Critic's Grade: F

Frank's film tip: It takes one "Jackass" to know another jackass! Welcome to the end of civilization as we know it in the heavily doltish and pointless patchwork vehicle Jackass: The Movie.

Why even bother to try and exhaust million dollar adjectives on a two-cent movie such as the crassly uninventive and blatantly moronic MTV feature flick Jackass: The Movie? To say that this vapid vehicle is downright doltish and uneventful is just as obvious as telling a country skunk that he has severe body odor. In a nutshell, Jackass: The Movie purposely revels in its obnoxious frolicking and proudly flexes its intentional recklessness with noted smugness.

So just how can anyone challenge a faulty free-spirited and plebian motion picture that prides itself on being a worthless wonderment of no-talented nitwits engaging in dangerously dimwitted stunts as a means of masquerading as an irreverent throwaway piece of entertainment? Well, you can't because this imbecilic movie caters to the fraction out there who get a perverse pleasure out of seeing self-absorbed simpletons put themselves through abusive daredevil routines as a measure of providing some self-serving raucous and riotous fun. And just think about the tremendous following that this jousting junk had accumulated for those who got a kick out of the silly and sick-minded attention-getting program that gave MTV yet another reason for being the protruding pop culture canker sore that it is? Jackass: The TV Show and its nonsensical and unconventional antics have become a welcomed distraction to a bored generation of young people. And now the movie version sort of confirms the curious craving for gross-out and gratuitous goofiness. Heaven help us all!

One wouldn't totally mind if Jackass: The Movie merely existed to cause some naughty havoc as a way of tapping into the nerves of a squeamish stiff-collared and straight-laced establishment just to exercise some non-conformist ribaldry. But the worse offending aspect of this gloriously dumbfounded movie is that it's so dull in its shoddy and scattershot presentation. Director Jeff Tremaine shows no imagination or sense of style in trying to helm a film that was suppose to be kinetically cunning and crafty in its humiliating hoopla. Instead, Tremaine lazily patches together a string of monotonous sequences that has all the appeal and shock value of a thirsty dog drinking out of a toilet bowl. Make no mistake that some of the ridiculous scenes are more penetrating and offensive then other selected ones. But for the most part, the tiresome prankish platitudes come off as relentlessly trivial and needlessly juvenile.

Johnny Knoxville, the lead Jackass, heads up a group of spunky ignoramus jokesters as they go through the repulsive motions of regaling their audience with playing dubious and disgusting gags both on themselves and on poor clueless participants at the mercy of their foolishness. At the center of their madcap rituals are odd demonstrations that involve lovely and calming hysterical elements that make fun obese folks (how original, huh?) and the classic standby?the dependable private body parts. So if your thing is chuckling at the thought of penis, butt and bodily fluid sight gags then this sheepish showcase is yours for the taking. Plus, when the damaging dunderheads indulge in the physical ferocity of their stupid-minded stunt work, you are left wondering if these carousing clowns really have a screw loose. Or maybe if they're desperate enough to crave the nutty attention that neglectful Mommy or Daddy never gave them when they at one time had an ounce of common sense in their noggins.

Personally, Jackass: The Movie won't go down too well with the high and mighty snooty set at your local exclusive county club. And yes, one understands that this numbing eyesore is for the diehard enthusiasts to embrace with undiscriminating glee. You can sparingly appreciate the selective idiotic goings-on that come off at times as boldly cynical in its vulgar meaningless machinations. However, this jumbled atrocity of inane (and asinine) posturing is nothing more than a gimmicky ploy to test the boundaries of indecency just for the sake of being unnerving.

It's true that MTV is the same guilty culprit that brought us the likes of the tediously bothersome comedian Tom Green therefore elevating him to the acceptable grating movie misfit that he has gladly become. No doubt will roguish matinee rascal Knoxville continue to pose as the slick poster boy for the MTV misbehaving marketing campaign. Still, Jackass: The Movie does have a leg to stand on because of its ability to delve into the mean-spirited realm of sensationalistic crap that is widely tolerated by some of the warped masses roaming about. Geez, talking about something utterly distasteful and feverishly addictive that definitely boggles the mind!

Consequently, Knoxville and fellow collaborators Tremaine and Spike Jonze are just giving the twisted public what they want. Excuse me as I attempt to hurl chunks into my barf bag. On second thought, maybe I shouldn't do that because someone might mistake this gesture as a treasured Jackass highlight. What a darn messed up world, huh? All I can do is caution this piece of advice to unsuspecting avid moviegoers: be afraid people--be very afraid!

Frank rates this film: * star (out of 4 stars)

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