Dickhouse Productions, MTV Films,
Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Spike Jonze, Catherine Keener, Georgina Cates
Irving Zisman’s (Johnny Knoxville) wife passes away suddenly, and Grandpa wants to take her home to be buried (or perhaps gotten rid of is a better term), so he sets off on a road trip with the body in the trunk and with his grandson, Billy (Jackson Nicoll) to do the deed. With hidden cameras and the obligatory innocent bystanders for comic fodder, this journey is a series of encounters that are hilarious.
One of the best and worst things about the Jackass films are the same thing. There’s no cohesiveness to the story. They are just a series of pranks, pratfalls, dirty tricks, and daredevil stunts thrown together. Bad Grandpa takes one of the funniest characters of Jackass fame, Johnny Knoxville in his old man costume, Irving. Irving is a jerk, and innocent bystanders be damned, he’s going through the country like a bull in a china shop. Poor Billy takes most of the damage from the series of pranks much like Wee Man in Jackass. But this movie is more than another Jackass movie, as the story starts at the beginning and is one cohesive road trip film from start to end. Imagine Jackass with a storyline! That’s what is good about this movie. Missing are the other misfits from the Jackass series, but that’s probably good because they are getting so well known that it’s hard to get them into the bits without being recognized. But no one knows it’s Johnny in his old man makeup, and he pulls it off splendidly. Like other good Jackass pranks, it makes us uncomfortable from time to time, and I don’t know how child protective services doesn’t arrest these guys for what they made Jackson Nicoll do. After seeing him as a guest on MTV’s Rediculousness, I’m sure he can handle it, but it’s pretty gross for a youngster. (That is unless the joke is on me, and Billy is actually Wee Man in a child suit.) Ok, no way, but it’s a thought. Anyway, I found this movie to be a lot better done than I expected, and now I understand the money it made at the box office. It’s a decent movie after all, and now that it’s out on DVD, it’s worth watching if you’re a fan of the off kilter absurd humor that they bring. It’s an acquired taste, but I found myself laughing out loud a number of times. I have to admit I enjoyed it.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
