Jackass 3-D (2010)

(I actually saw this film about a month before "127 Hours" but forgot to post a review.)

There's not much to say in terms of reviewing JACKASS 3-D other than to say that yes, I did see the film, yes-I did laugh uncontrollably during it, and yes-I paid my own money to see it in the theatre. Where I did skimp a little was on the 3-D part. I decided to pay for the "regular" 2-D version. After doing so, by the way, I can tell you that what was done for the sake of 3-D probably looked very cool on screen, so those extra few bucks might have actually been worth it.

The Jackass TV show and films play into the sophomorish boy in all of us, with Johnny Knoxville and his merry band of idiots parading their lack of common sense around (not to mention their penises) in a mind-numbing display of desensitized idiocy. I am continually observant of the flippant homoeroticism of the Jackass films; this one had more frontal male nudity than a Ewan McGregor film! But none of the guys on screen see it that way. For them, looking at each others' wangs is as common as being bored by a ram or drinking a glass of someone's sweat.

That just mentioned sketch - the one with the sweat - was almost the breaking point for me. It certainly caused Steve-O to vomit in the film, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone in some audience in America watching the film didn't puke as well. I came close. And to call that the breaking point in a film that also features Steve-O covered in shit while strapped in an outhouse on bungee cords, is saying something.

What was cool about this Jackass was that some of the sketches skipped the disgusting and just went for plain ridiculous sketch comedy. For me, the best moments came with the participation of Jason "Wee Man" Acuna. My favorite scene in the film involved the dwarf-sized Wee Man stealing another midget's girl in a bar, resulting in a bar fight of midgets as "regular-sized" people look on in genuine confusion and shock. The fight escalates until midget cops and midget paramedics show up. It's comedy gold.

So don't judge me for seeing JACKASS 3-D. I went on a day when the need to laugh was more important to me than the need for cinematic quality. I got what I wanted, and I'm not ashamed!

3.0 out of 4