User reviews

In a world overrun by forgettable, banal reality television, Jackass has distinguished itself as a franchise with unexpected staying power. Who would have thought that a television show about pulling pranks on unsuspecting members of the public would go on to dominate the silver screen as well? That's precisely what Johnny Knoxville and his compatriots have done, however. Bad Grandpa marks the Jackass crew's fourth foray into the realm of feature films. The movie is itself more ambitious than its predecessors, betting that one character - an apparently doddering 86-year-old man - can carry an actual plot and an enormous arsenal of pranks. Surprisingly, it's a gamble that pays off: Bad Grandpa is frequently as funny as it is in bad taste.

The ostensible plot of it all goes something like this: Irving Zisman (Knoxville) is saddled with his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) when his flaky daughter is sent to prison and his wife Ellie (Catherine Keener - yes, really!) passes away. Resolving to palm his grandson off to his ne'er-do-well son-in-law, Irving embarks on a road trip across America - an adventure that takes them from strip club to diner, from funeral to beauty pageant, and everything in between. Along the way, they meet people from all walks of life: most of them unsuspecting, several of them kind, all of them pretty good sports.

Much of the thrill of watching Bad Grandpa comes from knowing that it is a hidden-camera comedy - one that draws its greatest laughs and amusement from people who have no clue that Irving isn't actually a senior citizen. Many of the pranks border on the tasteless (Irving gets a crucial body part caught in a vending machine, grandpa and grandson engage in a flatulence contest in a diner with disastrous results), but the horrified looks on the faces of innocent passers-by make it all work. There are even some moments of inspired comic genius: chiefly, the set-pieces that take place in a strip club and at a beauty pageant. (To spoil you any further, dear reader, would be criminal.)

It takes a pair of seasoned performers not to crack and give the game away. Knoxville, of course, has years of experience and bodily injury under his belt, and he is astonishingly good at playing a bawdy old man with very few social (and some might say moral) filters. The great surprise is Nicoll, a child with the most perfectly deadpan of faces - he's hilariously convincing whether he's asking a complete stranger to adopt him or re-enacting a scenario reminiscent of Abigail Breslin's wildly inappropriate grind-bump dance in Little Miss Sunshine.

This is - evidently - very far from great cinema, even though director Jeff Tremaine does actually manage to sneak a little more sentiment and plot into the film than you might expect. But great cinema does not always equate into a fun, brainless night out at the cinema - which Bad Grandpa, if you set your expectations as low as they can go, will almost indubitably provide you.

I've never been a Jackass fan , but "Bad Grandpa" was genuinely hilarious. There's a narrative to the movie, but really that's just an excuse for the antics. And Knoxville is on fire here. The man deserves hug credit for never cracking up in the middle of a prank, and that takes serious skill. The vending machine, the male strip club, the "shart" scene in the restaurant - they're constantly going to unbelievable lengths, and half the fun is just seeing the peoples' reactions. I had a lot of fun with this movie, a pleasant surprise indeed.

I don't know where they could take this story-wise, but count me in for a sequel.

7/10

While not being a longtime fan of this group, I had been able to watch some of the craziest antics Jackass can come up with in their second motion picture attempt. While their previous movies were compiled by a series of stunts, Bad Grandpa follows a background narrative that consists of basically a disgruntled grandpa trying to get his grandson to his estranged dad. What follows is a ride filled with shocking laugh out schemes that present the audience with an outrageous senior citizen that will stop at nothing to show his grandchild how much of an inappropriate person he can be. This is classic Jackass style and while containing some moments that I didn't particularly enjoy, most of them were incredibly funny and could only have come from the twisted minds of these gentlemen. Another highlight of the movie is the incredible make- up process that makes Johnny Knoxville completely unrecognizable to the known eye. Even "Her" director-writer Spike Jonze is totally undetectable as the deceased wive of our bad grandpa. In conclusion a great comedy for the fans and a true contender for the academy award for best make-up

Rating 7/10

I'm not a huge fan of the Jackass movies and am approaching 50 so maybe not in the target demographic but the trailer for the movie made us laugh so we went to see it. Most of the time I was chuckling rather than out and out belly laughing. But one scene in particular (the strip club) almost made me hyperventilate. I literally couldn't catch my breath because I was laughing so hard. It's one of the funniest scenes that I can recall ever seeing in a movie. The boy who plays the kid is excellent, he's very believable and cute and for such a young boy he does very well in what is not really a straightforward acting role. If you have the right sense of humour for this type of thing, I highly recommend it (if you're aged 14-25 and male it's a guaranteed hit). If you hate Jackass and all it represents, don't bother paying to see it in a theater, maybe wait for cable because that one scene in the strip club IS worth seeing (unless you're an overly sensitive prude!).

