Jackass Forever

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Davon Wilson, Sean McInerney, Zach Holmes, Rachel Wolfson, Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, Tyler the Creator, Tony Hawk, Eric Andre, Frances Ngannou, P.K. Subban
Directed by: Jeff Tremaine
Rating: R
Comedy, Documentary
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Johnny Knoxville and his friends return after a decade plus to prove them might be older, but not necessarily wiser.

Review:

Tim: Honestly, I have a hard time believing this movie even exists. This franchise has been dormant for 12 years! The last film, Jackass 3 was the worst one- it embraced 3D far too much, which made no sense for most viewers. Watching it in 2D made it feel like an even worse movie. So, leaving the original trilogy on a low note, taking over a decade off and having the cast age during all that time- it feels impossible that this Jackass crew would return to do this again. And yet, the movie exists. I actually went into this feeling genuinely excited, although my expectations were still tempered.

Here's what I can say- Jackass Forever is an improvement over the 1st and 3rd films and is on par with the 2nd film. That's actually a solid win for this franchise. It suffers from the same issues as the other movies, but it's also entertaining and memorable. The whole film is stupid, moronic, asinine. And yet, there's something compelling about it. This isn't a good movie, but it's a surprisingly decent one.

What separates this film is the incredulity of seeing not-young people engage in these stunts. Honestly, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, and the rest of the gang are no longer young. These (mostly) men are past their prime, they are at the point in their lives when they should have outgrown this buffoonery. They were supposed to have matured, to have moved onto a new chapter of their lives. To see them return to these idiotic stunts flies in the face of human experience. They turn back the dial and engage in the same ludicrous hijinks of their youth. That is so entertaining to watch. Now, like the other movies, I cringed throughout most of this film. Did we need to see so many penises in the movie? The stunts and gags are truly moronic, but there's a real fascination with watching grown men who should know better act like they're still dumb kids. The stunts are often painful, absurd, cringe-worthy. I didn't love all of them, but it was hard to look away.

One note on the cast- it felt a bit odd not having Bam Margera as part of this cast. I read enough to understand why they moved on without him, and honestly, I think it was the right call. Margera was a huge part of this franchise, but he needs to get his life in order. Drugs and alcohol at this stage of his life speaks to a massive issue. I didn't miss him that much. Also, Ryan Dunn's absence was noteworthy- it was sad to recall his death in a car accident a decade ago. I did love getting to see Knoxville, a clean Steve-O, and the rest of the gang again. I didn't remember all of their names, but it was wonderful seeing them still alive and returning for this.

As for the stunts and gags, there's a ton of them. Like the other movies, some are terrific, some don't quite work. The standout for me has to be the blindfolded bull stunt. This was incredibly stupid and I gasped when Knoxville was flipped. He was severely injured in this stunt- a sobering reminder of what age does to us. It's amazing he willingly subjected himself to this. It's painful and scary to watch and it just reinforces why he's the leader- he was always willing to put himself into harm's way as much as anyone in the cast. Steve-O having hundreds of bees cover his genitals was not something I expected and I cringe thinking about it now. Ehren McGhehey and his experiments with a cup were definitely a highlight- seeing him take a hockey puck off the cup, hit by P.K. Subban, or heavyweight Frances Ngannou punching him in the cup, or taking a softball in the thigh (before it hits the cup)- it was insane and hilarious. There's a host of new additions to the cast. None of them are especially great, but it made a ton of sense to involve some younger people in the stunts. Zach Holmes is the most memorable and it was frightening to see what he put himself through. I like that I got to see him here, but he made me feel sad- I can't imagine he's long for this world, unless he makes some major life changes. Rachel Wolfson was decent and I cringe thinking about the scorpion repeatedly stinging her lips.

Jackass Forever isn't a good movie. Critics or haters of these films won't be swayed by this movie. The whole thing is so stupid and detrimental to society. We shouldn't be glorifying stupidity or risking your life for pointless reasons. I know that. I'd never, ever want my kids to watch these films, try to emulate the stunts, or have anything to do with this kind of idiocy. However, there's some entertainment to be had, in a very guilty pleasure way. This movie isn't good, but it's decent. There is something fascinating about being able to check in with these likeable morons after twelve years away. I do sincerely hope that this is the final chapter of the franchise, though- at least with the original cast. Doing this again would start to get pretty sad.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Jackass: The Movie, Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3