Comedy
1 hour and 32 minutes
Rated R
Written by: Johnny Knoxville & Jeff Tremaine
Directed by: Jeff Tremaine
Produced by: Derek Freda, Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine
Cast:
Johnny Knoxville
Jackson Nicoll
I was late to the Jackass scene, not catching onto the humor of it all until I saw Jackass 3D in theaters (I'm still very confused as to why they felt it needed to be in 3D). The show was on when I was 8 and 9 years old, so unfortunately I never got to appreciate it while it ran its course. Nevertheless, I know what the premise is all about, and understand the appeal.
If you're looking for something in the vein of the Jackass film series, then Bad Grandpa is most definitely for you. The situational humor is on par with some of the previous films' greatest moments, and it is without a doubt hilarious. I usually don't go in for comedies that are repulsively crude, but based on my liking of everything Sacha Baron Cohen, I usually feel a bit guilty if I at least don't give them a try. Crude humor is all this movie is about. Everything from penises, testicles, excrement, and even a segment during the end credits featuring a gag with breast milk. In fact, within the first ten minutes of the movie, Johnny Knoxville's (fake) penis is out.
But none of this can really be said to hurt Bad Grandpa. This is what the hordes of Jackass fans have come to expect, and they certainly won't be disappointed. But it doesn't present anything new. Most of the gags can be pinpointed as being recycled or in the styling of the bits from the Jackass films. Does that mean the film isn't funny? No, absolutely not. The reactions of the everyday people who aren't in on the obvious physical and crude hilarity, is what makes the film salvageable as a comedy.
The story is incredibly predictable. In fact, the woman sitting next to me in the theater told her friend what she believed was going to happen at the end maybe fifteen minutes into the film, and low and behold she was correct. If you've ever seen any "road-trip" film where the two protagonists begin the journey with one not feeling so sure about the other, chances are you've seen a movie containing the plot of Bad Grandpa. Perhaps if the story had been worked out a little more, and really had some thought injected into it, Bad Grandpa would've been a triumphant comedy built upon more than just excrement sharted on a wall.
With enough situational and physically crude humor to appease any Jackass or Johnny Knoxville fan, Bad Grandpa is a middle-of-the-road comedy, with a weak story, that really could only fully appeal to certain individuals.
6/10
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