Buy The Dudesons Movie (uncensored)
at Amazon.com
Director:
Jarno Laasala
Cast:
Jarppi Leppälä
Jukka Hilden
Jarno Laasala
HP Parviainen
Bam Margera
Steve-O
Destroy Entertainment and Rhino Entertainment presents The Dudesons. Screenplay byJukka Hilden, Jarno Laasala andTuukka Tiensuu. Running time: 74 minutes. Unrated. DVD release: July 11, 2006.
The Movie
We don’t live in a Jackass Nation. It’s a Jackass Universe. The Dudesons are four guys from Finland who demonstrate what happens to bored kids at the Arctic circle when given a video camera and a National Health Care system. This movie serves as an introduction to their best stunts that aired on TV in Finland. While you might think they ripped off Jackass, it turns out both shows began production at the same time. There was a masochistic zeitgeist sweeping the globe in 2000. To prove that the foursome aren’t merely copycats, both Steve-O and Bam Margera show up in the movie to speak of their awe at the Dudesons’ extreme nature. Plus they join the quartet in human dart board and duct taping their genitals. Ouch.
I’m not sure why they put the “don’t try this at home” warning on these videos. The fact that Jarppi is missing his thumb from a stunt should be ample warning for any sane person. Plus you get to see HP’s leg opened up by the doctors in a Nip/Tuck moment. Even with such gross behavior, the Finnish ladies hanging with the Dudesons are hot. Maybe it isn’t that bad to break a couple bones if these women will be nursing you back to health. It’s not like you have to worry about insurance in Finland. Why not put on a blindfold and launch your car over a shed?
The Dudesons looks like a Travel Channel special that went to hell when the producers tried to match the locals on vodka shots. There are moments of beauty captured within this documentary. A shot of snowboarding with reindeer prancing around deserves to be used on a tourist ad for Finland. But the calm is yanked away when Jukka performs a quickie haircut by spitting fire on Jarno’s head. Another beautiful image features them sledding down a hill at night with a light show flowing between them. Tthe moment becomes distrubing upon the realization that they’re nailing each other with roman candles. Nothing of beauty in their lives comes without the threat of destruction. If anything puts the Dudesons over the Jackass boys, it is this strange ability to capture picturesque moments within their masochistic stunts. Jackass stunts have the feel of security camera footage.
The Dudesons live together on a ranch in the countryside. Everything is fair game for a stunt segment. Nothing is unbreakable in their house. They even destroy their editing bay. They’re Peter Pain and the Lost Boys. This is the modern circus where a daredevil teenage boy would want to run away and join. There’s got to be at least one kid watching this film and noticing a space that they could sleep. But the harsh reality is that these guys are completely bonkers, and living with them would drive you insane. They’ll set a roommate on fire while he naps. They make the black mambo on Wildboyz look like a visit from the tooth fairy.
What’s extra impressive is that the Dudesons don’t merely do these stunts for the camera. They took their show on the road. Night after night they tortured each other for the roar of the crowd. The footage makes their show look like Gallagher on meth except without the bad jokes. They even display a bit of Evel Kenievel showmanship when they perform “The Death Jump” in front of a horde. It’s a stunt that lives up to the hype.
Their feud with a neighbor affectionately referred to as “Mr. Hitler” shows that Finland’s legal system isn’t nearly as nasty as in America. There’s jail time in America for taking a dump in a mailbox or turning a driveway into a Burmese tiger trap. But in Finland, you can pay a minor fine and get back to filming.
The ultimate thing The Dudesons proves is that American kids aren’t alone when it comes to being self-destructive and insane. Hardcore fans of Jackass are obligated to check out this DVD.
The DVD:
The Video:
The picture is 1.85:1 anamorphic. Most of the film was shot on video.
The Audio:
The soundtrack is in English. There aren’t any subtitles. The commentary track features Jarppi and Jukka. They sounds very relaxed as they tell stories that fill out the action. They propose an invasion of Sweden. Jukka relieves himself in the studio. It’s a lot more entertaining than your average film professor’s track.
Special Features:
Extra Scenes 22:26 – We get to see stunts that were shown in brief clips in the movie. The strangest segment is when the Dudesons babysit a trio of holy terrors. Who knew they could be worn out by real out of control youths? There’s also their perspective of the Viva la Bam episode that took place in Las Vegas.
Photo Gallery – Actual baby photos before they grew up to be Arctic Hellions. Your cute child could grow up to be Steve-O’s idol.
Bios – This is a series of typed up press releases that give a little more background on the quartet and their pig.
The Inside Pulse:
These guys are more intense in their weirdness than the Jackass Boys since they live together. I had no idea that the youth in Finland can be more self-destructive than our own.
