Went inadvertently blind to a new movie called Impractical Jokes: The Movie. I say inadvertently since I thought it was a different movie I’d seen a trailer for… one that was about practical jokes or candid camera type stuff. But that movie had a trailer before the one I saw… that was called Bad Trip… so I had no idea what this one was. Apparently I should have known who the Impractical Jokers are… they are a comedy troupe with at least six seasons of shows on tv. I’d never heard of them… pop culture sometimes passes me by.
So the movie is about the four New York guys from the troupe taking a road trip to Miami to see Paula Abdul in concert. Since they only got three passes for four people, they agree to perform and film different practical jokes to see who loses and doesn’t get a ticket. It’s a plot the guys in the movie clearly identify to the audience as just a dumb excuse for a bunch of gags…
So I watched the movie slowly putting together what kind of stunts and skits they pull off. Something a fan of theirs understands going in. Took me some time to realize, for instance, that the goal of the show isn’t necessarily to fool the public (like in most practical joke/candid camera type shows), but to force the guy doing the stunt to break. One guy goes out to perform the act with the public while the other three watch on camera and give him lines to say, the more ridiculous the better.
I had to face it watching the flick… I’m not the intended demographic for this movie. One probably shouldn’t be expected to catch up and over-analyze this nonsense on the go. So take my opinion for the garbage it is, I guess? If you like this group, this movie is for you.
I thought the majority of this movie was kind of worthless and unfunny. I didn’t find their stunts and skits amusing and I didn’t (for a while) “get” the premise. But once I got into its groove, I actually did wind up laughing at two of the bits. Not a lot, but enough to raise my appreciation for the work a bit. But that doesn’t excuse how bad and unfunny I thought the between-skit comedy routines were… things that are allegedly part of the actual plot of the movie. Maybe a better familiarity with the four guys and their history would have solved that.
Oh, and hey, they did rope Paula Abdul into the movie. And Jaden Smith who seemed to be in on the jokes. And Joey Fatone for one random scene. Yay?
Score: 71