2008 Woodie Awards
Wake Up and Smell the Jackass
The stunts and laughs are fast and furious, as the mature-rated film gets immature.
Julia Corral
Issue date: 10/4/06 Section: Entertainment
The boys are back in town, and it's not very pretty. The cast of "Jackass" is back for a sequel.
There is no plot, and no sequence. The viewer can leave any pre-conceived notions at home, with one exception: the audience should already know there are stunts. It is a movie that could be completely explained by reading the title
of the film.
Jackass has gotten a lot of attention from the press in the past about their lack of responsibility, and the way they allegedly negatively affect children by blatantly performing acts of violence. The movie is rated R, though, and in Hollywood, this allows the studio to create something that doesn't have to be 'fun for everyone.'
This is where critics could get the movie wrong. This movie isn't just about laughs. It's about brotherly love. Attend any movie house where "Jackass #2" is showing, pull up a seat, and feel a glow in the audience.
One becomes a part of the aura after seeing the fat man, Preston Lacey, being trampled by bulls. Also, there is the little person, Wee Man, played by Jason Acuna, who gets shocked in the face.
The gasps and screams from the masses are all unified. It is very chilling to sit in a movie where each person gives the same reaction; it sounds like a prayer of chills.
The movie shows a group of post-adolescents acting like
pre-pubescents. America has grown to love them, though, and this movie will only continue that trend. A couple of skateboarding hoodlums have become America's sweethearts.
Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera's camaraderie is undeniable.
That is why this film still feels as though it is an underground bootleg, and not a big Hollywood production. The players in this movie are not actors; they are just a couple of regular guys, who are doing crazy stuff. It's the ultimate reality show.
Jackass # 2 shows the viewer that there is a certain kind of humility in being stupid. These men, who could not possibly need the money this badly, are still putting their lives at risk. It's as if they are willing to be martyrs- not only for comedy, but for freedom of self-expression.
It shows when Margera is confronted with a king cobra in the back of a truck. The audience knows that Margera has a legitimate phobia of snakes. The fun is watching Margera escape from such a horrible situation, but real fear is in his eyes, and it shows a very human aspect of the prankster.
Ehren McGhehey is involved in a skit set up to resemble a
terrorist attack.
He enters a cab, dressed in a cheap, fake-looking costume. He looks like a terrorist with a bomb strapped on his chest. McGhehey does not know that the cab driver, who stops the stunt, and beats McGhehey into the cab's trunk, is actually also a member of the Jackass cast. The capper for this skit comes when McGhehey finds out exactly what kind of hair his fake beard is made of.
Jackass 2 is worth every second of its screen time. The gags never get old, and the movie continues to feel fresh and new. If religion is the opiate of the masses, I think Jackass might be the perfect antidote.
There is no plot, and no sequence. The viewer can leave any pre-conceived notions at home, with one exception: the audience should already know there are stunts. It is a movie that could be completely explained by reading the title
of the film.
Jackass has gotten a lot of attention from the press in the past about their lack of responsibility, and the way they allegedly negatively affect children by blatantly performing acts of violence. The movie is rated R, though, and in Hollywood, this allows the studio to create something that doesn't have to be 'fun for everyone.'
This is where critics could get the movie wrong. This movie isn't just about laughs. It's about brotherly love. Attend any movie house where "Jackass #2" is showing, pull up a seat, and feel a glow in the audience.
One becomes a part of the aura after seeing the fat man, Preston Lacey, being trampled by bulls. Also, there is the little person, Wee Man, played by Jason Acuna, who gets shocked in the face.
The gasps and screams from the masses are all unified. It is very chilling to sit in a movie where each person gives the same reaction; it sounds like a prayer of chills.
The movie shows a group of post-adolescents acting like
pre-pubescents. America has grown to love them, though, and this movie will only continue that trend. A couple of skateboarding hoodlums have become America's sweethearts.
Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera's camaraderie is undeniable.
That is why this film still feels as though it is an underground bootleg, and not a big Hollywood production. The players in this movie are not actors; they are just a couple of regular guys, who are doing crazy stuff. It's the ultimate reality show.
Jackass # 2 shows the viewer that there is a certain kind of humility in being stupid. These men, who could not possibly need the money this badly, are still putting their lives at risk. It's as if they are willing to be martyrs- not only for comedy, but for freedom of self-expression.
It shows when Margera is confronted with a king cobra in the back of a truck. The audience knows that Margera has a legitimate phobia of snakes. The fun is watching Margera escape from such a horrible situation, but real fear is in his eyes, and it shows a very human aspect of the prankster.
Ehren McGhehey is involved in a skit set up to resemble a
terrorist attack.
He enters a cab, dressed in a cheap, fake-looking costume. He looks like a terrorist with a bomb strapped on his chest. McGhehey does not know that the cab driver, who stops the stunt, and beats McGhehey into the cab's trunk, is actually also a member of the Jackass cast. The capper for this skit comes when McGhehey finds out exactly what kind of hair his fake beard is made of.
Jackass 2 is worth every second of its screen time. The gags never get old, and the movie continues to feel fresh and new. If religion is the opiate of the masses, I think Jackass might be the perfect antidote.
Be the first to comment on this story