By Guylaine Cadorette
Story
If you have ever wondered what it would be like to hurl yourself into a spinning ceiling fan or snort a line of wasabi, then
Jackass: The Movie is right up your alley. Paramount Pictures and MTV Films have released the big screen adaptation of the series featuring a bunch of guys doing really gross and often dangerous stunts--all for your viewing pleasure. Here, series regulars including
Johnny Knoxville,
Bam Margera,
Chris Pontius,
Steve-O,
Dave England,
Ryan Dunn, and
Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna perform stunts they say couldn't be done on network television. In one gag, for example,
Dunn inserts a toy car up his butt then visits an x-ray specialist to complain about some mysterious pain. When the doc shows him the x-ray with the silhouette of the car clearly visible,
Dunn asks him how it could have gotten there, to which the doc replies in all seriousness, "Maybe you stuck it up your ass." The lowbrow pranks, however, are nothing compared to having to watch the
Jackass crew's pasty, white butt cheeks as they prance around in thongs throughout the majority of the film. If you can stomach that, then you're ready for anything.
Acting
When
Knoxville wanted to turn his practical jokes into a career, he approached
Big Brother magazine editor
Jeff Tremaine about turning his antics into a column.
Tremaine instead suggested he videotape his stunts and the two released the
Big Brother Video Trilogy, which quickly became an underground hit. It's nice to see that despite his cult status and MTV fame,
Knoxville (whose real name is Philip John Clapp) is not above performing some of the movie's worst stunts, including getting a beating from heavyweight boxer Eric "Butterbean" Esch, which sends him to the emergency room. It is interesting to see the personalities of the some of the
Jackass crew emerge, like
Steve-O's. Initially, he was supposed to be the one pulling off the toy car prank, but he backs out on camera citing health concerns. But later on we find out
Steve-O simply didn't want to disappoint his father and drew the line at that stunt. Look out for some great cameos, including BMX pro Matt Hoffman, skateboarder
Tony Hawk and former Black Flag frontman
Henry Rollins.
Direction
Tremaine, who directed the film, stays true to the series and delivers a movie that pretty much resembles an extended episode with wackier stunts. The footage is shot in the same fashion, with hand-held cameras and spy cams hidden in oversized hats. Although the first few gags are not the best (neither are the ones involving animals, which are sad rather than outrageous), the film eventually unleashes its goodies, saving the best for last. By the warning that flashes on the screen at the beginning of the film, it's clear that everyone involved has a sense of humor about it. It reads: "The following stunts were performed by professionals, so for your safety and the protection of those around you, Paramount Pictures and MTV Films insist that neither you or your dumb little buddies attempt any of what you're about to see."