Jackass
Number 2 is a perfectly fitting title for this shocking, hilarious, in your face
follow-up, particularly given the rather large amounts of fecal matter that appear
throughout the film.
To
give away of the ingenious (and in most cases, repulsive) stunts would be to deny
you the audience the clever surprises and sheer shock value that await you should
you deign to see this uproariously audacious movie (I've seen it twice). Who should
go to see this flick? Anyone who thinks it's funny to watch a bunch of dimwitted
slackers play hot potato with a taser gun. Consider me one of those people.
Quite
frankly, anyone whose going to trash this movie, is clearly not the target audience.
So, if you hate the TV show and didn't bother with the first big screen outing,
there's absolutely no reason for you to see this one. However, if you enjoy such
juvenile hijinks and find it appealing in witnessing how far someone will go in
order to get a laugh or obtain celebrity, you're in for a rollicking good time.
The
entire Jackass gang (Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Wee Man, Steve-O, Dave England,
Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Ryan Dunn, and Ehren McGhehey) return for Number
2, but Johnny, Wee Man, and Bam appear to get the most screen time. Quite frankly,
Knoxville's involvement is one of the more astonishing elements of the film. This
crazed slacker actually has a semi-respectable movie career now, and to see him
continue to put himself in harm's way really blew me away. Clearly, he's doing
this stuff because he has some sort of sick fetish for it. Either that or he was
paid a shit load of money (it's probably a little of both). Whatever the case
may be, collectively speaking, Knoxville takes the biggest beating in Jackass
Number 2.
Is Jackass
Number 2 funnier than the first film? While there are big laughs here (a couple
of moments even drove me to tears), I'd say no. It is, however, more shocking
than the first one, and I was immensely entertained (in a sick and perverse way)
by it. Furthermore, I have to give props to any film that features a guy doing
something so outlandishly grotesque, that it makes me want to throw-up. I won't
go any further but to say that when the stallion shows up, you might want to think
about closing your eyes.
I've
never been a fan of the ratings board (read my review of "This Film Is Not
Yet Rated") but Jackass Number 2 left me a bit perplexed. If we have to have
an NC-17 rating, how did this gloriously disgusting movie manage to dodge it?
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it got the R otherwise, I would have had to drive
one hundred miles to experience it, but how it avoided the kiss of death NC-17
is beyond me. I've seen un-rated movies that were more tame than this.
Many
might argue that there isn't really much of a point to all this madness. There
really isn't much of a point to Fear Factor either, and that show racked up boffo
ratings in it's first couple of seasons. Sometimes, it's just entertaining to
see how far an average Joe will go in the name of celebrity or a little extra
cash.
The truth
is, there is something somewhat ingenious about the crazy ass stunts that these
guys come up with. Be it a "Puppet Show" or a hilarious (and highly
irreverent) riff on terrorism, Jackass Number 2 is never short on energy. These
insane individuals will do virtually anything to stimulate the audience. I suppose
if there's a point to this movie, that's it.
