“Bad Grandpa“ does not have the bite of “Borat,” but the movie still delivers plenty of funny moments to make it worth a watch.

Like the “Jackass“ films before it, “Bad Grandpa” is less like a movie and more like a series of pranks. The film still has a loose plot about the titular bad grandpa, Irving Zisman (Johnny Knoxville), taking his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) across the country to his deadbeat father.

Although the stunts and pranks are the main focus of the film, there are still plenty of scenes between Knoxville and Nicoll that really show the chemistry between them that holds the films slower moments together. The film is raunchy and outrageous, but the two main actors manage to make a good enough team not to be overshadowed by the films more wild moments. 

People put in these ridiculous situations go further than I think they would without Knoxville’s dirty charm as Irving Zisman. Nicoll also delivers on his own, and I was impressed with a lot of the one on one jokes he had between passing strangers. I am not sure if his lines were fed to him or if he was coming up with them himself, but either way he delivered them well.

The pranks succeeded at making me laugh most of the time, but a few missed their mark. There is some great makeup work being done, and Knoxville, like always, is willing to go far to commit to a bit. Within the first 10 minutes, Zisman has a romantic altercation with a vending machine that causes a wide range of reactions from passers-by. The stunts get pretty creative, especially when the makeup crew is used to their full potential. You are going to see some raunchy scenes, but nothing unexpected from a “Jackass” movie.

Although the film does not have the level of social commentary that “Borat” does, “Bad Grandpa” still says a lot about human nature. Most of the people pranked in the film are willing to help, even if the act is illegal removal of a dead body. The final scene at a child’s beauty pageant also makes for some good social commentary, especially during the short interviews with the contestants mothers.

In its entirety, “Bad Grandpa” was funny with a surprising amount of heart for a film where an old man throws dollar bills at a 8-year-old boy in drag. The film does not always hit its marks, but when it does, it does it well.

3/5