Bad Grandpa is the fan-favorite skit from the show Jackass, where Johnny Knoxville pretends to be an old man to see how much shenanigans he can pull off, stretched into an hour and a half film. There were certainly some hilarious scenes but unfortunately they tried to turn it into a somewhat serious movie. I don't mean the content was serious, I simply mean that they actually tried to give the film a real plot and story arc and at times it seemed as though that interrupted the humor. About half of the skits are funny and a few are legitimately hilarious but the rest is mainly filler in order to connect the timeline. That was where the movie failed, in my opinion. If you're a Jackass fan, like myself, you won't mind and you'll still enjoy it to an extent. If you're not, then the humor probably isn't for you anyways.

Bad Grandpa is a good movie with a pretty good storyline and really good performances from those who are acting.Most of the movie is hidden camera as Johnny Knoxville playing an old man is communicating with real people who have no idea they are being filmed for a movie,this works out really well and most of the scenes are full of cringe and it is impossible not to laugh.Johnny Knoxville does a very good job as Irving Zisman,he really got interested in this character and it wasn't until I saw a sign that said Knoxville towards the end of the movie that I had completely forgotten it was Knoxville,he puts on a voice very similar to Stan Lee's and play's a really convincing and strange old man from start to finish.The grandson Jackson Nicoll does a very good job as well,I found his comic timing very impressive for a boy his age.I am not a fan of Jackass but I really enjoyed this movie,though I think Jackass fans will enjoy it,it's different enough for people outside the Jackass audience to enjoy,because the humour isn't just watching people get hurt and there is also a storyline.I would recommend Bad Grandpa to anyone who enjoys hidden camera comedies and just comedy in general.

When his daughter is sent to jail,Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville) takes his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) on a road trip across the country to take him to his irresponsible father.They get up to some crazy antics around complete strangers along the way.

Best Performance: Johnny Knoxville Worst Performance: Georgina Cates

I admit, I had a few good laughs in this movie. It is better than what I had expected (different from the Jackass movies). Some people may say that this movie is scripted, well they are partially correct, but the candid shots of the unsuspecting people are real. How else could you produce a full feature movie without some sort of script or story line? Yes, it has the potty jokes and is crude, so take that with a grain of salt. If you like that kind of humor, then you are in for a treat.

Johnny Knoxville keeps his character consistent and the little kid (Jackson Nicoll) does a good job too.

With that said, sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is... ...and pass the popcorn.

Bad Grandpa is a film I certainly wasn't anticipating. Unlike a lot of people my age, I don't support Jackass, or enjoy any of their films. They just seem a little too over the top for my liking. But despite this, surprisingly, I adored Bad Grandpa!

I'm going to keep this short and to the point. Johnny Knoxville is fantastic as Irving, an incredibly raunchy and hilarious 86 year old man. Thrown into real life prank situations, he steals the show, pranking people in some bizarre and incredible ways that I just couldn't stop laughing at! His grandson within the film, Billy, played by Jackson Nicoll, is awesome as well, managing to create some fantastic scenarios which will leave you in stitches. I'm really surprised that I didn't mind this child actor, as I normally have a problem against their type. Nicoll though, killed it as Billy.

Despite the fact that a lot of these jokes presented are incredibly over the top, I really enjoyed the comedy here. It had me laughing the majority of the way through, and I honestly couldn't believe what they were doing in public. Jackass knows how to make pranks work, and here is easily their best work.

I didn't have expectations for Bad Grandpa; none good at least. I was pleasantly surprised though! Whilst not nearly the best comedy released in 2013, this is surely the funniest. If you love pranks, or Jackass, or both, you'll adore this film!

