Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Steve-O: Demise and Rise" is a 42-minute documentary from 2009, so this one will have its 10th anniversary 2 years from now. The title summarizes nicely already what this is about, namely the drug struggles by Jackass crew member Steve-O and how he found his way back to sobriety and into life. The director is Dimitry Elyashkevich and he worked with the Jackass crew on many occasions actually, is also seen in here. There are quite a few Jackass-themed short documentaries, but this one here has to be among the very worst. Completely aside from the fact that there is absolutely no reason why Steve-O is a celebrity, the entire tone of this little film is truly appalling. One quote was particularly bad, namely somebody say Steve-O would either be incarcerated, dead or a celebrity. Cringeworthy stuff truly. And honestly, the fact that this documentary takes itself seriously and does not only sell Steve-O to us as somebody relevant, but even wants to make a statement to addicts apparently is the lowest kind of low. The only good thing here is that they offered a contact at the very end for actual addicts. I wish i could say that it is good how quickly this one was over, but honestly over 40 minutes was still way too long. And the "dangerous" I am talking about in the title is that this is far from a statement against drug abuse. it depicts addiction as a crucial step for Steve-O in becoming who he is today. And sadly, even if this kid was probably an actor at the very end, there are people who maybe even take Steve-O as an inspiration. Very despicable stuff. Watch something else instead.
