By Megann Horstead
Social Media Editor
Rated-R for strong, crude and sexual content throughout; language; some graphic nudity and brief drug use. Bad Grandpa may not be suitable for some audiences, but for the rest, hold on to your seats. This film, made possible by the makers of MTV’s Jackass, will leave you tossing your head back in laughter and feeling like your flying high around cloud nine.
The concept of the show returns after a hiatus of the Jackass series to spawn a feature length film called Bad Grandpa. Much to the excitement of the dedicated fan base, the film takes elements of the show, the idea of a storyline, and plugs them into what is a proven formula for successful film.
Step 1: How did Jackass pull this off?
The film uses a lot of man-on-the-street interaction to boost the wow factor. The way in which these unsuspecting, non-paid screen personas reacted was just bananas enough to make you want to poop your pants.
Some moments were so funny that laughter became instantaneously contagious. Just when you think your ribs will bust and will not take any more, here comes Johnny Knoxville with yet another wild and crazy antic.
Step 2: Why did the film have the effect that it did?
The film provides the long awaited fix that many fans of the show Jackass wanted to have. The opening weekend box office rang in at $32 million, according to entertainment weekly.
You also may have noticed the trend in television and even movies where production will go on a hiatus, then later work resumes and a comeback is staged. Production sometimes go on hiatus for a number of reasons you can probably imagine (budgeting pitfalls, contract issues, sluggish ratings, etc.).
Some of the most watched programs have even been on a hiatus. This is true of not only Jackass but also the Big Bang Theory (placed on hiatus after 2007-2008 Writer’s Guild Strike) and Two and a Half Men (placed on hiatus due to lead star Charlie Sheen and his stint in rehab).
Step 3: How were the characters in this film used that made for great entertainment?
The characters in the film are the definition of raunchy. The way the screenwriters juxtaposed them together as one collective unit works almost seamlessly despite that. Chuck, the father of the young boy Billy (Greg Harris and Jackson Nicoll respectively) is one dynamic character that makes for a good film. Chuck, a drug-feigning father, does not prove to be father-of-the-year material by any stretch of the imagination.
In referencing the child support he receives, Chuck let the truth hang all out in its shamefulness in stating, “That kid is my 600 bucks.”
This selfishness is seemingly a similarity in Chuck and Irving in both of the characters wanting to be free of responsibility. We are left feeling scared for Billy. Who will look after him while his mother is gone?
This tension does not just make this film a good comedy but a good commentary on American life. The ways in which people find humor in sadism is an interesting complex. To laugh at one’s misfortune in real life may garner oneself a bunch of stares but in film, it’s funny in its offering of a break from the usual and a chance to be free of society’s judgment.
If you’re looking for an evening of wildly hilarious antics, Bad Grandpa is sure to please.
