearing.

The second group features Demond (Michael Jai White), who cheats on his annoying girlfriend, Starletta (Wendy Raquel Robinson). Of course, he doesn't just pick anyone to cheat with: he gets it on with Starletta's best friends. So, Starletta calls the Jerry show and they fly to LA. While they're there, Demond hooks up with Angel and Connie, and a big, silly mess accumulates, ending in a violent and disgusting episode of the Jerry show.

The one thing I really have to give credit for is the acting. I haven't seen most of these actors in other films, but they are all very believable here. Hagan and Pressly, in particular, both perfectly embrace the image we now label as "trailer trash." White is also pretty good (much better than he was in Spawn), as is Robinson, even if she is really annoying. The interesting thing about all of these characters is how they kind of grow on you by the end; even though they seem hateful at first, you can't help but empathize with them a little.

But that doesn't change the purpose of the film, which is to 1) inflate Jerry Springer's ego, and 2) promote his television show. In his "personal observation" that I mentioned before, Springer actually expects us to believe that he's exploiting these people because it's the morally right thing to do. Forget the fact that he makes gobs of money, and that the people who appear on these shows are mostly just interested in the chance to fly to LA and star in their own fifteen minutes of a television show. No, Jerry apparently thinks that his show is a good thing.

Well, I think that it is not. I'm trying to think of an instance in which rich people commonly make fools of themselves; he might be referring the Oscars, or other talk shows that feature celebrities talking about their drug addictions and other problems. The difference is that these celebrities are aware of what they're doing -- it's a performance for them. The people on The Jerry Springer Show don't realize what they're doing (according to this film), and Springer merely exploits them for money. "This is a slice of American life," he shouts at a disgruntled audience member, "and if you don't like it, then bite something else!"

If this is what most Americans' life is like, then I'm truly embarrassed. I'm not embarrassed because there are poor people, but because, for some reason, being poor is associated with having no pride or self-worth. I wonder how the audiences overseas will feel if Ringmaster gets distribution there -- will it change their opinions of Americans? Ringmaster might have been an interesting film had it been honest about its subject matter: alas, it is not honest, and the result is a picture that will disgust and depress you. Jerry Springer should be ashamed of himself.

    Psychosis Rating:  2/10

              Visit FILM PSYCHOSIS at
         http://www.pyramid.net/natesmovies

               Nathaniel R. Atcheson

The review above was posted to the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due to ASCII to HTML conversion.

Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews