Ringmaster (1998)

Talk show special guests air their grievances backstage and in front of the cameras as the host struggles to manage the mayhem that ensues.

Director:

Neil Abramson

Writer:

Jon Bernstein

Stars:

Jerry Springer, Jaime Pressly, William McNamara

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Springer	...	Jerry Farrelly / talk show host
Jaime Pressly	...	Angel / Connie's daughter
William McNamara	...	Troy Davenport
Molly Hagan	...	Connie / Angel's mother
John Capodice	...	Mel Riley
Wendy Raquel Robinson	...	Starletta / Damone's girlfriend
Ashley Holbrook	...	Willie / Angel's fiance
Tangie Ambrose	...	Vonda Simmons
Nicki Micheaux	...	Leshawnette
Krista Tesreau	...	Catherine Winicott
Dawn Maxey	...	Natalie
Maximilliana	...	Charlie / Claire
Michael Jai White	...	Demond / Starletta's boyfriend
Michael Dudikoff	...	Rusty / Connie's husband
Jerry Giles	...	Floyd Merkel

Storyline

Jerry Springer stars as more or less himself, the host of a raunchy, controversial and popular Los Angeles talk show which features everyday people with problems and who frequently vent their problems on the air. A new group of guests are flown in for one show who include white trailer trash from Sarasota FL; Connie, whose current husband has cheated on her with her nymphomaniac teenage daughter, Angel, for which Connie has gotten revenge by having sex with Angel's fiance; and from Detroit, black trash Starletta, whose boyfriend, Damone, has slept with all of her girlfriends. Soon the paths of all of these parties cross which leads to more sex, arguments, physical violence, and Jerry sweating out just another day.

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Plot Keywords:

sex with stepfather | television show | exhibitionist | lesbian | autograph | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Legal stipulations prevented the production from using the name The Jerry Springer Show (1991) in the film. It's called "The Jerry Show".

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Goofs

The trailer park folks are supposed to live in Central Florida. Angel passes a Tampa sign, and Willie mentions that he works at the Walmart in Lakeland. Angels' stepfather bails her out of the Broward County jail. Broward County is almost 200 miles south of Lakeland.

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Quotes

Connie: Hi, I'm Connie - I'm mom in 'I slept with my step-daddy.'
Charlie: I'm Charlie, 'Man By Day, Woman By Night.'

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: The Worst Films of 1998 (1999)

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Soundtracks

(Do You) Wanna Ride
Performed by Reel Tight
Written by Bobby Torrence, Reginald Long, Danny Wood, Robert Rice, Vince Herbert, Joey Elias & C. Giles
Licensed through BRDQ/Vincent Herbert Publishing/Chile Music/Rondor Music/Killer Cam/Entertainment Music Inc./Warner Chappell
Courtesy of Restless Records

User Reviews

The Depravity of Modern Man

To preface this review, I must say that I was, I suppose, a little curious about this movie.. However, I probably would not have seen it had I not had my arm slightly twisted.

In my opinion, this movie shows just how depraved man can be. In my eyes, the worst thing about this whole Springer phenomenon is not that type of people on the "Jerry Springer Show" act as they do (which in itself is eminently reproachable), but that many people are so curious and excited to watch them and hear about their lives (yes, I suppose that includes me.. to whatever extent it is true). If not glorifying that kind of behavior (as some might say) at the very least we may be subtly corrupting our minds and/or desenstizing ourselves to this type of behavior.

But enough soapbox (sort of). Here's the skinny: the movie has an R rating, and while it may deserve only that (I did look away at some scenes, so I'm not completely sure), I feel that an NC-17 (tip of the hat to the other reviewer) might be a little more appropriate for the immense sexual content (a cynic might comment that the movie was just one big excuse to show sex on the big screen). The plot is very bizarre, tying together the stories of an absolutely dysfunctional family and a group of stereotypical blacks upset who will appear on different Springer shows. At the end, the movie leaves one with some resolvement- and Springer rhetoric about the need for us to see the real world (evidently as seen through his show). I agree with him there- it is important to know how the world really is so that we can seek to effect positive change. Having said that, let me just tell you- the world's pretty bad- glance in a newpaper or the news to see that, but let's not shell out good money to support the kind of sensationalistic and perhaps formulaic titallition that Springer seeks to give us.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jerry Springer: Ringmaster

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,344,022, 29 November 1998

Gross USA:

$9,257,103

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,257,103

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artisan Entertainment, Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA), The Kushner-Locke Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1