Certain films pose problems when you try to review them. For example, when I try to review a film that is regarded a classic, I find it kind of hard to say something new about it and review it in a fresh way. And when you come across a mediocre film there's really nothing to say about it at all, good or bad. But how do you review a movie that really isn't a movie at all? By definition, shouldn't a movie have a story or a meaning?

Jackass: The Movie has none of these things. There is no story. No motivation. All of the people involved are definitely characters but they're still playing themselves.

So what is this enigma of a film? Is it a documentary? Don't documentaries usually have some sort or "message" or a purpose? Well, Jackass' only message is "don't try this at home" and its purpose is to make you laugh; and it succeeds. MTV and Paramount didn't screen the movie for critics. How could they? What would critics say about it? The very few online reviews that I have found are divided into two categories: those who get it and those who do not. For some reason, critics seem to review the movie like they would any other film, but that is silly, not to mention naive.

The people who get it call Jackass one of the funniest movies of the year, when, in fact, Jackass is the funniest movie of the year -- hands down. However, I'm afraid that people who aren't fans of the show aren't going to agree with me on the previous statement.

I can't review this movie from that standpoint. I can't give it a biased review from the point of view of someone who's never seen the show or isn't familiar with it. Jackass was one of the very few TV shows that I've watched consistently during the past year. When MTV took it of the air, I felt like crying. I've seen nearly every episode and now I'm glad that Johnny Knoxville and all of his buddies have created this movie as a sort of encore/tribute to the show and their fans.

Jackass is not a movie for the weak of stomach. There are many gross-out moments that would make John Waters blush. At times you will grimace and gag, while at others you will laugh until you pee your pants. Not many movies can pull out the kind of emotion that this movie does. For example, the way you can feel the pain of the paper cuts, the way you gag at the snow cone incident, the way you worry about Knoxville after the golf-cart accident, the way you laugh at, well, all of it. It's kind of an odd phenomenon when a movie without a plot or motivational force can move you. Please don't get me wrong, because this isn't deep cinema.

Anyone who has seen at least one episode of the Jackass TV show will know what to expect of the movie. Essentially, Jackass: The Movie is an elongated episode with a bigger budget ($5 million, which was used to pay for a trip to Japan, demolish a rental car, and more) and more freedom to curse and show male nudity. You can also expect cameos from the likes of Henry Rollins, Butterbean, Tony Hawk and Mat Hoffman.

The guys who do this stuff are probably all certifiably insane. They're crazy. Nuts. The things they do to themselves are just wrong, yet it's really funny -- and that's all they care about. How many people would strap themselves into tightie whities hooked to bungee cords just to get a laugh? The Jackass crew will go to any length to ensure laughs from its core audience. And if your audience is anything like the one I saw this movie with, you'll hear laughter for the entire hour and a half. It only takes two minutes until you crack into side-splitting laughter. However, the laughter only stops when the movie decides to show a bruise or a scar caused by the results of their antics. Yet, this is only to let the audience catch their breath. Is Jackass the funniest film of the year? Without a doubt, yes it is. It may very well be the funniest film of the past five years.