To celebrate the Digital Release of ‘Sweet Dreams’ starring Johnny Knoxville, we want to take you on a journey to celebrate his incredible career and the list of films you may not have known he was in.
Phillip John Clapp, better known as Johnny Knoxville, is world-renowned for being in ‘Jackass’. From fighting bulls to being snapped at by baby crocs, and even standing on the wrong side of a shooting range, Johnny Knoxville has really put his body through the ringer over the years just for our enjoyment.
But aside from ‘Jackass’, he’s also made a name for himself as an actor, starring in a wide variety of films. ‘Sweet Dreams’ is available to buy or rent on Digital on the 16th of April.
Men in Black II (2002)
In the absolute classic sci-fi romp ‘Men in Black II’, Johnny plays the two-headed alien ‘Scrad’ and, technically, the mini head on Scrad’s shoulder, Charlie. Scrad and Charlie are an alien of an unknown species. His role in the epic space sequel is helping the villain Serleena during her search for the Light of Zartha. Scrad provides much of the comedic relief as a bit of a dope; he doesn’t realise when people are in the room, talking to him or even giving him direct orders. Serleena knew Scrad and Charlie before the events of the film, as she came right to him when she came to Earth, and they worked together to infiltrate the Men in Black headquarters. His ending is left a bit ambiguous, as he disappears when Jay (Will Smith) is fighting the aliens in Jeebs’ basement. He is never mentioned again, and no explanation or scene shows what happened to him …
The Dukes of Hazzard (2005)
‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ is an underrated gem where Knoxville plays one of the two Duke boys, Luke Duke, alongside Sean William-Scott, as his cousin Bo. A reboot/remake action comedy film adapting the classic television series of the same name, ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’ is a much raunchier version of its 80s counterpart. Luke Duke delivers his uncle’s moonshine across Hazzard, Georgia, in the iconic orange 1969 Dodge Charger the boys affectionately call the “General Lee”. The story follows Luke, Bo and their cousin Daisy Duke, played by Jessica Simpson, as they try to stop Burt Reynolds’ corrupt politician Boss Hogg from turning their hometown into a strip mine.
The Last Stand (2013)
‘The Last Stand’ is an action film where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Johnny Knoxville shoot a minigun out of a school bus, after the leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, the only thing in his path is Arnie’s sheriff Ray Owens and his inexperienced team. Owens left his LAPD post following a fumbled operation, wracked with defeat after his partner was crippled and his team decimated. Almost like an American ‘Hot Fuzz’, ‘The Last Stand’ takes place in the boring, sleepy border town called Sommerton Junction in Arizona. Owens resigns himself to a life of crime-fighting, where the only crime consists of Johnny Knoxville’s Lewis Dinkum, a vintage arms collector, hanging out with some locals and firing off guns at slabs of meat with the deputies. This is, of course, until the big bad drug cartel comes steaming through on their way to Mexico. Owens recruits many random citizens of Sommerton, including prisoners, to help stop the cartel and protect their town. Even Dinkum only agrees if he becomes a deputy and can keep the meat-shooting gun Owens confiscated earlier. Owens and his new deputies, equipped with weapons from Dinkum’s private museum, have the town’s main road barricaded with cars when Burrell and his men arrive, prompting a lengthy firefight.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
In this darker take on the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, Johnny Knoxville plays the leader of the mutated reptilian brothers, Leonardo. While many may have thought he would be voicing the bubbly comedic relief of Michaelangelo. Knoxville portrayed the blue-masked leader of the brothers, Leo. The film follows four mutated reptilian warriors who rise from the sewers to join forces with fearless reporter April O’Neil to save New York City from the Shredder and his evil minions. With Megan Fox as April O’Neill and Will Arnett as Vern Fenwick, the film was a box office success. It grossed $485 million against a $150 million budget and became the highest-grossing film of any in the TMNT franchise, as well as the highest-grossing film from Nickelodeon Movies.
Action Point (2018)
In ‘Action Point’, Knoxville plays D.C. Carver, a highly exaggerated version of himself. D.C. is a daredevil who designs and operates a theme park with his friends. Knoxville was inspired to make the film after seeing Matt Robertson’s 2013 short documentary ‘The Most Insane Amusement Park Ever’. This film was about the real-life Action Park, a theme park in New Jersey, notorious for its poorly designed, dangerous rides, in addition to employing underaged, untrained and frequently intoxicated staff. Similarly to ‘Bad Grandpa’, ‘Action Point’ is a string of hilarious, toe-curling, jackass-esque stunts performed by Knoxville and his ‘Jackass’ co-star Chris Pontius, but this time the stunts are connected through a narrative; Set in the early 80s, D.C. owns low-rent, out-of-control amusement park Action Point with unsafe rides. D.C. and his crew must save the park from loan officer Knoblach who plans on selling his land for profit. So working together they craft their own rides with no regulations, leading to DIY disasters, painful sliding shenanigans and all around buffoonery from Knoxville and his ‘Action Point’ family.
‘Sweet Dreams’ is available to buy or rent on Digital 16th April 2024.
