Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Movie · 2013 · Comedy · 1h 32m · R · English
Curator score: 1.6/10 (170.4K ratings)
Tagline: Real people. Real reactions. Real messed up.
86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 1.6/10
- IMDb: 6.5/10
- Letterboxd: 2.83/5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
- Metacritic: 54
- TMDB: 6.2/10
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Production: Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Dickhouse Productions
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Georgina Cates, Catherine Keener, Spike Jonze, Kamber Hejlik, Grasie Mercedes, Jack Polick, Zia Harris, Jill Killington, Madison Davis, George Faughnan, Marilynn Allain, Christopher Smiley
Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict: A crude, often very funny hidden-camera comedy that works best when it commits fully to its absurd old-man persona and lets the kid react straight-faced. The loose story is mostly a delivery system for shocks and pranks, so the mileage depends on your tolerance for gross-out humor and staged chaos.
Best for: fans of gross-out and prank comedy; viewers who liked the Jackass style of humiliation humor; people who enjoy straight-faced child performances against absurd adults; audiences looking for a lowbrow, high-energy crowd-pleaser
Skip if: you dislike bodily-function jokes or public-prank comedy; you want a tight, character-driven narrative; you prefer comedy with emotional warmth over shock value; you were put off by Borat-style hidden-camera setups
Overview: Bad Grandpa is basically a feature-length excuse to turn public spaces into a prank lab, and it knows exactly what kind of movie it is. The best bits are the ones that lean hard into Johnny Knoxville’s commitment and Jackson Nicoll’s deadpan timing, which gives the chaos a weird, almost sweet center.
Worth noting: The film is funniest when it stays loose and lets the gags breathe. When it tries to force a road-movie plot around the pranks, the momentum dips and the whole thing feels a little manufactured. Still, the set pieces are memorable, and the movie has enough fearless stupidity to earn its laughs.
Bottom line: If you’re already on board for Jackass-adjacent humiliation comedy, this is an easy watch. If you need wit, structure, or anything remotely tasteful, it’s probably a pass.
Top Letterboxd reviews:
- Bryan Espitia: Look it’s stupid but projectile sharting onto a wall will always be funny as hell, sorry
- Evan: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Yes, I'm immature. And I don't care. I cried from laughter more than once.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
- Zoe: the kid should've won an oscar for this
- Matt Singer: I got impatient waiting for Jackass Forever, and the main Jackass movies aren’t streaming right now, so I went for another serving of Irving.
- 🎞️📼Spencer💿📺: The single clap at the pageant! That had me rolling🤣
Recommended similar titles:
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006 · Comedy · 1h 24m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2020 · Comedy · 1h 36m · R · Curator 3.9/10 (631.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads)
More social ambush comedy with a similar interest in how strangers respond to outrageous behavior.
- The Campaign (2012 · Comedy · 1h 25m · R · Curator 1.4/10 (142.9K ratings))
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- Due Date (2010 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 35m · R · Curator 1.5/10 (569.8K ratings))
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- Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987 · Comedy · 1h 32m · R · Curator 6.9/10 (445K ratings))
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- Me, Myself & Irene (2000 · Comedy · 1h 57m · R · Curator 2.1/10 (409.9K ratings))
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- Dumb and Dumber To (2014 · Comedy · 1h 50m · PG-13 · Curator 0.3/10 (156.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- The Hangover (2009 · Comedy · 1h 40m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV)
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- Bad Santa (2003 · Drama, Comedy, Crime · 1h 32m · R · Curator 3.7/10 (291.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Little Miss Sunshine (2006 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 42m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads)
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- The Dictator (2012 · Comedy · 1h 23m · R · Curator 1.9/10 (854.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential)
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Topics: prank comedy, gross-out, hidden camera, road movie, raunchy humor, deadpan, 2010s comedy, humiliation, buddy comedy, shock comedy
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/movie/jackass-presents-bad-grandpa/208134
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013)
Movie · 2013 · Comedy · 1h 32m · R · English
Curator score: 1.6/10 (170.4K ratings)
Real people. Real reactions. Real messed up.
