Bad Grandpa

November 24, 2013

I only hesitate to crown Bad Grandpa the funniest film of 2013 because Anchorman 2 hasn’t come out yet and judging from the trailer, I’ll be sharting myself laughing.

Not that I shouldn’t have worn Depends to see Bad Grandpa – it would’ve been a good idea. Better safe than sharty, I always say. (Although now that I think about it, it’s likely that our pre-movie sushi stop may have caused that sharty feeling – not the hysterical laughter.) Nevertheless, I had better bowel control than poor Irving…and now I’ve said too much. Is it a spoiler to mention that one of the Jackass movies contains sharting? I say no – that’s like saying that a Twilight movie contains meaningful staring…it’s a foregone conclusion.

I didn’t realize it before I saw it, but Bad Grandpa is really Jackass 4…except instead of all the guys from the show doing stunts, it’s just Johnny Knoxville’s dirty old man character, Irving Zissman, doing stunts. I am inclined to describe each and every stunt in detail, but that would take the fun out of watching them unfold. I will say that although the trailer included the very best stunt – the Cherry Pie scene – you might find yourself assuming that a cross-dressing 9 year old stripper is the most offensive thing that Knoxville had to offer…and you would be wrong. So, so wrong.

Bad Grandpa is structured like Borat. The plot is loosely held together by a string of uncomfortable Candid Camera/Punk’d scenes, played out on an unsuspecting public. It’s telling that the scenes take place while traveling from Nebraska to North Carolina – the boring middle part of America. I’m not saying that the people in those states are stupid, but maybe just less likely to get violent. Imagine a film documenting a trip from Texas to Florida – Knoxville wouldn’t have made it halfway across Texas without losing a few teeth, getting shot or both. And Florida…don’t get me started on those crazy fucks down in Florida.

Please, please, PLEASE go see Bad Grandpa…but don’t forget to wear a diaper.