Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Movie Review 0 1019

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa movie review

The minute you see the trailer for Bad Grandpa you will make up your mind right away if you’re interested in seeing the film, whether you think it looks hilarious or crass, tasteless and unfunny. I‘m sure the makers of it would be happy with either reaction.

The film is expanded from one of the many segments of the once wildly popular Jackass series in which Johnny Knoxville dresses up in old man prosthetics and behaves inappropriately in public. It’s really the only part of Jackass that could have been made into a film on its own (the rest being essentially a bunch of daring morons hurting themselves on camera) but as it turns out the film is a case of a joke spread too thin (not unlike the Machete franchise) but the moments that work are funny enough for those who don’t mind the level of maturity dialled down and the in-your-face shock factor turned up to 11.

The plot, such at is, centres on 86-year-old Irving Zisman (Knoxville) who is tasked with taking his grandson across the country to be with his father after the mother is put in jail. While on their journey the pair get up to all manner of public mishaps, from (quite literally) crashing a wedding to faking their way into a girl’s beauty pageant.

The reason why the fake old man gag worked as well as it did in the Jackass TV show and subsequent feature films was in seeing the public’s reaction to his behaviour. The problem with this film version is it only works in those moments and everything in between falls rather flat and just gets in the way of the reaction-based comedy. You spend some of the time wondering how genuine those reactions are, especially in some of the film’s more clearly manufactured moments – Irving crashing through the window of a shop after a children’s ride “malfunctions,” for example – but the end credits put much of those doubts to rest as it shows you Knoxville and Co. revealing to the unwitting public that it’s actually a movie.

The film tries to hit several emotional beats involving Irving actually caring for his grandson despite him trying get rid of him but that aspect never quite works, while scenes of them sitting in their car bonding in their own special way feels like marking time until we get to the next public altercation. It also falls victim to that most annoying of modern movie going traits; most of the best bits are in the trailer. It doesn’t have enough surprising tricks up its sleeve with only one well-kept gag involving a cafe-based farting competition between Irving and his grandson Billy (the endearingly mischievous relative newcomer Jackson Nicoll) that provides the film’s biggest belly laugh. Other than that the laughs are there but far less frequent than you would hope thanks to a paper-thin plot that merely distracts rather than makes it work as a fully functioning feature film.

If you’re at all interested in seeing Bad Grandpa then you know what you’re getting yourself in for and so the level of unashamed crassness and attempts at shocking you should come as no surprise. The comedy is wildly inconsistent, ranging from genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious (often make you feeling utterly guilty for laughing at it) to just tasteless moments without the funny factor to back it up; a running gag about Irving travelling with his wife’s dead body in the trunk of his car, for example, is particularly misjudged. But for those who find the Borat-style public reaction humour to be their particular cup of tea then there’s just about enough here to make it passable. Just.

[youtube id=”_MSrAwfagG4″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

Previous ArticleNext Article
I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tolkien Biopic to Be Released in May 0 4942

10th May, 2019 is when Tolkien will be released to the world, an autobiographical film that will revolve around the early days of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien before he became the literary giant that he is today.

Here on Thoughts on Film we are big fans of his work and the recent films made by Peter Jackson. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (LOTR), are responsible for originating a universe that has gone on to inspire movies, animation, fiction, and modern media interpretations.



This is why Tolkien is regarded by many as the greatest fantasy author of all time. His creative stamp can be seen nearly everywhere in modern media. There’s the direct reinterpretation of his work in the recently released action roleplaying game Middle Earth: Shadow of War, where players are thrust into a major role in Tolkien’s literary canon. George R.R. Martin, who originated the now globally-popular Game of Thrones series on HBO, openly reveres LOTR as the inspiration for his work, citing the early death of Gandalf in Fellowship of the Ring as having a profound effect on his “own willingness to kill characters at the drop of a hat.” On the web, more Tolkien-inspired work can be found on leading slot portal Slingo and its many online titles dedicated to the fantasy genre, including Amazon Queen, Fae Legend Warrior, and Magic Castle, all of which feature elements that can be traced back to the author’s massive body of work. Technically speaking, the same can be said of nearly every major fantasy brand out there today, from Dungeons & Dragons to Magic: the Gathering. In short, almost every type of entertainment that features western fantasy can be traced back to the works of Tolkien.