Overview 86-year-old Irving Zisman is on a journey across America with the most unlikely companion: his 8 year-old grandson, Billy.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.6/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 2.83/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 6.2/10
Production Paramount Pictures, MTV Films, Dickhouse Productions
Cast Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll, Georgina Cates, Catherine Keener, Spike Jonze, Kamber Hejlik, Grasie Mercedes, Jack Polick, Zia Harris, Jill Killington, Madison Davis, George Faughnan, Marilynn Allain, Christopher Smiley
Where to watch fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A crude, often very funny hidden-camera comedy that works best when it commits fully to its absurd old-man persona and lets the kid react straight-faced. The loose story is mostly a delivery system for shocks and pranks, so the mileage depends on your tolerance for gross-out humor and staged chaos.
Best for
fans of gross-out and prank comedy
viewers who liked the Jackass style of humiliation humor
people who enjoy straight-faced child performances against absurd adults
audiences looking for a lowbrow, high-energy crowd-pleaser
Skip if
you dislike bodily-function jokes or public-prank comedy
you want a tight, character-driven narrative
you prefer comedy with emotional warmth over shock value
you were put off by Borat-style hidden-camera setups
Overview
Bad Grandpa is basically a feature-length excuse to turn public spaces into a prank lab, and it knows exactly what kind of movie it is. The best bits are the ones that lean hard into Johnny Knoxville’s commitment and Jackson Nicoll’s deadpan timing, which gives the chaos a weird, almost sweet center.
Worth noting
The film is funniest when it stays loose and lets the gags breathe. When it tries to force a road-movie plot around the pranks, the momentum dips and the whole thing feels a little manufactured. Still, the set pieces are memorable, and the movie has enough fearless stupidity to earn its laughs.
Bottom line
If you’re already on board for Jackass-adjacent humiliation comedy, this is an easy watch. If you need wit, structure, or anything remotely tasteful, it’s probably a pass.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Bryan Espitia (3★) · 450 likes
Look it’s stupid but projectile sharting onto a wall will always be funny as hell, sorry
Evan (3.5★) · 299 likes
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Yes, I'm immature. And I don't care. I cried from laughter more than once.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Zoe (3.5★) · 258 likes
the kid should've won an oscar for this
Matt Singer (3★) · 204 likes
I got impatient waiting for Jackass Forever, and the main Jackass movies aren’t streaming right now, so I went for another serving of Irving.
🎞️📼Spencer💿📺 (2★) · 173 likes
The single clap at the pageant! That had me rolling🤣
Recommended similar titles
2006 · Comedy · 1h 24m · R · Curator 7.6/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
The clearest tonal cousin: hidden-camera chaos, social discomfort, and comedy built from real reactions to an outrageous persona.
2020 · Comedy · 1h 36m · R · Curator 3.9/10 (631.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
More social ambush comedy with a similar interest in how strangers respond to outrageous behavior.
2012 · Comedy · 1h 25m · R · Curator 1.4/10 (142.9K ratings)
Broad, mean-spirited political comedy that leans into public embarrassment and escalating absurdity.
2010 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 35m · R · Curator 1.5/10 (569.8K ratings)
A road-trip comedy built on friction, discomfort, and a mismatched pair trapped together.
1987 · Comedy · 1h 32m · R · Curator 6.9/10 (445K ratings)
A classic travel comedy about escalating misery and an unlikely pairing, but with much warmer heart.
2000 · Comedy · 1h 57m · R · Curator 2.1/10 (409.9K ratings)
Crude, chaotic, and proudly silly, with a willingness to push discomfort for laughs.
2014 · Comedy · 1h 50m · PG-13 · Curator 0.3/10 (156.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
For viewers who want broad, juvenile comedy that values stupidity as a comic engine.
2009 · Comedy · 1h 40m · R · Curator 6.5/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV
A mainstream hit built on outrageous situations, escalating bad decisions, and crowd-pleasing shock humor.
2003 · Drama, Comedy, Crime · 1h 32m · R · Curator 3.7/10 (291.9K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A filthy, anti-sentimental comedy that finds humor in offensive behavior and deadpan nastiness.
2006 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 42m · R · Curator 9.1/10 (2.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
A road movie with a child at its emotional center, useful if you want the family-travel framework without the gross-out.
2012 · Comedy · 1h 23m · R · Curator 1.9/10 (854.1K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Another broad provocation comedy that relies on public embarrassment and intentionally offensive behavior.
1996 · Comedy, Drama, Thriller · 1h 36m · PG-13 · Curator 1.5/10 (2.7K ratings)
A discomfort comedy that turns social awkwardness into something increasingly unhinged.
Topics
prank comedy, gross-out, hidden camera, road movie, raunchy humor, deadpan, 2010s comedy, humiliation, buddy comedy, shock comedy
Open Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) on Curator TV