Ringmaster is a 1998 American comedy film starring Jerry Springer playing (essentially) himself as Jerry Farrelly, host of a show similar to his own, in this case called simply Jerry.
Ringmaster | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Neil Abramson |
Produced by | Gary W. Goldstein |
Written by | Jon Bernstein |
Starring |
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Music by | Kennard Ramsey |
Cinematography | Russ Lyster |
Edited by | Suzanne Hines |
Production company | Motion Picture Corporation of America The Kushner-Locke Company |
Distributed by | Artisan Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $20 million |
Box office | $9,257,103 |
Screenplay
There are three ongoing plots in the film. The primary one surrounds a white trash, trailer park family in which the daughter is sleeping with her mother's husband, prompting the mother to constantly try to outdo her promiscuous daughter's behavior out of spite, including sleeping with her daughter's boyfriend. The secondary plot revolves around an urban black woman whose boyfriend is sleeping with her two best friends, but the three are united against the boyfriend when he begins sleeping with the daughter of the above-mentioned family. The third plot revolves around Jerry and the show itself, detailing the difficulty Jerry faces in trying to come to terms with his rather dubious claim to fame, and the staff's utter amazement at the bizarre stories they must deal with.
A minor sub-plot involves a producer on the show who mistakenly picks up one of the guests, a self-proclaimed "man-by-day-woman-by-night."
- Jerry Springer as Jerry Farrelly
- Jaime Pressly as Angel Zorzak
- William McNamara as Troy Davenport
- Molly Hagan as Connie Zorzak
- John Capodice as Mel Riley
- Wendy Raquel Robinson as Starletta
- Ashley Holbrook as Willie
- Tangie Ambrose as Vonda Simmons
- Nicki Micheaux as Leshawnette
- Michael Jai White as Demond
- Krista Tesreau as Catherine Winicott
- Dawn Maxey as Natalie
- Maximilliana as Charlie/Claire
- Michael Dudikoff as Rusty
The film had a generally negative reception, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 25% rating (with an average rating of 3.2 out of 10). The film won a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst New Star (Jerry Springer, tied with Joe Eszterhas for his small cameo in An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn). The film grossed back less than half its budget.
A soundtrack containing hip hop music was released on March 23, 1999 by Lil' Joe Records. It peaked at #80 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.