Bam's Unholy Union - TV-PG
TV Rating: TV-PG
Network: MTV Cast: Bam Margera, Melissa Rothstein
Genre: Reality TV
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Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this reality show about an anti-establishment couple planning their wedding is full of harsh language, adult scenarios, and dangerous stunts. The focus of the show is Bam Margera (of Jackass fame), who's known as an unpredictable risk taker. In one episode he wakes up his (naked) friend by hitting him with a lamp. In another scene, he skateboards off the sloped roof of a house onto concrete, where he falls, in apparent pain. The relationship between the bride- and groom-to-be is pleasant enough, though it falls along rather traditional lines, with the woman taking responsibility for much of the planning while the man takes shortcuts or shirks his share. Bam and his friends are often disrespectful of parental figures.
Families can discuss weddings. Parents, what kind of wedding did you have (if you did)? Teens, if you plan to get married, what kind of wedding do you see yourself having? What makes a wedding special? What makes a wedding awful? What can the process of planning a wedding tell a couple about the kind of marriage they'll have? How do you think Bam and Missy's wedding will compare to more "traditional" events? What messages is the show trying to send viewers, if any?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Sierra Filucci
BAM'S UNHOLY UNION chronicles the three-month-long wedding-planning process of pro skater/MTV star Bam Margera and his bride-to-be, Missy.
As anyone familiar with Margera's antics in the Jackass franchise (as well as Viva la Bam) might imagine, the show features wild stunts, crude language, and strange characters. The series' appeal -- aside from providing the opportunity to witness Margera doing stupid things -- is the way it juxtaposes the supposed anti-establishment rule breaker with the traditional, rather conservative notion of a big wedding.
With such a short amount of time to plan their nuptials, the couple has to rush around booking venues, choosing attire, and easing family members' fears that the whole thing will end up being a disaster -- or that a death metal band will be the featured entertainment. The drama is kept moving by tension between Missy's family and Margera, as well as between the loving couple as time pressures mount.
Viewers who happen to find Margera's personality -- or his propensity to wake up his friends by bashing them with a table lamp -- charming will enjoy the show. But without the car-wreck dysfunction of a couple like My Fair Brady's Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry, Bam's Unholy Union feels a little been-there, done-that.
Fans might also enjoy My Fair Brady. For funny, fictional takes on wedding planning, try Big Day or the movie American Wedding.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentUnmarried couple sleeps in bed together; allusions to sex; nudity (genitals are blurred). |
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ViolenceNot surprisingly, considering that Margera is a Jackass veteran, there are lots of stupid, painful antics -- like hitting a friend with a lamp to wake him up. Also lots of unsafe skateboarding stunts (like going off a roof). |
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LanguagePlenty of casual cursing, with "ass" and its ilk unbleeped. |
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Social BehaviorBam and his friends are rude and disrespectful of others, including parental figures. Bam also takes silly risks and is violent with his friends. On the (slim) plus side, Bam loves his wife-to-be and is usually respectful of her (though he leaves the bulk of the wedding planning to her). |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoLots of drinking. |
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