Jackass Number Two (2006)

Starring Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, etc, etc
Rated R, 95 minutes

Ever since I relocated to Blogspot, there have been two holes in my movie archive. I never bothered to repost my reviews of the Jackass movies, because I felt funny about their scores. They were in the high fours, and the reviews were written right after seeing them for the first time. After having defined my review criteria, I decided to wait until I saw them again to get a "real" score.

I'll open things up by saying I'm a longtime fan of the show. I caught the premiere broadcast as it was repeated several times over one lazy weekend, and never stopped watching since. I saw the first movie opening weekend, and loved it. I was worried that they'd try too hard to top themselves for the second movie. The bits didn't have to be wilder to make it good, they just had to be funny.

In my opinion, they succeeded in doing both. Not only was the envelope pushed a bit, but I laughed just as hard. Especially compared to the first movie, this was wall-to-wall action, with the whole cast upping their game. It's funny how the credits show deleted scenes with celebrity guests and big budget trips abroad, but it was the simpler stuff that made it in the final cut, and produced the big laughs.

Unfortunately, on this viewing, I found the element of surprise to be a bigger part of the success compared to the original. I remember most of the bits from the first movie, but still laugh when they play out. Here, the response was a bit lukewarm on the second go 'round.

****

It still remains an easy-to-revisit movie. I have a high tolerance for Jackass repeats, so even if I watch this until I no longer laugh, I'll still enjoy putting it on. If you're a fan of the show, and haven't seen it, prepare to bust a gut and be surprised. If you've never seen anything Jackass, maybe start smaller. This is Jackass to the extreme. It's worth having around to pop in once every few years, or to see an unsuspecting soul's shocked reactions when they see it for the first time. If they make a Jackass Three, I'm sure it will deliver.