In the early 2000s, during the time of Jackass, Johnny Knoxville was the chief idiot god of a certain era-specific version of post-punk rebelliousness angry white boys. Calling on his inherent skater-wastoid readiness to give himself concussions — all while wearing a much bigger grin than is probably socially acceptable—Knoxville inadvertently made himself into something of a minor icon and gave voice to every teenage misfit who had no ideology other than simply flicking off an amorphous grown-up world with some self-harming middle digit. The kids needed something really real in the zeroes, and Knoxville was Gen X’s sacrificed lamb for post-meaninglessness anti-establishment.
This film, Action Point (2018), directed by Tim Kirkby shows that Knoxville, now 47 years old, has dangerously aged into halcyon nostalgia. By revisiting a period in the mid-1970s when local amusement parks like Action Point were slapped together by hand, safety regulations were virtually non-existent and public injuries were both frequent and expected; this movie yearns for it right from its title. In fact such kind of parks was still there according to some old timers I know; you walked around places like Action Point and could say that if you did not get tetanus or just greenstick fracture today then it has been alright. However, Action Point does have some basis in reality as it took inspiration from “Action Park” (1978-1996), a place in New Jersey known for injuring patrons left and right because most staff members were high.
The role played by Knoxville is D.C., the owner and founder of Action Point who is an old drunkard for Schlitz beer who can only feel comfortable with his stoner employees, germ-ridden concessions stands as well as decaying rides. In an unironic way at all, this film turns into what is essentially a souped-up Eden of rib-bruising, where kids were free to throw themselves in front of danger for a cheap thrill. It was a time when the world had not tasted the fruit yet, as D.C. refers to it in current day introductory and concluding scenes, calling it “nanny state”, the latter representing today’s fallen world. That an ex-punk like him would be using such a dismissive-politician term as “nanny state” means that Knoxville has transitioned away from his defiant punk rock days into being one more pathetic aging hipster. This is made clearer when he plays himself at seventy years old during the beginning and end of this bookending scenario which may be seen as a subtle acknowledgment of his own waning cultural relevance.
Action Point, has a weak plot. It is 1976, it’s summer and DC is looking after Boogie (Eleanor Worthington Cox), his teenage daughter for the season. of course they do not get along. When Action point starts losing popularity, D.C and his bizarre crew (including Chris Pontius, Aiden Whytock, Johnny Pemberton, and an incredible Brigette Lundy-Paine) decide to make it even more dangerous than before so as to entice guests with potential wounds. So why would you go to another “safe” amusement park like some straight-edge loser when you can deliberately put yourself in real harm’s way at a grimy but honest little place?
The film lasts only a mere eighty four minute’s time during which Knoxville gets soaked by a fire hose, sent flying down a plaster mountain slide, shot through a barn wall and impaled with porcupine quills. These stunts were performed by Knoxville himself who is still game. However the emotional peril is very low stakes; in fact DC must eventually come to be a better dad for his endangered daughter who will literally write him off as her father in favor of somebody we never see.
When Knoxville really puts himself in danger though, when you can glimpse genuine terror on his face of all things – that’s when we start to understand what he’s been up to all these years. Who needs fake Hollywood stunts when there are bunch of beer drunk idiots who will actually do them? I appreciated that attempt at honesty.
Nonetheless as an outlet for this honesty Action Point is mediocre.The film itself is as cheap as its rides; happy enough just being mildly amusing from afar rather than impressive or humorous or controversial. Although Action Point tries hard to do shocking things and features some genuinely disgusting moments (Dog penises! Human fluids!), it ironically feels as safe and warm-hearted as the Hollywood comedies it satirizes. Time was when Johnny Knoxville used to pull some wild shit. Nowadays, it seems, he’d rather talk about the good old days.
The Verdict
Action Point has a few wild stunts and some mildly funny gross-out humor but is in the end just a weaker imitation of Johnny Knoxville’s trademark dark destruction.
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