I am in the generational sweet spot for Jackass Forever. The iconic pranks and stunts show premiered when I was still in grade school, and it’s particular brand of (mostly white) bad boy idiocy caught fire within me like much of my peers. There was something pretty cathartic about this brand of anarchy – the low stakes mixed with the high risk – that felt like the perfect mix of feeling danger and no frills entertainment. I remember wanting to talk about the show constantly, often referring to it as “the Johnny Knoxville show” to avoid getting in trouble for saying the word “Jackass” in front of my parents. I also remember when the first movie came out in 2002, and how the reviews were so bad that MTV took the transgressive approach of using negative pull quotes to promote the film in TV spots and posters.

So I was certainly a bit skeptical to see how Jackass Forever was receiving such universally glowing reviews from critics and audiences alike. I dismissed it as my generation growing up, a new crop of critics who have the same fleeting memories that I had. I wanted to see Jackass Forever, but I wasn’t rushing to theaters (which is how I ended up seeing this movie three weeks late), and I certainly wasn’t expecting anything special. This was just millennial nostalgia, the kind of audience-baiting that critics usually spot a mile away. And then I finally saw the film, and had the most thrilling, hysterical movie theater experience since films returned from the pandemic. Jackass Forever is certainly a nostalgia pusher, but that’s only because the longevity of its performers and their commitment manages to create real emotion.

Most of the crowd favorites are here. Chris Pontius’ dick-out shenanigans are front-and-center right from the opening scene, Steve-O’s gross out stunts factor heavily throughout the film, the body size contrast bit between Wee Man and Preston Lacy still inspires laughs after decades, Dave England and Danger Ehren are dependable bodies, often made the butt of jokes and the victims of horrible pranks. Then there’s Johnny Knoxville, the undisputed face of the franchise, and the only one of the main cast to branch off into his own mainstream success. Knoxville has led Hollywood movies, but it’s in the Jackass pantheon (and his propensity for truly death-defying stunts) where he truly becomes a bonafide star.

These guys have been through a lot. Knoxville’s array of stunts have caused him severe short and long-term physical damage, Steve-O is currently on the good side of a years-long recovery battle. The death of Ryan Dunn (an iconic original cast member) in 2011 has placed a permanent shadow over Jackass’ aura of unhinged innocence. Bam Margera, whom many considered the no. 2 to Knoxville in Jackass fame, doesn’t appear in Forever at all, and Margera’s own story of tragedy and self-destruction could be a movie unto itself. None of these factors are mentioned in the film, not even in passing, but there resonance is a powerful force as you watch them continuing to put their bodies (and more often than not, their dick and balls) in harm’s way for the audience’s amusement. They are probably too old for this kind of stuff, but watching them do it anyway has a surprisingly moving effect on them and the audience.

Part of Jackass Forever is an introduction of new cast members, including Zach Holmes, Jasper, Rachel Wolfson and “Poopies”. The crop of newcomers (as well as guest stars Eric Andre, Machine Gun Kelly, and Tyler the Creator) take some of the performance load off the main crew, and suggest a new generation that can take over when (really, if) they ever decide to hang it up. There are insanely dangerous bits. Knoxville gets shot out of a cannon and run over by a bull (a callback to an original Jackass bit). Steve-O has about a hundred (probably more) bees placed on his penis. Danger Ehren lets someone jump on his balls with a pogo stick, though he is wearing a cup. Dave England has gallons of pig cum dumped on his head. It seems important in Forever to prove that while they might be older and slower, they have not loss their edge.

I was engulfed by this film’s emotional scope, but more importantly, I was laughing my ass off from start to finish. Having been in theaters since the beginning of February, I was passed the point of packed screenings, and yet that did not stop me and about ten other people from sharing some of the biggest laughs I’ve had in years. The familial bonding between the men in this film, their shared experience over decades, is the what makes it so resonant. Even the image of Knoxville’s hair, gone completely white, evokes a lifetime of performance. You’ve always got the sense that the Jackass guys do this stuff more for their own entertainment than anyone else’s, but they are still performing for an audience, and they always makes sure that audience has a good time.

 

Directed by Jeff Tremaine