Action Point review by Bobby Blakey
There is no denying that the guys from Jackass gave everything they had to entertain us for years. One of the biggest break stars from the franchise was that of Johnny Knoxville who has gone onto not only star with some big hitters in Hollywood including Dwayne Johnson and Jackie Chan, but also headlining his own features such as Bad Grandpa. Now he is back again with yet another stunt filled feature called Action Point co-starring Chris Pontius, Dan Bakkedahl, Matt Schulze, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Johnny Pemberton, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Joshua Hoover, Conner McVicker, and Eric Manaka, but does it bring the laughs or will it be a stunt that goes wrong?
Action Point follows D.C., the crackpot owner of a low-rent, out-of-control amusement park where the rides are designed with minimum safety for maximum fun. Just as D.C.’s estranged teenage daughter Boogie comes to visit, a corporate mega-park opens nearby and jeopardizes the future of Action Point. To save his beloved theme park and his relationship with his daughter, D.C. and his loony crew of misfits risk everything to pull out all the stops. From the moment the film started you can already tell that they were trying to do something different than Knoxville’s other outings in Jackass and Bad Grandpa while still keeping that essence intact. The story is simple enough and has a vibe like the 80s summer camp films, but as a whole is a bit hit and miss.
Make no mistake there are some funny moments and heart wrapped up in this stunt filled flick, but it also struggles to find balance between the gags and story. Part of the issue with trying to incorporate the painful fun is that it sometimes takes all the focus away from the story they are trying to tell and often times feels like it is just there for that moment. As great and often painful looking as they were I was surprised that they were forced as front and center. A lot of them are in the back grounds or in montages as it sets up for something else. Knoxville is perfect in the role and clearly loves what he does as he always gives everything to
the part in both performance and physicality. Fellow Jackass star Chris Pontius steals the show more often than not with his strange wacky character.
I was surprised that there weren’t as many laugh out loud moments that I was expecting with the comedy actually pretty tame. They never really pushed the overall limits with the laughs and allowed it to just be a silly comedy wrapped in a family film that often times crashes head first into the ground on purpose. I enjoyed the film, but it will be one that will likely connect more with the Jackass fan base and those that just love the old summer camp movies like Meatballs.
This release not only includes the film but also bonus content including deleted and extended scenes, bloopers, and featurettes taking you behind bringing this film to life. Join in on the theme park fun and check out Action Point available now on Digital, Blu-ray and DVD Paramount Home Entertainment.