Jackass The Movie

''Jackass: The Movie (stylized as jackass the movie)'' is a 2002 American reality slapstick comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is a continuation of the MTV television series '' Jackass'', which had completed its run. It was produced by Lynch Siderow Productions and Dickhouse Productions. The film features most of the original ''Jackass'' cast, including leader Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Ehren McGhehey, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, and Dave England. MTV Films and Paramount Pictures released the film to theaters on October 25, 2002. It grossed over $79 million worldwide and received mixed reviews from critics. It was followed by a sequel, ''Jackass Number Two'' (2006).

Synopsis

''Jackass: The Movie'' is a compilation of stunts, skits, and pranks, intercut with on-set talking heads with its cast. The movie begins with an over-the-top, Hollywood parody featuring the entire main cast riding a giant shopping cart downhill amidst huge explosions, as each cast member is individually introduced to the audience. At the bottom, Johnny Knoxville delivers his iconic intro line, "Hi, I'm Johnny Knoxville! Welcome to ''Jackass''!" Immediately after, the guys crash into a fruit stand which launches them into the fruit.

Many stunts take place throughout the duration of the film, however, the most notable stunts and pranks include Johnny Knoxville getting flipped over (and subsequently being knocked out) in a golf cart; Steve-O snorting wasabi; Bam Margera pranking his mother April by planting a live alligator in her kitchen; Chris Pontius dancing in public as his character "Party Boy" while wearing nothing but a thong; Ryan Dunn fighting against a female Japanese kickboxing champion; Wee Man wreaking havoc around Japan in a giant traffic cone; Ehren McGhehey eating a snow cone made from his own urine; Preston Lacy sitting on a bench which is rigged to collapse, thus ripping his pants and exposing his anus to unsuspecting bystanders; and Dave England defecating in a display toilet at a hardware store after having an accident in a car where he proceeds to uncontrollably defecate in his pants.

The final, and perhaps most memorable stunt involves a toy car being inserted into a cast member's anus in order to get it shown in an x-ray. Steve-O was originally set to do the stunt, but after being told by his father that he would be disowned if he had done it, Ryan Dunn volunteers and ends up doing the stunt. The end result is successful, as the toy car appears once the x-ray has been taken. The car is later seen being defecated out in the end credits. This is followed by a scene of Johnny Knoxville being launched into a lake via catapult (The end result of a failed Rube Goldberg test), where comedian Rip Taylor closes the film.

Cast

The main cast from the TV show that returned for the movie.

Guest appearances:

Crew

Crew members who appear in this movie:
* Director and producer Jeff Tremaine
* Producer Spike Jonze
* Executive producer Trip Taylor
* Co-executive producer Michelle Klepper
* Co-producer and cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich
* Co-producer and photographer Sean Cliver
* Cameramen Lance Bangs, Rick Kosick, Greg "Guch" Iguchi, and Mark Rackley
* Photographer Ben "Benzo" Kaller

Production

After the success and popularity of the ''Jackass'' TV series, Johnny Knoxville was approached by the producers to make the show into a feature film. Initially, he rejected the idea as he did not understand the concept, thinking the production company would get Hollywood actors to portray the cast. He later agreed when both Jeff Tremaine and Spike Jonze explained it will be a "naughtier version" of the TV series.

Bits that were filmed, but were ultimately cut from the theatrical and home media releases include Gene LeBell choking the cast out one by one; Ryan Dunn getting sprayed by bear mace in the face by Bam Margera; Wee Man skating while being dressed as a penis; Preston Lacy getting "fat fuck" trimmed in his hair by cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich with hair clippers; Dave England posing as a caricature sketch artist to draw inappropriate drawings; Steve-O pouring beer in his anus with a garden hose (which was later retooled and redone in ''Jackass Number Two'' as the "Butt Chug"); Chris Pontius and Dave England putting a bicycle lock around a crew member's neck; and Ehren McGhehey, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, and Mat Hoffman wakeboarding with BMXs attached to the wakeboards. Some of these deleted bits are briefly shown in the credits and/or the making of ''Jackass: The Movie''. Dave England uploaded the caricature sketch artist bit on his YouTube channel, but it was removed for violating the community guidelines. He then re-posted it on his personal website.

The original plan for the "Butt X-Ray" stunt was for someone to insert a cellphone up their anus and then receive a call, but it was later changed to a toy car. A scene that was planned but never got filmed due to financial reasons was a stunt in which Chris Pontius would dress up as the devil and go to a Pentecostal church where they handle live snakes.

