Howard Stern is a polarizing figure. Always has been. But in the late nineties, he did something almost no one expected: he made a genuinely good movie about himself. If you want to watch Private Parts 1997 today, you’re not just looking at a piece of shock-jock history; you’re looking at a surprisingly sweet romantic comedy disguised as a middle finger to the FCC. It’s weird. It’s loud. Yet, somehow, it works.
Betty Thomas directed it. You might know her from The Brady Bunch Movie, but here she had the impossible task of making a man who talked about "lesbian dial-a-date" on the air look like a sympathetic protagonist. And she pulled it off. The film follows Howard’s rise from a stuttering, insecure kid in Roosevelt, New York, to the "King of All Media." It’s based on his 1993 autobiography of the same name, which was a massive bestseller. People forget how big this was. It wasn't just a niche radio thing. It was a cultural phenomenon.
The unexpected heart of the 1997 film
Most people went into the theater expecting a ninety-minute version of the radio show. They expected the "Butt Bongo" and the naked women. While those elements are definitely there—it’s Howard, after all—the real spine of the movie is his relationship with his then-wife, Alison Stern. Mary McCormack plays her. She’s the anchor. Without that relationship, the movie is just a series of gross-out gags.
Stern plays himself. That’s usually a recipe for disaster. Non-actors trying to recreate their own lives often come across as wooden or overly self-conscious. But Howard is surprisingly vulnerable here. He shows the rejection. He shows the sweat. He shows the absolute terror of failing in a small market like Hartford or Detroit before making it to NBC in New York. You see the "W-NBC" days, the constant battles with management, and the birth of the persona that would eventually take over the airwaves. It’s a classic underdog story. Just with more fart jokes.
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Honestly, the chemistry between the radio staff is what sells the realism. Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, and Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling all play themselves. They aren't "acting" so much as they are existing in their natural habitat. When you watch the scenes in the studio, they feel authentic because that’s exactly how those people interacted for decades. It captures a specific era of New York media that just doesn't exist anymore in the age of podcasts and TikTok.
Why people still want to watch Private Parts 1997 today
The movie is a time capsule. 1997 was a different world. No social media. No YouTube. If you wanted to be famous, you had to break through the gatekeepers at big corporations like NBC or Infinity Broadcasting. The film documents the transition from the old-school "DJ voice" era to the raw, honest, and often offensive style that paved the way for modern podcasting. Every streamer today owes a debt to what Howard was doing in this era.
The soundtrack was also huge. It featured a collaboration between Howard and Rob Zombie called "The Great American Nightmare." It perfectly captured the high-octane, slightly dangerous vibe of the show at that time. It was the peak of his power. He had the number one book, the number one radio show, and then the number one movie at the box office. It debuted at $14.6 million in its opening weekend, which was a big deal back then.
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Production hurdles and the "Pig Virus" factor
Paul Giamatti. We have to talk about Paul Giamatti. Before he was an Oscar nominee, he was "Pig Vomit" (a fictionalized version of NBC executive Kevin Metheny). Giamatti is incredible. He is the perfect foil to Howard’s antics. Every time he’s on screen screaming about "The W-N-B-C," the movie elevates from a biopic to a top-tier comedy.
The filming wasn't easy. Howard was still doing his four-hour morning show while filming. He was exhausted. He mentions this constantly in his later interviews—how the schedule nearly broke him. He’d be up at 4:00 AM for the radio, then on set until 8:00 PM. That raw exhaustion actually helps his performance. He looks like a man who is fighting for his life, which, in the context of the radio wars, he basically was.
The legacy and where it sits now
Is it a masterpiece? Maybe not in the "Citizen Kane" sense. But as a biopic, it’s remarkably honest about the insecurities that drive a performer. It doesn't paint Howard as a saint. He’s obsessive, he’s neurotic, and he’s often a jerk to the people around him. But you understand why. You see the pressure of the ratings. You see the fear of being ordinary.
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Critics actually liked it. That was the biggest shock of 1997. Roger Ebert gave it three stars. He noted that Stern was "surprisingly engaging" and that the movie was "much more entertaining" than he expected. It currently holds an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. For a movie by a guy who built his career on being hated by the "establishment," that’s a massive win.
If you’re looking to watch Private Parts 1997 now, it’s a bit of a nostalgic trip. The technology looks ancient. The giant microphones, the carts they used for sound effects, the lack of computers in the studio—it’s a history lesson in broadcasting. But the human element? That part hasn't aged a day. The desire to be heard, the fight against corporate censorship, and the complexity of a marriage under the spotlight are universal.
Actionable insights for fans and collectors
If you're planning to revisit this classic or see it for the first time, here is how to get the best experience:
- Check Digital Platforms: While it’s not always on the major "free" streamers like Netflix, it’s frequently available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Vudu, and Apple TV.
- Look for the DVD/Blu-ray: If you can find the physical copy, the commentary tracks are gold. Howard and the crew provide a lot of "behind the scenes" context that never made it into the final edit.
- Compare with the Book: The movie is a streamlined version. If you want the grit, read the actual Private Parts book. It goes much deeper into the "W-NBC" legal battles and the specific people Howard lampooned.
- Contextualize the Era: Watch a few clips of early 90s "Boss Radio" on YouTube first. It makes the impact of Howard’s "natural" style in the movie much more significant. You have to understand what he was rebelling against to appreciate the victory.
The 1997 film remains the definitive document of the Stern era. It captures the moment when the "Shock Jock" became a legitimate movie star, and for a brief moment, the whole world was listening. It’s funny, it’s foul-mouthed, and against all odds, it has a soul.