8.6/10

I take reviews here or elsewhere with a pinch of salt. I'm not a dedicated reviewer and don't write to give a self indulgent sense of literal being. I watch films for enjoyment and entertainment. Someone gives 5 stars the next comes up with "Worst film I've ever seen ". I sit less informed than not reading anything. This being my first review as any reviews I do from now will be short. Never watched the Jackass series or previous films. I wasn't going to watch this but did. Made me laugh a lot and kept me with it till the end , thoroughly enjoyed it. To my mind anyone not laughing at points in this has no sense of humour at all. Well done to cast and crew.

I'm not afraid to admit that this movie had its funny parts. That being said, this movie was a one star film, I give it two because of the beauty pageant scene, which was really the only moment when I laughed out loud. I almost walked out multiple times. Anyone who watches this and actually thinks it's worth giving 3+ stars are part of what is wrong with this country and will eventually be its downfall. It's a JACKASS movie. The TV show and three movies together couldn't equal a 7 star rating! It's not just because I am not a huge Jackass fan, but also because I'm concerned for America, and generally, the world. All I have to say in closing is that "Idiocracy" is coming true and it's NOT a good thing. Grow up, America.

Bad Grandpa (2013)

**** (out of 4)

Johnny Knoxville dresses up as old man Irving Zisman and takes a trip from Nebraska to North Carolina to take his grandson (Jackson Nicoll) back to his real father. BAD GRANDPA comes from the JACKASS team and while I did enjoy the show and the three previous films, all of them simply wore out their welcome after a while but that's certainly not the case with this film. I'm not going to go into great detail about the various pranks in the film because it's best to go in without knowing too many of them. I will say that this here doesn't resort to physical violence all that much, although there are a couple examples. The main focus is just this weird old man who puts his grandson into all sorts of bad situations and usually makes them worse. I think the film is remarkably funny and I'd probably call it one of the funniest films I've seen in a very long time. Again, I'm not a JACKASS die-hard but even if you hate that show you'll simply fall for the variety of dirty humor here. We get stuff dealing with the old man's sex life, his dead wife, various scenes of him playing drunk and causing trouble and of course there are some of the moments that everyone saw in the trailer like the beauty pageant. Why four stars? Why not? The film really is a laugh riot from the opening scene to the very last one and a lot of credit has to go to Knoxville and the various writers. What really makes this film work is a little "story" built around all the jokes about this grandfather coming closer to his grandson. It's oh-so-silly but that's the point. The various situations the two find themselves in are certainly the highlight of the picture as we get some downright shocking scenes. There are even moments that you'll see coming from a mile away but then you'll get a twist that will just have tears running down your face. BAD GRANDPA certainly earns its R-rating but it's also one of the funniest films in a very long time.

Over the years the often brilliant, albeit diabolical, television series of Jackass has branched out into the world of cinema and brought us feature length versions of the television shows. These had no story, no coherent narrative and gave us characters you would only know if you had watched the series. We allowed this however. Jackass fans were more than happy to witness these crazy stunts and pranks on the big screen and the box office returns proved that. Now though the Jackass crew's leader, Daddy Jackass, Johnny Knoxville has gone alone using one of the television show's funniest creations, Irving Zisman, the crudest Grandfather you will ever meet. Much like Sacha Baron Cohen did with Borat, Knoxville has taken a supporting character from an existing show and attempted to place a story around him, however unlike Borat this falls very flat on its face.

The main premise here is that Irving is asked to transport his grandson Billy cross country and deliver him to his selfish father after Billy's mother is told she is going to jail. What ensues is a relationship between grandfather and grandson interspersed with pointless pranks and rip-offs of previously done sketches.

What Bad Grandpa fails to accept is that it isn't a cinematic creation. The story is too weak and the funny moments have nothing to do with the narrative. These elements are there to shock but where Borat achieved greatness doing this Bad Grandpa falters as it divulges into crudity. Borat was funny as it enticed unsuspecting Americans into showing their true colours, all the while linking to Borat's journey in comparing the U, S of A to Kazakhstan. The audience were in on the joke and political elements were raised. Here however we witness Irving jam his penis into a vending machine and a shart that Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be proud of. The best jokes Knoxville and Tremaine have written have either been done before or are irrelevant to the story.