"Failed ending"

The original ending for the film was supposed to be a Rube Goldberg-type contraption, with each of the cast members performing a stunt that either has something to do with what they did on the show (for example, the first stunt would have Preston Lacy as "The Human Wrecking Ball", knocking him into a Port-A-Potty), or simply for a sight gag (such as Ehren McGhehey being knocked over in the Port-A-Potty and landing on a bed of toilet paper rolls), ending with Johnny Knoxville being launched off the catapult next to Rip Taylor.

However, as the entire contraption didn't work together the way the cast and crew intended, the producers of the film instead decided on filming an alternate ending, which is how the "Son of Jackass" skit came to be. "Son of Jackass" (Which, according to the skit, is set in the year 2063) starts after the end credits, as Knoxville and Taylor return to the edge of the lake, and Taylor whispers the suggestion into Knoxville's ear. The skit involves all of the performers in "old man" costumes running around in exploding buildings and sheds, as well as other hazards, only Steve-O surviving to proclaim "Yeah, dude!". In the cast commentary, it is said that this is ironic as Steve-O is the least likely to even reach old age. Some bits of the failed ending were incorporated into the end credits montage, like Dave England dressed in a penis costume and Wee Man going down the giant Plinko contraption.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on March 25, 2003. The DVD includes 27 minutes of additional footage, outtakes and MTV's "Making of Jackass: The Movie. An unrated version of the film was released in 2006, with a runtime of 87 minutes.

Reception

Box office

The film had a budget of $5 million and was the number one film at the United States box office when it opened, grossing $22.8 million, revenue from 2,509 theaters, for an average of $9,073 per venue. The film fell to fourth place in its second weekend and dropped 44 percent to $12.7 million, expanding to 2,530 theaters and averaging $5,032 per theater. The ten day gross was $42.1 million. The film went on to gross $64.3 million in the United States alone, of which the opening weekend made up 35.43 percent of its final gross. It made $15.2 million in other countries, bringing the worldwide gross to $79.5 million.

Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reports 49% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 96 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "There's a good chance you'll be laughing hysterically at one stunt, but getting grossed out by the next one in this big screen version of the controversial MTV show." On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 42 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.

Talking on '' Ebert & Roeper'', Richard Roeper called it the "feel-sick movie of the year" and said the film is "a disgusting, repulsive, grotesque spectacle, but it's also hilarious and provocative. God help me, thumbs up." Roger Ebert gave the film a low rating, but only barely, explaining his rating comes "somewhere between a thumbs down and a sort of 'waving over' recommendation". ''The Austin Chronicle''s Kimberly Jones gave the film 3 stars and said it is the "feature-length rendering of jackass the MTV show, meaning no plot, no script, just wall-to-wall idiocy." Jones said "It's silly, often stomach-churning, but also awfully addictive, inspiring the same kind of vicarious adrenaline rush as ''Fight Club'', with its 'I bleed, therefore I am'; he-man mentality." Jones also remarked, "Consisting of a steady clip of barely minutes-long gags...this piece of outré performance art defies typical movie conventions..." ''Chicago Tribune'' film reporter Mark Caro gave the film 1 star out of 4 and called it "willful idiocy for idiocy's sake." Caro also said "there's one stunt that I bet none of these moronic daredevils would tackle: trying to say something intelligent about ''Jackass: The Movie.''"

''Deseret Morning News''s Jeff Vice gave the film 1½ stars and said the 80-minute run time was too much. Vice described the film as "possibly the most irresponsible picture ever released by a major film studio." Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly'', Owen Gleiberman gave the film a "B" and said the film "provokes a suspense halfway between comedy and horror. I'm not sure if I enjoyed myself, exactly, but I could hardly wait to see what I'd be appalled by next." Gleiberman also said "In the movie version of the show that might just as well have been called ''America's Funniest Frat-House Hazing Rituals'', the boys engage in infantile ''Candid Camera'' grossouts..." ''Film Journal International''s Ethan Alter, who admitted to having never seen an episode of the TV show, said "it would be easy for me to hold ''Jackass: The Movie'' up as a leading example of the decline of Western civilization." Alter said he was disturbed by "the film's, and by extension the audience's, cavalier attitude towards pain."

'' LA Weekly'' critic Paul Malcolm listed ''Jackass: The Movie'' as one of the 10 best films of 2002 and also called it the most underrated film of the year. '' Film Threat''s Pete Vonder Haar said the results of "essentially transplanting the show to the big screen" are "incredibly funny and often too disgusting for words."

''The Miami Herald

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