Do not watch the trailer for bad Grandpa. I've even taken away the temptation by replacing the trailer above with a video of a basket of kittens. If you're one of the lucky 10 people in the world that haven't seen the trailer you're in for one of the funniest films of the year. If you have seen the trailer- you've basically seen about 80% of the film.
Bad Grandpa is funny and in many parts side-splittingly so. The stunts the Jackass team have dreamt up are hilarious and seeing people's reactions had me laughing out loud minutes after the scene had ended. There's not a single stunt that falls flat and there's never any slow-down in the laugh department.
Both Knoxville and the little boy have serious guts for getting themselves into the situations and there are times it's often too cringey to watch. It's certainly not the cleverest film in the world but it is an interesting look at America sometimes, how they just accept old people being hugely inappropriate as 'cooky old-person behaviour'. It also has an almost heart-warming story and the relationship between Knoxville and the child is quite sweet.
It is a bit odd at times as the film makers try to tell the story while also acting in the real world environment. I'm glad there is a small story about the boy getting back to his dad and that but it does feel a bit clunky and put-on. When you're watching the stunts it's funny because you're in on the joke- you know they're just actors. But to then be asked to believe them in their little moments of bonding doesn't feel right- it doesn't feel genuine.
The story is hardly why you came to see Bad Grandpa though and it doesn't take away from the laughs at all, just gives the film an extra element.
Now the main problem- if like most of the population you've seen the trailer for Bad Grandpa you know what is going to happen in every scene. The scene in the beauty pageant is the film's grand finale for god's sake- it's like putting a book's final chapter in the blurb. I found myself leaving the cinema feeling a little let down.
It's still hilarious though, even if you have seen a lot of the film already. It doesn't have the crazy shock value of the previous Jackass films but it's still outrageous. Ryan Dunn would be proud.
7/10
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