Bad Grandpa however does have its moments. There were times when the audience were in uproar, as was I. This doesn't however mean it worked as a story. This should have remained as a sketch show and the comedy moments would have created a very funny show. Instead attempting to transfer to the big screen the creators have highlighted how this character can't carry a story and should have been left to shock unsuspecting citizens with his antics on the small screen only.

Another comedy film whose comedy moments are surplus to the story it is telling is Ted but with Ted the characters were likable and enjoyable. Tremaine and Knoxville on the other hand ask us to side with a man who cons two removal men to move his dead wife as she is too heavy for him. Irving is a difficult man to like or enjoy being in his company.

The gags can be fun and at time laughter poured through the cinema but through the camera work it was obvious which frames were to be set-ups and which were to stitch together the weak plot. If the camera was in the car the shot was crystal clear and the dialogue tried to show emotional change in the characters. If it was in a public place the image was grainy and involved a ridiculous situation that somebody transporting a family member across the country would never get themselves into.

Jackass is a fantastic creation. It isn't everyone's cup of tea but it pushed boundaries and people enjoyed to watch. Unfortunately that show appears to have run out of steam and this branch off movie isn't good enough to carry the Jackass name. It may carry the names of the director and one of its stars but the shocking scenarios do not live up to what they have once achieved.

A few fart gags aside this drops like wind in an elevator. The weak story feels an afterthought in order to stitch together pre-planned jokes and some of the scenarios we have all seen before, especially the climax which is completely ripped off from Little Miss Sunshine, only in Little Miss Sunshine it had meaning. What we are left with here is an excuse for Knoxville to don an old suit and swing his balls to and fro. Made for TV perhaps but films like this shouldn't grace the big screen.

Time to talk about Jackass presents: Bad Grandpa. Is this basically Jackass with a plot? Yeah, pretty much. Is that a good or bad thing? We'll do a little pros and cons:

Pros:

* This is pretty damn funny. Johnny Knoxville + hidden cameras = easy fun. If you're a Jackass fan, it's up your alley.

* Jackson Nicoll nearly steals the show as young Billy. I wonder if he had an earpiece on in his scenes, with someone telling him what to say...because if it was all him, that's a pretty damn clever kid.

* The attempt to have a coherent plot never really gets in the way of any of the fun.

Cons:

* While the movie is fun, it never quite achieves the level of fun as any of its Jackass predecessors.

* A major problem is the fact that the trailer gave away the best part of the movie. The pageant scene is by far the funniest scene of the movie, but if you've seen any commercials for this thing, then you've already seen it.

* The movie clocks in at 90 minutes, and it flies by. Couldn't they have squeezed a scene or two more into this?

Overall, this was a fun time, but slightly disappointing in it's short length and failure to provide any bigger laughs than the highlight pageant that was shown in the trailers. Bad Grandpa scores a 3 out of 5 on the BDBOS.

(Hey guys, thanks for checking out my review. And thanks for being so sexy. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to look as good as you do, but damn, you pull it off. Did you do something different with your hair? It looks amazing. Wanna grab a drink tonight? We can talk movies, I can show you my humble little movie page (facebook.com/TheBDBOS), whatever you like. Sounds good? Cool. I'll pick you up at 7. See you then.)

Johnny Knoxville has made a name for himself by destroying his body and making countless fans die laughing in the process. His fearless motive and hilarious stunt attempts made him a star. Now while Bad Grandpa does carry the Jackass name, make no mistake, this is not your average Jackass film.

Now what was stated above overall hurt and helped the film in different ways. Right off the start you can tell that this isn't going to be 90 minutes of 9 or 10 guys continuously beating themselves to a pulp in the most insane ways imaginable. Bad Grandpa tries to deliver an actual story, in the best way a movie like this can. The hilarious Irving Zisman, who we saw in previous Jackass films as a spin-off character, gets his own full length film where he has to take his grandson across the country and deliver him to his father. The story is as straight forward and dumbed down as a movie can get and it slows the movie down from what it's really about, and that's making the audience laugh. While this is an interesting new take on a Jackass movie, it's structure ultimately fails in delivering any sort of extra spice to the movie.

