67
Metascore
19 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80SlateDavid EdelsteinSlateDavid EdelsteinPrivate Parts is so riotous that you almost don't remember how unfunny Stern can be on his radio show.
- 80EmpireEmpireDirector Thomas applies the deft comic touch which made The Brady Bunch Movie (similarly ignored outside the US) such a hoot, to make for a deliriously funny, frequently outrageous romp.
- Private Parts is a supremely crafty, smartly written, and--given the number of "himselfs" and "herselfs" on the cast list--surprisingly well-acted piece of pop kitsch.
- 80Film ThreatChris GoreFilm ThreatChris GoreWhile PP does contain the lesbian-toilet-poo-poo-homo-butt kind of humor you would expect, (Ba Ba Booey) underneath that, there is a real movie there with fully developed characters and engaging conflict. It's an absolute must-see.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertHoward Stern has been accused of a lot of things, but he has never been accused of being dumb. With Private Parts, his surprisingly sweet new movie, he makes a canny career move: Here is radio's bad boy walking the finest of lines between enough and too much.
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumShaped and softened by producer Ivan Reitman, screenwriters Len Blum and Michael Kalesniko, and director Betty Thomas, however, the movie-star Stern is a defanged tiger, funny but tranquilized.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovAustin ChronicleMarc SavlovThomas’ comic flair is undeniable, as is Stern’s comic acting ability; all other arguments aside, Private Parts is a consistently uproarious affair, riddled with brilliant comic set-pieces, including Stern’s many, many run-ins with various program directors and NBC brass.
- 60TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghCapably directed by Betty Thomas, this freewheeling pseudodocumentary tribute to Stern's juvenile antics paints the anarchic radio idol as Everyschmo made good.
- 30Chicago ReaderChicago ReaderIn Private Parts Stern is clearly presenting a sanitized version of his story--he had control over every aspect of the film and vetoed more than half a dozen scripts before choosing the one that pleased him--in an attempt to reach a whole new level of stardom.
- 25Christian Science MonitorDavid SterrittChristian Science MonitorDavid SterrittSome scenes paint a convincing portrait of Stern as a witty opponent of stuffiness, prudery, and hypocrisy. Others mix gross-out humor with nasty doses of racism, sexism, and homophobia that reveal a dark side to Stern's professional personality.