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September 24, 2006
What's New? How Do you Review a Movie Like "Jackass Number Two."
By:
The Dude on the Right
In my years of doing movie reviews I stumbled across a weird thing today:
How do you review a movie that really isn't a movie? For this case it was
my review of "Jackass Number Two," and I didn't know where to go with it,
especially since I found the movie very funny in a kind of way that can't be
reviewed. And maybe that is why some of the other movie critics can't like
this movie for what it is, because this is a movie that can't really be reviewed
in the movie review kind of way. There is no plot development, they're not
seeing this movie for cinematography, and there aren't any special effects for
them to go "goo-goo, gaa-gaa" over. Maybe they just can't see the humor in
a guy trying to hitch a ride on a big red rocket (in this case Johnny
Knoxville), nor why anyone would want to see what horse semen tastes like.
Yet they try to review "Jackass Number Two" like it's "Titanic."
But really, "Jackass," as I see it, in its core, is a movie about a bunch of dude-friends bonding, each time, because we all do stupid stuff at times, and what worse time than to have all of our friends around us laughing at us when it happens. Or in a funnier case, when all of your friends are in on a joke, tormenting one of your friends. Sure the likes of Johnny Knoxville, Bam, Wee Man, Steve-O, and the rest of the Jackass boys take it to another level, but as boys, at least those of us who got outside sometimes instead of stuck behind a Playstation, didn't you want to see if you could actually jump off a roof using an umbrella to coast you down? (It doesn't work). When isn't someone getting hit in the balls not funny? (Except when it is you and your balls). And didn't you ever try to jump your bike over anything? (And you crashed on your ass to the delight of your friends).
In any case I did my review of "Jackass Number Two," but as I look back on if after writing this blog, and fellow critics, take this to heart, you can't really review the movie. There should be only be two reviews for the "Jackass Number Two.": "It's funny as hell," or "I was so disgusted I wanted to walk out and vomit." Any reviewer who give this movie a middle-of-the road review, like 2 stars out of 4, is copping out by A: Not wanting to admit that the movie made them laugh their ass off, thus reducing their reviewing street-cred. Or B: Were so disgusted you can't understand why guys think this shit is funny, yet understand that some people find this funny so I have to at least give it 2 stars. Me, I understand the appeal of the movie, and that's why I gave it 5 stars out of 5.
That's it for this one! I'm The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!
Posted by Rightdude at September 24, 2006 7:27 PM