Despite the movie being hampered down by its own narrative, Bad Grandpa still finds ways to get laughs from the viewers. Again, this isn't the bruise wearing Johnny Knoxville we all know. In Bad Grandpa, Knoxville and his 8 year-old grandson Billy, played by youngster Jackson Nicoll, get the laughs from absurd behavior, creating immensely uncomfortable situations and causing America's public to second guess how crazy someone can be. Real life people and situations create some preposterous moments and Knoxville uses his wit and inappropriate words to make a dirty and funny 86 year-old character. By in large, the movie succeeds in being an overall funny movie, just in a different way than its predecessors. There are times, however, that the comedy falls on its face. At times I was left not finding some of the material funny, especially in situations where the movie goes too over-the-top. It was in the subtle moments where I found some of the biggest laughs, and when the movie was trying too hard to get people to laugh, the movie became a tad dull.

Johnny Knoxville might not be the bizarre man everybody once knew, but in all honesty how long can someone do that for in the first place? Knoxville does a fine job in transferring into a more prominent acting role and young Jackson Nicoll also does a solid job on the big screen. Each character feeds off each other and the combination of an 86 year- old man and a 8 year-old child acting completely raunchy provides for some huge laughs.

While Bad Grandpa isn't your ordinary Jackass movie it still does the name justice. There may be an awful plot, some dull moments and a lack of true structure, but Bad Grandpa is still an extravaganza of absurd behavior and wildly inappropriate yet hilarious humor, and after all, that's what Jackass is made for; to make the audience laugh.

7/10

Despite all its low brow humor and childish gags Bad Grandpa is by far one of the funniest and seriously ingenious comedies of the year and when watched with the right mindset will be a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes at the movies.

Played by a worryingly good Johnny Knoxville Irving Zisman is the titular bad grandpa, a man set upon every women he sees and a man that finds himself in many a hilarious situation. Whether Irving is at a bingo center, diner or postal office Johnny Knoxville inhabits him wholly and completely that one forgets we are watching a pretend old man. It must be said also that some of the film's most quiet and funny moments come from Knoxville merely waltzing about town in full old man get up, waving and traipsing about his business as passer byes are none the wiser. Knoxville's strong inhabitation of Irving however would have been wasted if his grandson weren't such a mischievous delight as well.

As played by child actor Jackson Nicholl Irving's grandson Billy is the perfect foil for the antics the film sets up and Nicholl displays a rare ability for a child to think on a whim and more than once he will have you laughing hysterically with his verbal comebacks or physical comedy (A highlight being the trailer centerpiece and films ace up the sleeve beauty pageant routine). It's good to see Jackass stalwart and co-creator Jeff Tremaine handle both the situations and actors so well and one senses that this creation will set forward more projects under the similar vein of real life candid cameras mixed with a anchoring plot line.

Obviously not for everyone and more likely to offended than not Bad Grandpa is still a must see for all comedy fans and even if Jackass is not your usual cup of lime juice Bad Grandpa offers up a welcome deviation from the usual Jackass presentations and a showpiece for just how funny Knoxville is when given the right material.

4 knocked over penguins out of 5

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I laughed my ass off! Amazing character transformation. Crude content! It is "R" rated!!

This pseudo-movie is a weary fart in your face, uninspired and lame, a badly contrived succession of predominantly stupid, boring pranks that fail to entertain unless you're maybe 13 years old. I had very low expectations before I saw this and nevertheless I was disappointed afterwards for I felt that Knoxville gave away too much potential considering that the funniest scene - the "Little Miss Sunshine" spoof - had repeatedly been shown in the trailer. The little, chubby sidekick had one or two good moments, nothing of any real interest.

"Bad Grandpa" is certainly the weakest installment in the "Jackass"-franchise, lacking all the crazy, painful stunts that made it so popular, and definitely it is a total waste of money and time. I can imagine that it would be almost good enough for a DVD evening at home with friends and a considerable amount of alcohol but the big theater screen is undoubtedly to big for such a crap. If you want to watch a really funny and smart hidden camera comedy then "Bruno" or "Borat" by Sacha Baron Cohen are the best ones to choose.