Bad Grampa Movie Review
Bad grampa, good movie.
Actually that’s not true. This should not in any way be mistake for a good film. 
Anyone who tells you it is good is lying through their teeth and is in current danger of having their pants burst into flame (image courtesy of the Cheap T Shirt category).
No, this film is not good. What it is is enjoyable. Like rainbow sherbert, the music of Aqua, and my dreams of conquering this entire planet Jackass is a guilty pleasure that I enjoy watching but am always going to be a little embarrassed to admit I enjoy, at least among my more sophisticated, forward thinking, and politically correct (and less fun) friends. I saw the first one in a theater with a good friend of mine and about 300 teenagers and laughed so hard my stomach ached for days. I almost chocked to death laughing at Roller Disco Truck and still get a giggle thinking about it.
I guess you have to have a certain mindset to be past your college age and still into watching guys punch each other in the balls. It helps that I skated a lot when I was younger and had a crew that was not dissimilar to the Jackass crew (minus all the girls, financial success, and cameras. Also we tended to steer clear of anything in the body waste vicinity). When I see the Jackass crew doing their thing I can identify with them and their antics. I’m not really interested in participating, but I can understand the motivation and humor behind it.
So Bad Grampa. Like I said I have an appreciation of the series that got these guys started. That being said this is not Jackass. I did find myself laughing hysterically at parts, but like a good episode of Saturday Night Live the fact that Jackass is broken up into little vignettes gives you a chance to appreciated everything about it. Honestly after a while I got fairly tired of Johnny Knoxville in his old man suit and the attempt at developing a story left me flat. But then would come a new scene (usually involving the kid) that would get me laughing my ass off all over again. The laughs were not non-stop, however, and while this film borrowed a lot from Borat honestly it didn’t borrow enough.
The hardest part of this film was trying to figure out if this was an extended Jackass skit or an actual movie. The thing Borat did was commit completely, but here you see Knoxville as an old man and then watch him vault over a railing like a professional stuntman. The whole time it felt like the camera was about to cut away to Steve O, Bam, and Wee Man laughing their ass off. I was too polished for Jackass but lacked the polish of a real film.
On the other hand, I spent most of the film experiencing a warm, nostalgic glow for the car Knoxville was driving around, an ’81 Lincoln. You see, I had the cheaper version of that car, a ’79 Thunderbird, back in college and loved it with all my heart (for those of you who no very little about actual cool cars (instead of cars that just go fast and look like sharks) Lincoln is the high end version of Ford, and they used the same basic design with more luxury features). It was the biggest 2 door Ford ever made and had the imprint and presence of a battleship. If you drive a SmartCar or Mini Cooper understand that I would take that beast against any number of your toy cars and most likely come out on top, and also that you suck. Saving money is one thing, but doing so while looking like a complete tool is another. (Sadly my beloved T-Bird got ran into a ditch and I had to cut it up with a plasma cutter in order to get rid of it. Long story, but the bottom line is I barely felt the crash and looked cool while wrecking it)
I don’t know if I even need to do a review. If you like Jackass you will probably see it and enjoy it. If you don’t you will not and would probably rather spend the evening enjoying a raucous wine and cheese party where you can discuss what Terrance Malick is going to do to follow up on his “brilliant” Tree of Life (IMO probably just film himself vomiting in a white room for two hours, except that at least would be somewhat entertaining from the Jackass perspective). Nothing I say here will probably influence you in any way.
I suppose this is what I don’t get paid for, so let’s go. The story is merely a skeleton upon which to hang all the stunts on, but there is a story so I guess I should recap it. Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville-Jackass, Nitro Circus, the Dukes of Hazard) is informed of his wife’s death. At her funeral his daughter shows up with his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll-Fun Sized, Arthur, the Fighter) to tell him that she is going back to jail and he needs to take Billy to his son-in-law in Raleigh.
That’s pretty much it. The entirety of the plot is delivered in the first 10 minutes. At that point it is just Irving and Billy bouncing from one set piece to another, screwing with locals and a tour of the American South. Rather than actually play up the bad grampa aspect of the story (Knoxville’s character vacillates between a horny old dude and just a grampa. He honestly didn’t make it bad enough. Bad Santa and Role Model did it way better) they just sort of find real people to screw with. There are some scenes that will have you rolling on the floor and others that will have you underwhelmed with “meh”.
The stars. There are some scenes that will have you losing it with laughter, especially the last skit. Three stars. If you like the Jackass scene this film will work for you. Two stars. The car ruled. One star. That kid Jackson is really funny, and I wish I had half his cojones today, much less when I was eight. One star. Overall a fun time watching. Two stars. Total: nine stars.
The black holes. If you want a story or any thing else that makes for a decent movie pass. One black hole. The whole “is it Jackass or a movie” lack of tone thing. One black hole. The Johnny Knoxville old man skit gets tired fairly quickly. I remember thinking they ran it too long in the first Jackass movie. Basically taking what should be 15 minutes and making it into a full movie. One black hole. Rated R and not a boob in sight (literally). One black hole. Total: four black holes.
A grand total of five stars, but like I said my thumbs up or down has no meaning whatsoever. You will see it if you are going to see it and if you are not all the bonbons in Dusseldorf will not motivate you to go. Date movie? Probably not, unless she is a fan of Jackass (and know that I am jealous and hate you). Bathroom break? The scene at the bar where Irving and Billy meet up with Billy’s father extends out and doesn’t do much. Hurry back though as you are a few minutes away from the best scene in the movie.
Thanks for reading. I will see something else later today, and still have Escape Plan to write up. If you enjoyed this review scroll down and check out some of my older ones (if you didn’t enjoy it why are you still reading? Go away). Feel free to comment on this film or review here, and if you have an off topic question or suggestion feel free to email me at [email protected] (I am not adverse to contributing to other blog websites). Talk to you soon.
Dave
