Pauly Shore’s Oeuvre? Whoa. Cool. For Sure

Maybe, someday, Pauly Shore will be considered a genius in France. But his appeal has so far eluded U.S. critics, who have described his movies as “terrible,” “strenuously silly” and “inane.”

The 27-year-old former MTV star has not set box-office records, either. His latest comedy, “Bio-Dome,” a spoof of the Biosphere experiment that trades heavily on gags about flatulence and other bodily functions, opened last weekend with a modest $6 million in ticket sales. Out of his previous four vehicles, only one--1992’s “Encino Man”--grossed more than $40 million.

Yet Shore keeps cranking out new films, presumably to the delight of scatology-adoring teenagers and to the bewilderment or indifference of virtually everyone else.

What makes this possible? Simple. Shore’s movies make money. If they also happen to make adult viewers sick, then just blame it on what happens when a comic on the outer fringes of the youth culture collides with the peculiar economics of Hollywood.

The impish actor has carved a niche for himself in low-budget, low-brow movies that have a knack for earning back their investment. “Bio-Dome,” for instance, cost about $8.5 million to make, far below the industry average of $34 million. Distributor MGM/UA kicked in another $10 million or so for marketing, according to Brad Krevoy, whose company, Motion Picture Corp. of America, produced the film. (MGM officials did not return a phone call seeking comment.)

But Krevoy, who earlier hit pay dirt with Jim Carrey’s “Dumb and Dumber,” figures “Bio-Dome” will gross a grand total of $50 million from worldwide box office, videocassette sales and network and cable broadcasts. Even if that forecast proves too sunny, the picture should have little trouble passing the break-even point.

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That may help soothe the hurt of those scathing notices.

“I can understand why reviewers don’t like [my movies]. They’re not art films,” Shore said, indulging in a bit of understatement. “They’re just in-your-face comedy. . . . I make them straight for the kids.”

Added Krevoy: “We saw Pauly as a proven actor with a track record that few other actors can claim. . . . He appeals to a specific, targeted audience that is exclusively his.”

Shore is by no means the first performer with a critic-proof career. Many of the same adjectives used to lambaste “Bio-Dome” were invoked in the ‘50s and ‘60s against Jerry Lewis, who nevertheless spun an amazing string of 37 consecutive hit features, both with Dean Martin and on his own.

While not nearly as popular as Lewis in his prime, Shore has built a cult following among young people, especially boys. The son of comedian Sammy Shore and Comedy Store owner Mitzi Shore, he honed the persona of a zoned-out Valley boy in a stand-up act and as the host of MTV’s “Totally Pauly” show.

Asked to explain the origin of his shtick, Shore replied, “The camera just started rolling in front of me. That’s how I was. It wasn’t like I was doing a character.”

As reviewer Michael Wilmington wrote in a 1993 Times review of “Son In Law,” “Shore’s appeal resides in the fact that a lot of kids think he’s just like them, and that he’s getting away with murder.”

Even so, each Shore vehicle has to date grossed less than the one that preceded it, which may have been a factor in Walt Disney Co.’s decision not to extend a three-picture deal that ended with 1994’s “In the Army Now.” (Shore attributed the decision to the departure of former Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, an early fan. Disney officials declined comment.)

Enter Krevoy, a former disciple of B-movie maven Roger Corman, and partner Steve Stabler. Their 10-year-old independent production company specializes in making low-budget features that are then sold to major distributors on so-called “negative pickup” deals. The distributor basically pays the production costs; the producers make their money from fees figured into those costs and a percentage of the box-office revenue.

Krevoy said their company--which is on the verge of being acquired by billionaire John Kluge’s Metromedia International Group Inc.--keeps costs down by negotiating special union contracts, hiring first-time directors (such as Jason Bloom of “Bio-Dome”) and focusing on the relatively cheap comedy genre.

In fact, Krevoy and Stabler have already wrapped Shore’s next picture, a quirky $2-million bank-robbery caper called “The Curse of Inferno.”

But while the producers savor their star’s grosses, they still have trouble appreciating his gross humor. “Bio-Dome” contains an early scene in which co-star Stephen Baldwin is shown killing time by biting Shore’s toenails.

“I think it’s fair to say that particular scene was not to my liking,” Krevoy said. “There was a lot of discussion among Jason, Steve and myself about whether it was really necessary.”

But research screenings conducted before the release reminded filmmakers that bad taste is sometimes in the mouth of the beholder.

“It was almost unanimous,” he said. “Viewers picked that scene as one of their favorites, so we left it in.”

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How Pauly’s Movies Fared

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Title Distributor, Year Domestic Gross (in millions) 1. “Encino Man” Disney, 1992 $40.0 2. “Son In Law” Disney, 1993 $36.4 3. “In the Army Now” Disney, 1994 $28.9 4. “Jury Duty” Sony, 1995 $16.9 5. “Bio-Dome” MGM, 1996 *$6.0

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* First weekend of release, estimated.

Source: Exhibitor Relations