What the hell?!

Jackass requires the viewer to enter the theater with an incredibly open mind.

The content of the film (if it can even be considered a film) consists entirely of sketches involving the Jackass crew hurting themselves, usually quite badly. And, as was the case with the short-lived TV show of the same name, some of these vignettes are absolutely hilarious - while others are just gross and/or tedious.

If you’ve ever seen the show, you should know exactly what to expect out of the movie.

Each bit is introduced by either Johnny Knoxville or one of his fellow jackasses (folks like Steve-O and Bam Margera, to name the two most prominent), with an often outrageous stunt to follow.

Now, a lot of these skits have no purpose except to shock the viewer, such as when one of the crew inserts a toy car the last place one should insert a toy car.

That wasn’t really funny as much as it was cringe-worthy, designed to provoke the audience into reacting either with shocked laughter or disgusted groans. Personally, the latter was applicable for us.

Having said that, there are a number of moments that are laugh-out-loud funny - such as when the gang heads to a golf course and proceeds to blow an air horn every time someone makes a swing - that tend to elicit laughs more often than most so-called comedies.

And even with the stunts that are more disgusting than anything else (the moment in which Johnny Knoxville receives paper cuts in the webbing of his feet and hands certainly falls into that category), the reaction of the audience makes even the sub-par bits amusing enough.

And that’s why it’s crucial, if you have any intention of ever watching Jackass, that you watch the film with a large-as-possible crowd.

We’re not entirely sure how well Jackass will work on home video, with complete and utter silence during the more extreme sketches.

Jackass clearly isn’t for everyone; the film is targeted towards a very specific audience and makes no apologies for it.

But if you’re willing to take it for what it is, Jackass is certainly one of the funniest movies of the year (albeit in a sporadic way).