2.5 stars out of 5
I’m a fair-weather fan of Johnny Knoxville, but this movie was on my radar because of its loose connection to Vernon, New Jersey’s infamous Action Park (where my friend Therese used to work). What sealed my decision to see it was noticing that the writers were John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. They’ve been key players with Mike Judge on some of the smartest TV comedies of the past 20 years, including King of the Hill and Silicon Valley. (Indeed, Judge has a story credit here.)
But Action Point is not particularly smart and, I’m sad to report, it’s just not funny enough. We first see Knoxville in old-man makeup not nearly as convincing as what he wore in Bad Grandpa. In flashbacks, we learn about the low-rent amusement park he used to run, Action Point. There’s a pleasingly laid-back 1970s vibe to these scenes, not unlike in the superior Everybody Wants Some!! We hear cool songs by the Undertones, Nick Lowe, and The Damned. And for the most part, this is an acceptably likable flick.
But one glaring issue is that the filmmakers didn’t make much effort to cast really strong actors. It goes without saying that Knoxville is no Sir Laurence Olivier. So why not surround him with better talent? We do get Dan Bakkedahl (Veep‘s very funny Roger Furlong) who also plays a baddie here. Knoxville’s Jackass pal Chris Pontius is along for the ride(s). Otherwise, it’s B-grade talent all the way.
And sure, Knoxville gets knocked down, tossed through walls, blasted down water slides, etc., but in a fictional setting it’s just not as amusing.
There is a gross-out scene that really detracted from the movie’s overall watchability score. And the David v. Goliath plot — Knoxville’s attractions facing competition from a corporate Six-Flags-type behemoth — never comes close to Capra-esque heights. Points for paying tribute to Action Park’s font and color scheme (in a quickie commercial) and actually having an Alpine Slide, but by a long shot, Adventureland remains the king of amusement park films.
Jack Silbert, curator