JACKASS NUMBER TWO / Jeff Tremaine (2006)

September 22nd, 2006 by Scott Marks

Jeff Tremaine’s JACKASS NUMBER 2

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Jackass Number Two (2006)

Directed by: Jeff Tremaine

Written by: Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze

Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn, Jason Acuña, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Jess Margera, Brandon Dicamillo, Mat Hoffman, Tony Hawk, Mark Zupan, Jeff Tremaine

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Genres: Documentary, Comedy

Running Time: 99 min.

Rating:

Several years after sound robbed him of his career, Buster Keaton visited his doctor in excruciating pain. After consulting his X-rays, the doctor asked Keaton when he broke his neck. “Never,” was Buster’s reply.

It seems that midway through filming the astonishing Sherlock, Jr., a powerful spray from a water tower nozzle he was hanging from propelled the daredevil twenty feet to the train tracks below. He called an end to the day’s shooting, but was back on set the next morning completely unaware of his injury.

Why am I mentioning the cinema’s single greatest source of comedic invention in the same space as these 21st Century homoerotic Stooges? Not since the Great Stone Face (and later Jackie Chan) have performers literally broken their bones to fracture an audience. The boys even pay homage to Buster when Johnny Knoxville recreates the famous collapsing house gag from Steamboat Bill, Jr.

Of course the similarities stop here. The only thing the Jackass boys have in common with Keaton and Chan’s meticulously executed frames is that they all eventually run through a projector. Keaton slaved over timing and execution, using surveyor’s equipment to map out some of his more elaborate gags. All Steve-O has to do for a laugh is staple his nutsack to his inner thigh.

People were stunned by the success of Jackass: The Movie. Pop culture is currently stuck in a reality TV mode, and it doesn’t get more real than this. I was the first kid on the block to discover the MTV series (stuff like this finds me). I even went so far as researching one of the show’s rude progenitors. Jackass is a kinder, gentler form of Bam Margera’s supremely mean-spirited CKY (Camp Kill Yourself) videos. Four DVD volumes exist. Get to work!

How fitting that John Waters has a cameo, for not since Divine smiled at the camera with dogsh*t covering her teeth has my gag reflex kicked in during a movie. Even with a black bar slapped over it, probably to prevent an NC-17 rating, the sight of a man sipping from a cup of fresh hot horse jism literally found me retching with laughter.

The last thing I want to do is give away too many of the hilarious gross out gags. If you liked the first installment, this is one sequel that never disappoints.