Review of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) by Kieran F — 31 Oct 2015

A very American comedy that tries to push boundaries to new limits. The characters were new to me having never really watched Jackass, but it follows an old grandpa, now a widow having just lost his wife, having to babysit his grandson whilst he takes him on a road trip to drop him with his father.

Along the way, they encounter several extreme situations, where gramps' desire to pull takes over his parenting duties. This is often a humour I enjoy but I feel it could have been more risquà (C), stretching the awkwardness to be on a par of that with Sacha Baron Cohen's characters; Bruno & Borat.

There was a lot of slapstick rudeness such as penis' stuck in a vending machine, low hanging balls falling out when dancing, and projectile faeces when farting, but after a while this becomes consistently juvenile, and it would be more watchable creating humour from interaction with other characters.

The best bits are when his behaviour gets a reaction from onlookers and we respect his bravery and ability to keep a straight face. There are not a lot of stand out moments, but it gets you smiling throughout, if not writhing in fits of laughter.

Yes, I'd happily watch a sequel, but it really would need an injection of fresh material, and something original that would appeal to British viewers as well as the American audience that I sense this was predominantly targeted at.