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Jackass 3D

0/10

Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Jason 'Wee Man' Acuna, Ryan Dunn, Preston Lacey

Director: Jeff Tremaine

The introduction by foul-mouthed animated idiots Beavis and Butthead turns out to be the most sophisticated aspect of this immature orgy of masochistic ‘japes’ and mindless humiliation which is strictly for fans of the stupid stunts by stupid stuntmen that is the sole raison d’etre of Jackass. Oh yes, it’s in 3-D but the additional in-your-face dimension merely makes Knoxville and Company’s childish self-aggrandising self-harming all the more juvenile.

What you get is exactly what you would expect – people being hit, urinated on, hammered, stung by bees, knocked over, slung into the air in a portable toilet and covered with dog excrement, someone being deservedly kicked in the groin when he attempts to pin a tail on a live donkey and various other stunts too stupid to mention in detail but not too stupid to be performed. Along with nudity and an apparent overall IQ that would make an amoeba seem like Einstein.

The gang’s all here led by Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera and Steve-O along with other legendary talents like Chris Pontius and Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuna as well as, playing himself, overrated director Spike Jonze.

Everyone involved laughs a lot (which is more than the audience did when I saw the film) and look very pleased with themselves, especially Knoxville whose teeth are a tribute to American dentistry and easily the most notable aspect of the film.

(For the record, the direction, which basically consists of pointing the camera at the stunts and letting the ‘cast’ carry on maiming, is by Jeff Tremaine and has little to recommend it except as a recording device).

If this is what you want, you’re welcome to it. Certainly a lot of people did since Jackass 3D topped the US Box Office charts. Which only goes to prove American humourist H L Mencken was right on target when he wrote: “Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”

Alan Frank

USA 2010. UK Distributor: Universal. Colour.
94 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 18.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 3, Violence/Horror 3, Drugs 2, Swearing 3.

Review date: 06 Nov 2010