Movie #32 Jackass 3-D

I don't really even know where to start on this one.  I saw this in a nice theater in my girlfriends home town.  We were on a long weekend to visit her mother, sister and the rest of the family.  The was my first time meeting them.  I think things went pretty well.  I chewed my food with my mouth closed and laughed at everyone's jokes.  I thought if I typed out the activities of the weekend maybe I could find some thread of a connection to the movie.  No dice.  And now that I think of it, I am so glad there was no similarities between my weekend and the MTV wrecking crew called Jackass.

I say that I have no idea what to do with this blog mostly because Jackass has no reference points that I am aware of.  It is not a "movie".  That is to say that it is not fictional , at least not in its presentation.  Nor is it a documentary.  I would best describe it as Candid Camera meets America's Funniest Home Videos made by The 3 Stooges.

I should stop trying to wrap my mind around this film and just discuss it.  For those of you who don't know, Jackass is based off an MTV show.  It is a group of 20 something boys doing all sorts of dangerous, stupid, and disgusting "stunts" and pranks.  The film hinges on two factors:

• How much they can gross out the audience.
• How much they can make the audience laugh.

 Fortunately, they hit me hard in both categories.  This is the most visceral comedic reaction I have had to a movie since I watched Borat the first time.  I should say that these are the lowest of the low brow laughs.  Things like a man trying to hit a ping pong ball with his penis and super-gluing a midget to a fat guy.  If you laugh at videos of a man taking a wiffle ball bat to the groin (and really who doesn't) this should have you rolling in the isles.   The other reaction I had was literally trying to hold back the puke.  There is enough poop and urine in the movie to get me though for a long while.  The "scene" in the port-a-potty makes the bathroom in Trainspotting look like the bathroom in Sleeper.  If you are at all quezey about bodily functions and/or full frontal nudity I would stay away from this "film".

My biggest problem with the film is the same as the one that I had with the television show.  As long as these idiots are going to prank and torture each other I'm fine with that.  It is when they go out in public and reign their mischievousness on others that I find it mean spirited.  And I think that brings the momentum they have been generating to a halt. I didn't think the 3-D really added anything to the film.  More so I would say that the use of the high def super slow motion was very effective.  One of the goons that helped to start and direct this show is Spike Jonez of "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" directorial fame.  I have seen Spike use this techunique in some music videos and skateborad videos as well.  It is very effective here.

Overall this was a nice cap to a great weekend.  I enjoyed Jackass 3-D and would give it 3/5 stars.  Check out the link below for the trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKwjU_pSSW4