Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa: Review

It's very difficult to imagine what anybody would expect going into a 'Jackass' movie aside from a constant stream of gross-out pranks and hoaxes aimed at unsuspecting members of the public. Although this formula used for the many previous Jackass films has proven successful, this time around the numerous pranks and jokes have been given direction in the way of a plot. Old man Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) has been given the task of delivering his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) to Billy's estranged Father across the country. Put simply: Bad Grandpa is a 'Jackass' take on the tried and tested 'road-trip' genre, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it.

Irving Zisman & Billy (Johnny Knoxville & Jackson Nicoll)

I don't think the film would have worked as well as it did if Johnny Knoxville wasn't at the helm. Countless scenes in the film were hilarious, and this was only possible because Knoxville has the confidence to pull them off. Yes, the humour is frequently crude and occasionally relies on fart-jokes in order to grasp a couple laughs, but I laughed consistently throughout Bad Grandpa, and surely that means it was successful in it's attempts at a more structured Jackass film.

Now, saying that, I wasn't always a huge fan of the forced storyline. On numerous occasions the scenes meant to bond the two main characters of Irving and Billy were cringe-worthy more than anything; not something I imagine the writers had intended. There were however a surprising number of moments which were genuinely heart-warming, but these were quickly shattered by yet another funny euphemism or comical use of nudity. 

The most surprising feature of Bad Grandpa was how talented the young actor who played Billy was at ad-libbing. On so many occasions I would not have managed to keep a straight face whilst Knoxville acted out a scenario, but Jackson Nicoll (who plays Billy) managed to act as if everything was completely normal, adding hugely to the comedy of the film. 

Verdict
Nobody expects films like this to ever win an Oscar or prestigious award, but for what it is, Bad Grandpa is a genuinely funny movie. Johnny Knoxville is yet again the funniest man in the film, but his supporting character Billy is just as entertaining. There are a few moments when you need to suspend your disbelief as to whether the 'public' are really not in on the jokes, but for the majority of the time Bad Grandpa is raw and realistic. My only major complaint is that the big finale of the film is shown in the trailer, but this is a fault many films carry nowadays, so it is almost excusable.   7.5/10

"You gonna' fix that Penguin, Bro!"

"...Nope."