Review of Jackass 3D

If you have never seen Jackass before, let me enlighten you. Take a group of men of enduringly puerile persuasion, all of whom are old enough to know better, and set them to inflict mayhem on themselves and each other in a series of what Jackass itself refers to as "stunts" but which are a mixture of pranks, practical jokes, assaults, and elaborate mechanisms for causing pain and possible - probably, even - injury. Factor in a preoccupation with bodily functions and genitalia and voila - Jackass. Oh, and a key element is that after each episode of revolting, dangerous, disgusting mayhem which leaves one of the group damaged, in pain, humiliated (or all three) the rest of the group collapse in helpless laughter.

You know those party favours which squeak and extend when you blow into them? The 3D in Jackass 3D is used in order to have one of those extending to the camera lens. By virtue of someone expelling flatulence into the other end. And this is one of the more sophisticated episodes. Most are hardly repeatable in a public forum, and those that are repeatable involve things like mistreating midgets.

There is no story. No plot. No scripted dialogue (what dialogue there is is coarse). No subtlety. If you are easily disgusted you're going to hate it. If you're not easily disgusted you are still going to wince and want to look away quite often.

But, dear me, at its best it is very funny indeed. I laughed a lot, and felt ashamed every time I did.