Crew takes stunts to a new dimension

Ten years after the birth of Jackass on MTV, the affable stuntmen are now gearing up for the release of their third theatrical release, Jackass 3D, which hits theaters today. Similar to the previous two installments, this documentary-style threequel is packed with 90 minutes of crude, dangerous and hilarious stunts with one exception — it’s in 3-D.

High five · Among the film’s many painful and hilarious jokes is a contraption shaped like a giant hand, that, when triggered, swings around the corner of hallway and right into one unsuspecting victim. - Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

This time around the Jackass guys took advantage of the studio’s deep pockets and had a 3-D phantom camera made just for them. The first of its kind, the camera shoots at a significantly high rate of frames per second, allowing viewers to watch the daredevils suffer painful genital injuries in some of the most sublime slow-motion sequences known to film.

In a recent interview, the film’s director Jeff Tremaine expressed delight over the film’s 3-D results.

“It feels like you’re right in the middle of a stunt or prank with us. It really elevated the movie to a whole other level,” he said. “Like, this bit, ‘The Beehive Tetherball,’ we’re playing tetherball with a beehive, and it feels like 50,000 bees are swarming around the theater or around your head.”

Although the 3-D technology certainly enhances the audiences’ theatrical experience of the film, it wasn’t used as a crutch in substitution of comedic material. As ringleader Johnny Knoxville said, “We wrote ideas that had to be funny in 2-D first. That was kind of the rule.”

Perhaps that is the reason why this film raises the bar for comedic stunts — even by Jackass standards. The guys fearlessly — and recklessly — find themselves in physically outrageous situations not much different from what you might expect to happen to Wile E. Coyote in an episode of Looney Tunes.

Speaking of cartoons, Knoxville cited animated shows, such as Tom and Jerry, as inspiration for many of his extreme cinematic ideas.

“I think sometimes Knoxville gets confused that life isn’t a cartoon,” said Jackass’ co-creator and producer Spike Jonze in an interview with The New York Times.

In one of the many memorable scenes, Knoxville, clad in a chic tuxedo, rides a jet ski off a ramp, crashing through a sturdy fence, only to walk off laughing. Although most people neither have the audacity nor the desire to perform stunts such as this, Knoxville and his friends seem to take pleasure in inflicting pain on themselves and each other. Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot more that’s entertaining to watch.

Before filming big stunts, Knoxville typically uses a ritual to help get himself mentally prepared.

“About 20 minutes before it’s on, I’ll just go sit and listen to my cousin’s music or other music,” he said. “And then when it’s on, I’ll say, ‘Just come pat me on the shoulder,’ and I’ll walk right in and do it.”

Although the musical retreat might help ease his mind, there isn’t much to help prepare for the physical wreckage the cast’s bodies suffer from performing these wild stunts.

In a scene called “The Invisible Man,” a colorfully painted Knoxville attempts to blend in with a backdrop decorated with a rainbow and sunshine while standing inside a bullring. Unsurprisingly, the stuntman gets rammed by an angry bull, causing him to flip 360 degrees in the air, only to break the fall with his neck.

As if that isn’t enough to make you wince and laugh cathartically at the same time, the rest of the movie is full of equally hilarious, yet shocking, feats.

In another notable scene, retired snowboarder Ehren McGhehey extracts his front tooth in an extremely unconventional manner — by replacing the dentist with a Lamborghini. McGhehey attaches his upper right lateral incisor to a durable string, also tied to the back of the blazing Italian sports car. The car accelerates down a strip of concrete, and after a moment of trepidation, the tooth to flies off instantaneously, leaving a bloodied mouth and a large dental gap.

Although McGhehey — like his comrades — has suffered many stunt-related injuries, he continues to take pleasure in what he does.

“I’ve had 16 surgeries, but I don’t regret any one of them,” McGhehey told MTV.

Although it might be difficult to intellectualize Jackass, let alone call it art, it is certainly refreshing to see such a tight-knit group of friends perform hilarious physical comedy, and most importantly, have fun while doing it.

If you appreciate visual gags, Jackass 3D is at the least undeniably funny and at the most, a reawakening of your inner child.