Jacqueline Monahan's Movie Reviews

Jackass in 3D

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Jacqueline  Monahan

Las Vegas Round The Clock
http://www.lasvegasroundtheclock.com
Jacqueline Monahan is a Math tutor for the GEAR UP program at UNLV.  She is also a columnist for Las Vegas Round the Clock.

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Jackass  in 3D

Just when you thought it was safe to view film in 3D…

…the whole gang is back in all of their juvenile glory, now adding a new dimension to the sophomoric, speculative stunts, frequent mutilations, and random destruction that follow the perilous pranksters.

During opening credits, Johnny Knoxville,  Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Preston Lacy, Jason Acuna (Wee Man), Chris Pontius, Steve Glover (Steve-O)  “Danger Ehren” McGehey, and Dave England, all in various costumes (Knoxville is a sailor, Margera is a giant cupcake, and Pontius is a bikini-wearing rabbit) walk onscreen in slow motion.  Harmless enough.

Then the explosions begin.

If you’ve ever wondered how a face looks as it gets sideswiped with a boxing glove – if you’ve ever pondered what a ram would do if confronted by a trumpet-playing goon – if you’re just dying to see explosive diarrhea wreak havoc on a peaceful countryside diorama – this is the film for you.

Director Jeff Tremaine returns for a third bout of bodily fluid adventures, motorized mishaps, and genitalia jokes.  He is not immune from the gang’s mischief, and one of his cameramen demonstrates a weak stomach so frequently it becomes a running gag (no pun intended but it fits).

You’ll see flying shopping carts, a trio of angry buffalo, a tooth extraction using a Lamborghini, creative (and painful) uses for Super Glue.  And did you know that donkeys kick?  Hard?  You’ll find that out when one of the guys (blindfolded, of course) tries to pin a tail on it.  Oh yeah, he finds out, too.

No, this isn’t high art, and anyone expecting good taste, decorum, and decency had better look for the nearest exit.  There is nothing to rise above, but plenty to wallow in.

Ringleader Knoxville assumes his old man persona to gross out an unsuspecting public.  Margera is the first to run through a room full of hanging tasers and cattle prods.  A full frontal Chris Pontius tethers his member to a helicopter when he’s not using it for batting practice.  Steve-O plays tetherball with a beehive, and Preston Lacy and Wee Man team up to confound a man who does them a favor.
That’ll teach him.

Because there’s a 3D component, lots of nasty things seem to fly off of the screen, heading for the middle of your face.  You haven’t lived until a rubbery sex toy hurtles toward you between mouthfuls of popcorn.

Other innocent bystanders roped into the madness are Margera’s long-suffering but good natured parents, Phil and April, along with actor Seann William Scott, director Spike Jonze, and wildlife educator Manny Puig, to name a few.  We are introduced to Will the Farter who not only expels gas, but can suck enough air into his anus to play instruments and blow bubbles.

A Port-A-Potty is usually a welcome sight, but in this universe only bad things can happen to those who venture into one.  Exercise is usually beneficial, but the Jackass boys find a way to make it so stomach churning, that the entire audience gets a case of dry heaves witnessing the outcome.

Knoxville’s troupe is astonishingly likable, bonding through lunacy, injury, and mischief.  They take punches to the groin and giant mechanized-hand body slams as if they were “high fives.” They are on a first name basis with paramedics, and each can show you scores of scars from various hijinx gone wrong (and even right).

It’s what you’ve come to expect and more.  They take all the pain; you get to laugh (or barf) comfortably into your Raisinettes.

I’ve left plenty for you to discover if you dare to cross paths with the madcap men in jockstraps and Santa suits who are willing to sail a wheelbarrow into an inflatable pool, or have a tall tree chainsawed down while they are perched at the very top.

Your level of appreciation might be tied to the contents of your stomach, but you’ll likely agree that the crew provides the crème de la crème of contrived catastrophe.

A couple of Simons unknowingly summed up Jackass antics with their 70’s lyrics.  Carly said “Nobody Does It Better” while Paul simply declared “Still Crazy After All These Years.”