Imagine "Titanic," minus the ship, the cheesy love story and the award-winning actors. Now throw in a couple of cheap strippers, some feuding family members and the Ku Klux Klan. Now you've got a classic movie. Well, maybe not a classic movie, or even a decent one, but it certainly makes for good entertainment.
It may not be tasteful, it may not even be suitable for all viewers, but "Jerry Springer: Too Hot For TV!" is darn funny.
From showing a woman fulfill her dream of posing nude, to a woman's confrontation of her sister who has slept with all three of her husbands, Springer presents 43 minutes of uncensored, uncomplicated highlights. You don't have to be a brain surgeon to watch, but if you're a "student" of the human body, there are a couple of good scenes for you.
Springer's talk show, which is widely viewed by college students across the country, presents the lowest that American society has to offer.
However, it succeeds because it allows people a release from their everyday lives and the ordinary run of the mill TV show.
As Springer reflects in the video, "how boring life would be if there were no outrageousness."
And the video is definitely outrageous -- featuring plenty of nudity and more than its share of fighting. At one point, during a "paternity tests revealed" segment, two couples fight in a brawl which makes the participants resemble pro-wrestlers more than guests on a talk show.
To the average video store shopper, Springer's video may seem stupid -- and most of the time it is. And if you go into "Too Hot For TV" expecting to grow as a person, we promise you will be disappointed.
But if you take Springer's advice and just try to enjoy the craziness, you will find that Springer's use of extreme idiocy can be laughable to even the most provincial of thinkers.
It is hard to say what is so entertaining about watching a family feud turn into a raucous food fight or watching a woman attack her lesbian lover's mistress, but somehow Springer makes it work. He makes it obvious that his program is not news, and he laughs at his guests just like he expects his audience to.
The video takes the outrageous material to a point where it seems almost fabricated -- and in some cases it undoubtedly is. But this is all the more reason to look past its tackiness and appreciate the humor that can be found even in some pretty awful circumstances.
In his "Springer's Final Thought," the host makes it abundantly clear that "television cannot and must not create values." Springer merely asks viewers to laugh at aspects of our society rather than deny their existence.
It's not for the faint of heart -- after all, it is "Too Hot For TV!" -- but if you're looking for a movie that will take you away from the everyday, Springer's collection may be a funny alternative to your normal video rental.
It may not be a sinking ship, but at least Celine Dion doesn't sing the theme song.
