North Texas Daily

Freakishly funny. That’s probably the best way to describe stunt man and concussion enthusiast Johnny Knoxville’s newest movie, “Action Point.”

It’s a straight forward movie with a weak plot to service the iconic groin punches and the occasional stunt that inevitably sends one of the crew to the hospital, but it’s got a whole lot of heart. And while the plot is pretty weak, it manages to capture some really strong, if painfully brief moments of nostalgia, teen angst and regretful-ness as a father.

Johnny Knoxville plays D.C., an amusement park owner who’s struggling to keep his park afloat, all the while another park is trying their hardest to get his land. During this struggle, D.C. must also learn to be a better role model for his daughter, whom he sees only once a year.

Anytime you see Knoxville headlining a movie, you can expect pretty much the same thing every time: bodily harm, animals biting crotches and the crew just generally goofing off. While the “Jackass” franchise is over, it hasn’t stopped him from branching out into films constructed around those types of movies. “Bad Grandpa,” “The Ringer” and “Skiptrace” are by no means all that good by conventional grading scales, but they’ve all captured what “Jackass” did. You see a bunch of friends being too stupid for their own good and having a blast while they do it, albeit to a more tolerable degree that’s made for a fun, if pointless, outing.

While this movie is not much different from any of those, it occasionally breathes subtle nostalgic feelings through unexpectedly strong camera work. It still makes you care about the characters despite not being all that developed or well-written and harkens back to movies from the early 2000s. It’s just plain fun.

The stunts here are nothing new, but to be fair, it never gets old seeing Knoxville get punched in the head or kicked in the crotch. It’s all very predictable, but it’s almost always funny as Knoxville has a charm with this sort of thing. We’ve all grown up seeing him do it, and when the inevitable crotch punch comes, we chuckle and roll our eyes, wishing we didn’t love this guy as much as we do.

That being said, there are some really funny moments that involve wrangling a porcupine and being launched from a catapult into the side of a barn. God, we are truly blessed to say those things happen in the same movie.

While the performances are basically irrelevant in a Knoxville joint, I will say in the 15 years of watching his movies, he puts forth some rare moments of real emotion, vulnerability and honesty here. It’s not exactly Oscar-worthy, but it’s cool seeing him show a more dramatic side of himself. And then boom. Another kick to the crotch. Ah, it never gets old.

Chris Pontius, an original member of the “Jackass” crew, also has a pretty funny role, and it’s a shame we didn’t see some of the other guys from the gang make an appearance.

It’s hardly a must-see, but “Action Point” is undeniably fun. It doesn’t have a ham-fisted social message or much to say really, but I really enjoyed sitting there for the entirety of its 95-minute run time. While I hesitate to say we need more movies like this one, it’s a pleasant change of pace from all the universe-building and high stakes action of most summer blockbusters. Aaaaaand crotch punch. Classic.

My rating: 3/5

Featured Image: Courtesy “Action Point” Facebook