ACTION POINT REVIEWED
“Action Point” is the kind of film they don’t make anymore. By that, I mean a kid targeted R rated movie that is loosely based on a real event. Interested? You should be wanting to head to Action Park after seeing the movie. That being said, I’m not shocked to learn that multiple people were injured or killed on the real attractions. How does something like a real world Krustyland come to be and why did it make for an excellent fictionalized film? Well, I don’t explain magic tricks….I just burn the magicians that conjure them.
The film suffers because you can tell that Johnny Knoxville and Chris Pontius want another Jackass outing. What this film achieves is mixing Jackass level stunts with a rather friendly story about misfits living realistic lives. Some are crude, rude and generally don’t act like your typical teenage jerks from your average summer feature. These are rough and tumble kids that might smoke or drink on the job. What makes it better is that Knoxville is their leader who keeps pushing them to make the park nuttier and the guests rowdier.
HOW LONG HAS ACTION POINT BEEN IN DEVELOPMENT?
When you look at the credits, it almost feels like Mike Judge and the King of the Hill team were crafting this movie into being some sort of amazing TV show. While I feel it might have worked better as an ongoing series, the immediacy of film kinda undercuts a lot of the action. You feel like you’re supposed to identify with Boogie more or get why DC keeps this park alive. But, the film races from jokes to dogs banging to Knoxville getting thrown around like a rag doll.
If you like the Knoxville style humor, you’re going to eat up everything this movie offers. However, if you’re expecting something like Adventureland, you’re going to be disappointed. Action Point plays like Hal Needham trying to make a Meatballs sequel. Given the nature of the Meatballs sequels, this film could’ve snuck into the mythos quite comfortably. Go out there and support Action Point this weekend. Don’t be one of those dorks that waits until Netflix or home video to act like you’re the first one to discover this film. When you support movies like this, you’re working to keep your 20 screen theater from just showing the same five movies on multiple screens.
FILM STATS
- R
- 1 hr and 25 mins
- Paramount
This Article was mentioned on andersonvision.com