Honestly, if you weren’t around for the absolute chaos of the early 2010s, it is hard to describe the specific brand of cultural whiplash caused by the Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer. One minute we were all watching prestige TV and the next, there’s an 86-year-old man getting his private parts stuck in a vending machine. It was weird. It was gross. It was, somehow, a massive box office hit that garnered an Oscar nomination.
People forget that. They forget the Academy Award nod.
The moment the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer changed the game
When the trailer first dropped on July 31, 2013, the internet didn't quite know what to do with it. Most of us grew up watching Johnny Knoxville and his crew launch themselves off ramps in shopping carts. We expected stunts. We expected physical pain. What we didn't expect was a semi-coherent narrative about a grieving, lecherous grandfather taking his grandson, Billy (played by the surprisingly talented Jackson Nicoll), on a cross-country road trip.
The Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer was a masterclass in marketing because it blurred the lines between a scripted movie and a prank show. You see Knoxville as Irving Zisman—a character that had popped up in Jackass sketches for years—but this felt different. It felt like a "real" movie. Then the trailer shows Irving accidentally launching a corpse out of a trunk at a funeral.
The tonal shift was jarring. It was brilliant.
✨ Don't miss: Why October London Make Me Wanna Is the Soul Revival We Actually Needed
Behind the makeup and the madness
You can't talk about this film without talking about Stephen Prouty. He's the guy who spent hours every single morning turning Johnny Knoxville into a senior citizen. The makeup was so convincing that the "marks" (the real people being pranked) never suspected a thing. That’s the secret sauce of the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer—the reactions aren't staged. When Irving crashes through a glass storefront or makes a scene at a child beauty pageant, those horrified faces in the background are 100% authentic.
It’s actually kinda impressive when you think about the logistics. They had to hide cameras in planters, vans, and oversized bags. They had to navigate legal releases with people who had just been traumatized by a man in a cardigan.
Why the "Beauty Pageant" scene became an instant legend
If there is one thing everyone remembers from the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer, it’s the pageant. You know the one. Little Billy, dressed in drag, performing a suggestive dance to Warrant’s "Cherry Pie" while Irving cheers him on like a proud, albeit demented, stage dad.
The room’s reaction in that scene is the pinnacle of cringe comedy. You see the parents' jaws literally hit the floor. It was the perfect "viral" moment before every movie tried to force viral moments. It felt dangerous. In 2013, we were just starting to move into an era of hyper-sensitivity, and here was Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine (the producers) basically daring the audience to be offended.
🔗 Read more: How to Watch The Wolf and the Lion Without Getting Lost in the Wild
The physics of the vending machine prank
There is a specific bit in the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer where Irving gets "stuck" in a vending machine. From a technical standpoint, this was a nightmare to film. Knoxville is a big guy. To make it look like his appendage was trapped, they had to rig a false front to the machine. The sheer physical comedy of Knoxville swinging his hips while bystanders tried to help him—all while staying in character—is peak Jackass.
It’s the kind of stuff that makes you realize Knoxville is essentially a modern-day Buster Keaton, just with more tattoos and a willingness to break every bone in his body for a laugh.
The legacy of Irving Zisman
Before this movie, "hidden camera" films were mostly things like Borat. But Sacha Baron Cohen’s style is very political, very pointed. Bad Grandpa was just... dumb. And I mean that in the best way possible. It didn't have a message. It didn't try to "expose" America. It just wanted to see what happens when you put a fake old man in a room with a bunch of bikers and ask them to help him move a "dead" body.
Interestingly, the movie actually had a plot. That was the big risk. Would fans of Jackass sit through 90 minutes of a story about a kid whose dad is a deadbeat? The Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer did a great job of hiding the heart of the movie. It sold the stunts, but when people actually sat in the theater, they found themselves weirdly invested in the bond between Irving and Billy.
💡 You might also like: Is Lincoln Lawyer Coming Back? Mickey Haller's Next Move Explained
Jackson Nicoll, the kid, was the MVP. He was eight years old and kept a straighter face than most professional comedians. He’s the one who had to interact with the marks while Knoxville did the heavy lifting. If the kid breaks, the prank is over. He never broke.
What we get wrong about the 2013 era of comedy
Looking back, the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer represents the end of an era. It was one of the last times a R-rated, hidden-camera prank movie could dominate the cultural conversation. Today, everything is on TikTok. Pranks are everywhere, and usually, they're fake.
There was a tactile reality to Bad Grandpa. You could feel the humidity in the scenes filmed in the South. You could see the genuine confusion on the faces of the grocery store employees. It wasn't "content." It was a film.
Take action: How to revisit the chaos
If you’re feeling nostalgic or just want to see how comedy has evolved (or devolved), here is how to dive back in properly.
- Watch the "Unrated" version: The theatrical cut is fine, but the unrated version includes the "Gas Station" bit that was deemed too much for the initial release.
- Check the credits for the Oscar nomination: Seriously, look it up. Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling. It’s a fun piece of trivia to drop at parties.
- Look for the "Bad Grandpa .5" documentary: Like the other Jackass movies, they released a ".5" version that shows the behind-the-scenes struggles. It shows how many times they almost got arrested or punched.
- Analyze the crowd reactions: When you re-watch the Bad Grandpa 2013 trailer, stop looking at Knoxville. Look at the people in the background. Their expressions are a fascinating time capsule of 2013 fashion and social norms.
The movie isn't deep. It isn't going to change your life. But it remains a testament to the fact that sometimes, all you need for a hit movie is a talented makeup artist, a fearless stuntman, and a very confused public.