In the upcoming Tolkien movie, the man will be played by Nicholas Hoult, whom is best known for Mad Max: Fury Road and Hank McCoy in the most recent X-Men movies. And now, the actor’s versatility will be tested as he steps into the shoes of the most iconic fantasy writer of all time. Starring alongside Hoult will be the actress Lily Collins as Edith Bratt – the woman whom Tolkien loved above all and is reportedly the inspiration for all “elven princess characters” in the LOTR series.

Helming the film is director Dome Karukoski whose CV includes 2017’s Tom of Finland, a critically acclaimed chronicle of the life and works of the controversial artist of the same name. And while media outlets haven’t yet heard from either the cast, director, or crew of the film, an official synopsis of the movie has been released via Collider. “Tolkien explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “Fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.” It sounds like a real treat for film, literature, and Middle Earth fans.

Feature: 2019 Oscar Predictions 0 4022

I think it’s fair to say that the run up to this year’s Oscars has been a little messier than usual, from unexpected and bizarre wins at other awards shows (Vice winning Best Editing at the BAFTAs, anyone?) to ridiculous decisions by the Academy to change the show around.

The latter has proved a particular point of contention with both those in the industry to onlookers on social media, with choices such as not letting all the songs be performed to introducing a Best Popular Film category (whatever that means) to not airing four categories live; Editing and Cinematography proved a particular issue, sending the folks of Film Twitter into a Hulk-like rage.

Thankfully all of these decisions except for the one to not have a main host have taken the walk-back of shame; I look forward to Clint Eastwood talking to an empty chair again. Of course there’s still the issue of plenty of thoroughly deserving films, filmmakers and performances not being up for any Oscars at all (*cough* Toni Collette! *cough*) but of course that’s not an issue unique to this year.

The show must go on, as they say, and I thought a week out from this year’s ceremony I’d throw my hat into the ring as far as predictions goes. Below I’ve listed what I think will win in each category, as well as what I personally would like to see pick up that little gold man come next Sunday evening.

Best Picture

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Green Book

Lead Actor

Want to win: Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born)
Will win: Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Lead Actress

Want to win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)
Will win: Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Supporting Actor

Want to win: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Will win: Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Supporting Actress

Want to win: Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Will win: Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Director

Want to win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)
Will win: Alfonso Cuarón (Roma)

Animated Feature

Want to win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Adapted Screenplay

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay

Want to win: First Reformed
Will win: The Favourite

Cinematography

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Documentary Feature

Want to win: Free Solo
Will win: Minding the Gap

Foreign Language Film

Want to win: Roma
Will win: Roma

Film Editing

Want to win: BlacKkKlansman
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Editing

Want to win: A Quiet Place
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Sound Mixing

Want to win: A Star is Born
Will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Want to win: Roma
Will win: The Favourite

Original Score

Want to win: If Beale Street Could Talk
Will win: Black Panther

Original Song

Want to win: Shallow (A Star is Born)
Will win: Shallow (A Star is Born)

Makeup and Hair

Want to win: Mary Queen of Scots
Will win: Vice

Costume Design

Want to win: Black Panther
Will win: The Favourite

Visual Effects

Want to win: Avengers: Infinity War
Will win: Ready Player One

Animated Short

Want to win: Bao
Will win: Bao

Live Action Short

Want to win: Marguerite
Will win: Marguerite

Documentary Short Subject

Want to win: Black Sheep
Will win: Lifeboat

Do you agree? Disagree? Feel free to leave your predictions/wishes for the winners below or tweet @TOF_UK or @rosstmiller.

Roll on Sunday!