I was lucky enough to catch a sneak preview of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, and I have to say that I never would have guessed that it could possibly be as funny as it was. Maybe I was going in with low expectations (I’ve never been a fan of Jackass) but I was pleasantly surprised with this one.
Writing this without spoilers is tough, but I really want to express how hilarious the film is without giving anything away. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re more of an Oscar-worthy film-goer, this is NOT for you. But if you want to laugh to the point where you hurt yourself (literally…my friend called me on the ride home to ask if I’d pulled muscles from laughing so hard, like she did) then definitely check it out.
The plot is simple. 86 year-old Irving, played by Johnny Knoxville (Jackass, The Ringer) is sent across country with his grandson, played by Jackson Nicoll (The Fighter) when the boy’s mother is sent to prison. Irving is bringing the child to his father, who reluctantly agreed to take him in (because someone told him he’d get money from the government). The pair travel around pulling pranks on real people and hilarity ensues.
There were a few surprises for me. First, I had no clue that Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and the upcoming Her) was both in the film and one of the writers along with Knoxville. Also, Nicoll was excellent and effortlessly kept up with the humor and back-and-forth conversations with real people. The kid is just naturally funny. Finally, unlike many of the Jackass films, this one has a plot that they follow, shooting some scenes between pranks, that made the movie a bit deeper than one would expect. After all, the kid has been left behind by his mom, his grandfather wants nothing to do with him, and his dad is only taking him in for the alleged $600 a month he thinks he’ll get from the state. That makes for a little bit of emotion.
I guess that my expectations were low as I was afraid that the trailers(here and here) gave away all of the funny scenes. I was completely wrong. Not only are there plenty of pranks not shown in the trailers, but the ones that are become so much funnier when seen in the greater context of the film itself. Also, Knoxville was also completely believable as an old man (as usual).
Overall, I give the film two different scores. If you are interested in award-winning acting and serious plots and nothing else, then the movie gets 1/5 stars and you’re going to hate every second of it. If you want to watch something and just laugh your ass off, then this film gets 4/5 -it’s hilarious, it’s original, and it’s a whole lot of fun. Check it out this Friday, and be sure to let us know whether or not you loved it.