This year, I do not need April Fool’s Day. After all, the entirety of 2020 has felt like one elaborate prank.

I will gladly happy-slap the next person who poorly jokes that they’ve been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Instead, I’d much rather watch several movies that feature hidden cameras and pranks played on other unsuspecting victims. This is The Movie Dweeb; at the end of the day, if I didn’t mention movies, I’d be doing a pretty shoddy job.

Celebrate the first day of April, this year, by watching some of these great prank movies, including an actual Oscar nominee, and some of these awful prank movies, including one with gorilla semen.

Yup. You read that right.

The Hits

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

This is the first time I remember a full-feature film consisting of pranks on the general public, and I will never forget when our teacher (probably very wrongly) wheeled in the TV to show the scene where he’s running around a hotel totally naked. (I wonder if that teacher’s in prison now…)

This film was outrageous, edgy, shocking, and just kinda perfect, really; predominantly thanks to Sacha Baron Cohen’s fearless performance.

Bad Grandpa (2013)

Johnny Knoxville brings one of his Jackass characters to a feature movie. I’ll admit; it isn’t as funny as the original Jackass, but if you don’t smirk at an old man getting his testicles stuck in a vending machine, are you even human?

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (2020)

How do you top a film like the original Borat? Rip Donald Trump to shit, and include Tom Hanks. That is how you make a far superior sequel (and get nominated for an Oscar).

While many may disagree, I think the second Borat film outshines its predecessor by miles; there’s something so glorious about the way he outs the moronic, backward racists of America. It does rely somewhat on more sitcom-like humour, and isn’t as shocking as the first Borat, however.

The Sh*ts

Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020)

I could watch Impractical Jokers repeatedly for 25 hours a day; in fact, there have been times where I have. But did it really need to be shoved into a 90-minute-long movie?

That question wasn’t rhetorical. It didn’t need to be.

There’s something so charming about seeing the four Impractical Jokers squirm; seeing how modest they are whilst pulling their pranks, but this feels so unnecessary – in fact, the film’s storyline is so boring, it’s almost like they improvised it in one of their pranks.

Bad Trip (2021)

I’ve seen a lot of people rave about this movie… But then again I’ve also seen 30 people storm through a LIDL protesting that they don’t want to wear a mask in the name of freedom, so who knows who I should side with?

I know I’ve just praised Borat for it’s gross-out jokes and shocking pranks, but Bad Trip just evoked one repeating emotion from me; ‘meh’. Every prank Eric André pulled had the unsuspecting crowds shouting in surprise; as his car exploded, as he fell off of a roof, as he was – sigh – raped by a gorilla. Whereas, with Borat, most of the pranks highlighted the stupidity of his victims. I don’t think it takes a comedic genius to make five people shout in shock over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.