Haggisboy
24-09-2006, 12:52 PM
Back in 2002, when Jackass: The Movie was unleashed, I was a complete neophyte when it came to the MTV show. It wasn’t carried in Canada and my familiarity to it was limited to brief viral Internet videos and newspaper reports about yet another moron who suffered serious injury in an attempt to imitate the antics of Johnny Knoxville and his crew.
I remember watching the first movie and finding most of it more painful to watch than funny. Perhaps I wasn’t on the same wavelength back then. It wasn’t until Bam Margera pulled the now infamous Fireworks Alarm Clock prank on his sleeping parents that I finally got in sync with the twisted humor and began to enjoy things.
Flash forward to 2006 and the unveiling of Jackass Number Two. Same cast, same formula but this time even more dementia. In this version the running gags that filled so much of the first movie (Preston Lacy chasing Wee Man in his underwear, Panda-Suited assclowning on the streets of Tokyo, etc) have been scaled back in favor of more screen time for the actual stunts. It’s an actual wonder that none of these guys has suffered more than a lost tooth or severe bruising, and that none of them have been killed. Somewhere Steve Irwin’s got to be wondering the same thing.
Over the past few years Johnny Knoxville has built himself a nice little film career, and Steve-O and Chris Pontius have formed a successful partnership that’s seen them star in the bizarre-nature series Wildboyz. Bam Margera has become a franchise unto himself helming his own show Viva La Bam. All of which makes one wonder why these guys continue to take the risks they do in Jackass Number Two.
Some of the pranks are harmless enough – electro shocking somebody’s ass with a wired stool, chugging beer via anus, or sledding down the snow covered inside stairs of Bam’s unsuspecting parent’s house. But others, like getting shot at close range by riot control rubber bullets, or being allowed to be hit full tilt by a charging bull, are just crazy.
Then there are the gross-out stunts. There were two bonafide moments in this film where I had to look away. Chris Pontius manages to commit what is arguably the film’s low water gross point by engaging in an act that for non-spoiler discretionary purposes can only be described as the most insane thing ever outside of extremist bizarro porn.
These two moments aside, however, I spent the majority of this movie cracking up like few comedies have been able to do. Sure it’s humor from the shallow end of the gene pool, but damn it’s funny.
Haggisnote: ZGeek's rating system isn't up to the task of properly scoring a film like this. If you're into Jackass, I give this film 100%. If you're not into it - stay away.
I remember watching the first movie and finding most of it more painful to watch than funny. Perhaps I wasn’t on the same wavelength back then. It wasn’t until Bam Margera pulled the now infamous Fireworks Alarm Clock prank on his sleeping parents that I finally got in sync with the twisted humor and began to enjoy things.
Flash forward to 2006 and the unveiling of Jackass Number Two. Same cast, same formula but this time even more dementia. In this version the running gags that filled so much of the first movie (Preston Lacy chasing Wee Man in his underwear, Panda-Suited assclowning on the streets of Tokyo, etc) have been scaled back in favor of more screen time for the actual stunts. It’s an actual wonder that none of these guys has suffered more than a lost tooth or severe bruising, and that none of them have been killed. Somewhere Steve Irwin’s got to be wondering the same thing.
Over the past few years Johnny Knoxville has built himself a nice little film career, and Steve-O and Chris Pontius have formed a successful partnership that’s seen them star in the bizarre-nature series Wildboyz. Bam Margera has become a franchise unto himself helming his own show Viva La Bam. All of which makes one wonder why these guys continue to take the risks they do in Jackass Number Two.
Some of the pranks are harmless enough – electro shocking somebody’s ass with a wired stool, chugging beer via anus, or sledding down the snow covered inside stairs of Bam’s unsuspecting parent’s house. But others, like getting shot at close range by riot control rubber bullets, or being allowed to be hit full tilt by a charging bull, are just crazy.
Then there are the gross-out stunts. There were two bonafide moments in this film where I had to look away. Chris Pontius manages to commit what is arguably the film’s low water gross point by engaging in an act that for non-spoiler discretionary purposes can only be described as the most insane thing ever outside of extremist bizarro porn.
These two moments aside, however, I spent the majority of this movie cracking up like few comedies have been able to do. Sure it’s humor from the shallow end of the gene pool, but damn it’s funny.
Haggisnote: ZGeek's rating system isn't up to the task of properly scoring a film like this. If you're into Jackass, I give this film 100%. If you're not into it - stay away.