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This movie is exactly like the TV show, just longer. The guys complete various dangerous stunts (40 total), and incoherently patch them all together into an 84-minute human train wreck. And once again, one is left with only a select handful that actually makes you laugh hard, the rest falling flat. This is cheap schlock all the way, but that is what fans like me damn well expect. (Of course, that's where the beauty of DVD comes in - you can just skip to the next scene.)

For the record, the gross-out stunts are really the least entertaining to me. When the guys swallow disgusting things then puke, there's really no spontaneity or humor to it. It is the pranks and stunts that kind of grow out of control that are the ones that had me laughing so hard tears literally rolled down my cheeks. Chapter 19 ("Rocket Skates") and Chapter 5 ("Golf Cart Antics") were totally hysterical, and a couple of the "additional scenes" featuring a fat guy in a mermaid suit and a guy's mustard-phobic reaction after being covered in condiment had me absolutely bellowing.

But probably the strangest and most fascinating thing about Jackass is that the cast, including, Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Steve-o, Dave England, Ryan Dunn, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Preston Lacy and Ehren McGhehey, all seem past the point of feeling any humiliation. In fact, it's almost as if they have more of a bring-it-on attitude to the humiliation than the stunts themselves. Armchair therapists, here's a movie to keep you preoccupied for days. Between a guy shaving "fat fuck" on the back of his head, then eating and puking a yellow snow cone (use your imagination), to an idiot scaling a rope over alligators, baiting them with chicken meat then hanging from a butt strap, these guys are just insane. One wonders what motivates them to degrade themselves in such a way... is it really just the money?

Despite the infamous opening warning (due to lawsuits, I'm sure) - "The stunts in this movie were performed by professionals, so neither you, nor your dumb buddies should attempt anything from this movie" - one thing remains clear. These guys are only "professionals" because they are being paid. It's not because they have any actual experience, which is the key to the humor. That these guys are smart enough (or dumb enough?) to know that they are indeed out of their league makes it work. Guess that is the very definition of a jackass?

A film that is virtually critic- proof, I can't say Jackass is a particularly good movie movie, There is nothing really different about movie version than some harsh language and (gasp) male butt cracks. That's about it. And the planned finale doesn't pan very well, so this film's "ending" as such is weak (although you can see it fleshed out in the supplements). Yet Jackass remains a strange, compelling document of our times and culture. Fans of the show, however, won't need any sort of incentive to go out and buy or rent this thing. So now I'm just gonna go and eat my shorts, puke them up, then film it and post it all over the Internet.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film is presented in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio and is anamorphically encoded. The picture quality is better than the MTV series, that is for sure. The first scene of the guys recklessly accelerating down a hill in a grocery cart, exactly as seen on the cover, is the most film-like shot in the movie, with richer color saturation, sharper images and generally fine detail. But it is a ruse, a gag to make everyone think that the show had "sold out" and gone to the big screen. Gotcha!

After that, it's back to the good 'ole handy-cam, but it still looks better than the television show. Overall, when the camera's steady, colors are quite solid. (When the sun is behind the cameraman, colors are almost... vibrant!) Some night scenes, however, especially chapter 8 ("Fireworks Wake-Up") and chapter 19 ("Rocket Skates" - don't miss it) are very grainy and lacking in even adequate detail. As with the prior TV releases on DVD, here the quality is spotty depending on the scenario. But aside from a bit of edge enhancement and compression artifacts, this is a slight step up from the show, if still charmingly low-tech. And it is widescreen, which is always a plus.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The audio is presented here in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. Certainly, the dynamic range is a bit wider than you'll find on the show, at least with the sparse music, such as the opening guitar theme. Otherwise, this is not much more impressive than the previous TV DVD collections. On the plus side, dialogue is very clear, even when the guys are screaming, mumbling, or fighting. The music often utilizes the front soundstage well, with some bleed to the rears. However, the back surrounds don't have much presence, with only some added processed effects benefiting from any split activity. Despite being a true 5.1 mix, low end is usually lacking, though a few scenes with loud machines and cars spring to life. Not a great mix, but what did you expect?

An English 2.0 surround track is also included, along with English subtitles and Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

A healthy amount of supplements makes this one a cut above the previous Jackass TV sets. First up is a screen-specific audio commentary with director Jeff Tremaine, cinematographer Dimitry Elyashkevich, and actor, producer and writer Johnny Knoxville. The guys mostly talk about getting the film made, the difficulties with the stunts, traveling all over the place and some of the liberties taken on the big screen. The film obviously isn't great filmmaking, but some behind the scenes trivia still proves interesting. Of course they all give each other a hard time at every given opportunity, and their bickering is always entertaining in itself. Fans will love it. The second screen-specific audio commentary includes the whole cast, with even more behind the scenes trivia. I have to admit to laughing at some scenes I previously found dull e after learning what really went on setting it up. Surprisingly, the guys didn't talk over each other for the most part, though some of the cast seem to be kind of out of it. Still, a fun commentary.

Next up is the 24-minute MTV special The Making of Jackass the Movie. Steve-O sums the whole film up by saying it's a "quest for deep trouble." Too bad a making on this movie is rather weird, because half the film is "behind the scenes" anyway. And some of the camera guys had no apparent clue on how to operate actual film cameras, which gets annoying, but some of the outtakes are funny enough. Also squeezed in are even more stunts and some gags, such as the cast screaming in the faces of sleeping crew. Some separate interviews round it out, with the cast talking about the film and constantly mocking the fact that they are "creating something very important."

Outtakes is 7 minutes of the guys basically screwing up on their (minuscule) lines and getting the giggles. After this is 27 minutes of Additional Footage, comprising 11 more stunts that didn't make it into the film. I watched the whole thing via the convenient "Play All" function, and some are pretty funny, so this is one not to miss. Next are 9 different promo spots directed by a wounded family dog. These are again little stunts filmed in cheap video, and also provide some laughs.

Rounding up the supplements are some promotional items, including the film's theatrical trailer, cast and crew biographies and a still gallery with 9 photos and 10 posters. Last but not least are two music videos, "If You're Gonna Be Dumb" by Roger Alan Wade, which is mostly an acoustic performance and some film clips, and "We Want Fun" by Andrew W. K. Filmed at a nearly out of control "Jackass" party (finally some girls!), Andrew does kind of a live, metal screaming with his trashing band while the cast goes crazy with other patrons and lots of beer flowing. It's party time.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts