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Released by: MTV/Paramount
Released on: 12/10/2002
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Tony Hawk, Ryan Dunn, Chris Raab
Released: 2001
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The Series:
Have you ever wondered what would happen if you 'tried this at home' after hearing one of those warnings that people give before doing something really stupid? Well, Jackass explores all the possibilities for you and it's now available on DVD!
Almost like a series of short mondo films gone wrong, this MTV spawned reality show features a series of professional skateboarders, BMX riders, and frat boy types punks who essentially push not only the limits of the human body but also the limits of good taste. Witness Johnny Knoxville testing his new athletic cup by allowing himself to be hit in the nut sack with a sledgehammer or an eightball dropped off the top of a building. Or maybe you'd rather see a scrawny monkey boy named Steve-O pierce his ass cheeks because he's 'tired of pooping all the time.'
Jackass is quite simply the stupidest show that I think I've ever seen. But in all honesty, I can't turn it off when I come across it. In a concentrated 88 minute dosage, which is how it's presented here, it does lose a bit of it's charm, but you'll probably still find yourself watching just to see what kind of torture these guys will inflict on themselves next. The controversy surrounding the show is well earned, as it leaves very little to the imagination, only optically fogging out frontal nudity and explitives.
Pretty much everything else is fair game, and the camera tends to linger on such freakish ugliness far longer than it probably should.
Jackass, like it's predacessor, the lesser seen CKY shows, remains funny for all the wrong reasons, but if you're not afraid to laugh at other people hurting themselves for your entertainment, and appreciate the finer things like fart jokes and bowel movements, then Jackass is probably right up your alley.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Presented in fullframe (it's a TV show, so it's supposed to look like that), the image for the most part is sharp and clean. The quality is better than average for something that is shot commando style with handhelds and sometimes hidden cameras.
The Dolby Digital Stereo track sounds as good as can be expected for a show that is for the most part shot with handheld camcorders. Dialogue is usually pretty sharp, though at times there is hiss or wind noticable on the track. This is all due to the way that the show is shot.
Included as extras on the disc is a really lame interactive trivia game, a brief photo gallery, and some short bios of each of the principal participants from the series. It would have been great to see some interviews with some of the cast members or maybe a text piece on the copycat incidents that the show has 'inspired' (some of which have resulted in stunts going wrong and people dying because of it).
The Final Word:
If you've ever wanted to see a brainless fratboy stick his hand up a cow's ass while artificially inseminating it with bull semen, this is the DVD for you.