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"JACKASS 3D"
(2010) (Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O) (R)

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QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: Various guys perform various wild, dumb, and sometimes dangerous stunts and gags in this third film based on the MTV TV show.
PLOT:
In this follow-up to the 2006 sequel to the original 2002 movie based on the MTV stunt show, Johnny Knoxville, and his band of daredevil performers including Steve-O, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius and others perform a variety of extreme stunts and other gags.
OUR TAKE: 2 out of 10
Our reviewing policy for films that aren't shown in advance to critics (or just 2 hours before they open, as was the case here) is that we'll only provide a few paragraphs about the film's artistic merits.

It's more of the same old, same old in "Jackass 3D," the follow-up to the 2006 sequel, original 2002 film and the initial MTV TV show that first introduced the world to the outrageous, gross and often quite hilarious stunts and other goofy skits thought up by Johnny Knoxville and his merry (and seemingly deranged) band of performers.

I'll admit I probably collectively laughed more at this film's offerings than anything else in theaters so far this year. Yet, like in the past two entries, some of the gags work better than others, and finding humor in such material depends on your taste and tolerance for outrageous slapstick style stunts and extreme gross-out material.

Beyond the objections I've already stated for the previous films, the bigger problem here is that all of this is starting to feel a bit old and recycled, and some of the goofy charm has similarly evaporated. It's as if the pranksters-meets-stuntmen are starting to run out of ideas to shock, gross out, startle and/or amuse us, and thus return to some of the same (or at least quite similar) gags (including Knoxville dressing up like an old man to interact with others when not facing down bulls or similar critters, along with the requisite barfing scenes).

Sure, quite a few of them are still fairly funny - and even hilarious - but much of the novelty feels absent. And perhaps most disappointing, the much ballyhooed (and advertised) aspect of showing all of this in 3D is pretty much for naught and certainly not used imaginatively enough (except in the opening and closing sequences, one particularly gross one involving the contents of a porta-potty landing on the camera lens, and the projectile view of a sex toy coming right at you in slow motion).

As stated in my review for the last pic, it's all done in that sort of mesmerizing "Oh no, they're not really going to do that" fashion that simultaneously makes you want to shield your eyes but also stare in utter amazement at the combination of bravado, stupidity and obvious rampant testosterone.

If that's your cup of tea, you'll likely enjoy this third cinematic round of such offerings. Just like its predecessors, "Jackass 3D" is what it is and nothing more. Accordingly, it rates as a 2 out of 10 as a movie, but earns a few extra points for its audacious, whacky and often gross entertainment value.




Reviewed October 14, 2010 / Posted October 15, 2010


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