'Jackass Forever' film review: Knoxville & crew return for more stupid, hilarious laughs
Crude, disgusting, and gleefully hysterical, the gross-out stunt comedy 'Jackass Forever' (in theaters nationwide Jan. 4) is a laugh-out-loud, wince-inducing ride.
In short: More than 20 years after 'Jackass' premiered on Mtv, the Jackass crew returns with new stunts and pranks. Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Danger Ehren and Preston Lacy star.
Reviewing a 'Jackass' movie might seem like a fool's errand. And maybe it is. 'Jackass' is empty calories - a movie devoid of any meaningful social commentary. Insights can be inferred from the fact that 'Jackass' is popular enough to be an iconic MTV series and power four feature-length films - but that's a whole other subject. With scant few metrics to judge 'Forever,' the question basically comes down to: does 'Forever' achieve what it sets out to accomplish? And in a word: yes. 'Forever' is pure nihilistic glee - just as a good 'Jackass' film should be.
You're either onboard with the whole 'Jackass' premise or you're not - it's that simple. And after dozens of episodes and several feature-length films, audiences have long-since decided which side of the 'Jackass' fence they're on. If the preceding series and movies were unappealing to you, then 'Forever' is unsurprisingly and wonderfully just as shamelessly offensive and hilarious as it's ever been. The 'Jackass' formula is super simple: big laughs ... at the cost of the well-being of its cast. These crash-test clowns take hit after hit after brutal hit, all for the amusement of their fans.
All these years later, it's oddly nice to see the 'Jackass' boys - now older men in the twilight of their mid-life - together again, punishing themselves and each other, all while radiating youthful, stupid joy. Their incurable (near terminal) immaturity hasn't dulled one bit - while the heart may be willing, but their frayed nerves and broken bodies are definitely worse for the wear. The odd undercurrent of 'Forever' is the undeniable fact that the original 'Jackass' crew is older. After suffering yet another indignity, stalwart cast member Preston Lacy openly laments that he is a man in his 50s - seemingly asking himself 'Why am I doing this'? And with all the physical punishment actually hits a little different this time around because Knoxville and crew aren't as spry and seemingly indestructible this time around.
If this is the original crew's last ride - and for the sake of their nerves and bones 'Forever' probably should be the end for the core 'Jackass' crew - then 'Forever' does seem to leave the door open for the future of juvenile, sadistic and ridiculous pranks. Newcomers Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Jasper Dolphin, Zach Holmes, Rachel Wolfson and Eric Manaka prove their reckless willingness to sacrifice their bodies to stupid, silly stunts. Director/cruel ringmaster Jeff Tremaine balances the old crew with the new crew, allowing 'Forever' to feel like a swan song for the gen-x crew while introducing the gen-z kids who grew up watching 'Jackass' ... and probably ignoring that "don't try these stunts yourself" warning.
Final verdict: 'Jackass Forever' is the pure definition of crude, stupid and hilarious fun.
Score: 4/5
'Jackass Forever' opens in theaters Jan. 4. This film has a running time of 96 minutes and is rated R for strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity and language throughout.
