jackass: the movie

Here's a quick quiz that might help you gauge whether you would enjoy "jackass: the movie."

Do you find the following scenarios at all amusing?

• People having their extremities and private parts hit, electrocuted or bitten.

• Acts of vandalism and wanton disregard for the safety of others.

• Dwarfs and the obese as objects of ridicule.

• People vomiting, urinating and defecating in public places.

If you answered yes to more than one of the above, then this series of celluloid pranks and stunts was made for you.

Otherwise, you'll find yourself among the many who will find "jackass: the movie" to be possibly the most irresponsible picture ever released by a major film studio.

Actually, the biggest question here may be how the MPAA let the film slip by with an R rating. Despite many editing cuts that were imposed by the studio to reduce the rating from the kiss-of-death NC-17, the movie still deserves a harsher restriction.

That said, it should be noted that the big-screen "jackass" does have a few moments of cleverness, including a series of gags on a golf course and a rental-car "crash-up derby."

While it is a concept that can at least be tolerated — to some small degree — in 30-minute intervals on television, 80 minutes on the big screen is simply too much.

Also, there are many more bits that fall flat — particularly the mean-spirited jokes at the expense of Bam Margera's unfortunate parents and the repulsive toilet-humor scenes.

"Jackass: the movie" is rated R for scenes of "comic" violence (including beatings, animal attacks and outright vandalism), frequent use of strong sex-related profanity, full male nudity, crude gags involving bodily functions, graphic gore (a head wound) and brief drug content (use of anesthetics). Running time: 80 minutes.

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