This is going to be by far the most ridiculous sounding review I ever write. Not because I loved Jackass 3D, but the reason I loved it. My enjoyment did not come from the ridiculous stunts and rude humor (though they were hilarious), but for something else. I can't even believe I'm going to say this, but it was deep. This was more than just a series of short pranks and men tempting darwin. This film is comradery personified. It is an up close and intimate look at friendship through the ages.
Let me paint this on a broader canvas. Jackass initially starts as any other entry in the series (albeit in 3D). Each and every gag elicits the same reaction: They vaguely set up what is going to happen (or in some cases jump right into the gag). At this point you figure out what is going to happen before the impact or action, you cringe, gasp, then laugh. The process is almost exhausting, but a movie where you get tired from laughing? I'd call that a success of a comedy.
Throughout the film you will see these men destroy their bodies (and minds) for our entertainment. At face value it's funny, but there is something behind all this. When the movie opened Johnny Knoxville introduced it in the usual fashion. The first thing I noticed was how much older he looked. Granted, I didn't watch the show very often while it was on because I didn't have cable, I still caught it enough. Toward the end of the movie Knoxville makes a comment about doing this for 10 years, and that's when it hit me.
A decade later and these guys are still the best of friends, even though they constantly torture each other. Jackass 3D is a testament to those friendships, perhaps like the ones you had back in high school, or elementary school, or maybe it speaks to you now. That, for the most part, is what I was thinking about as the credits rolled. I thought about my best friend Jake who is now married, living in North Carolina, and working for Uncle Sam. I thought of talks about Metal Gear Solid 2 with 'nextgenps2'. My first date with my wife at Yogurt Land. Hanging out in my friends garage till 4am. All of these things came to mind because of this film, it certainly is an odd power, but Jackass 3D wields it elegantly. The credits roll to early footage of the Jackass gang, some stuff before the series even made it on TV, all to the catchy tune "Memories" by Weezer (I tried to find the version from the film, but the video below is actually the 'official' music video, not the one from the credits).
Yes, Jackass 3D is a raunchy comedy, which I usually don't buy into. Then again, raunchy comedies are almost never this good. From the very beginning you get the feeling that the cast is reuniting after some time apart, and realizing that the best times they had were together (even if they constantly need to protect their *ahem* family jewels around each other). I've never really had a friendship like that in particular (the kind that hurt each other for laughs), personally I avoid pain, but just because I never had a group of friends like that I didn't feel alienated or out of touch with the cast. These guys genuinely care about each other and that's what shines through. That is how this movie succeeds where so many others fumble, the relationships.
So there you have it. In my opinion Jackass 3D will probably be one of the best films of the year, and it seems like a fitting farewell to this cast of characters we grew up with. A decade ago these guys picked up a camera and did something stupid that ended up being funny. They stuck with that formula and it still works to this day. Now 10 years later they are older, and perhaps wiser, but with only a faint wink and nod to the camera, they don't like to show it.
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