Film Review: Jackass Forever

Director: Jeff Tremaine
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-o, Weeman
Running time: 96 minutes

Eleven years after their last outing, Knoxville & co. are out to prove that old friends – emphasis on the “old” – can still find new ways to torture themselves for our entertainment. The concept needs little introduction. There is no plot, just a series of stunts gone hilariously wrong, and pranks gone horribly right. It has a lovingly self-aware stupidity that shows even the wittiest of comedy scripts are no match for a well-timed slap to the balls. 

Jackass Forever pretty much does what it says on the tin. Much like the original MTV show that debuted back in 2000, it is comprised of several increasingly silly segments all strung together into one delightfully disgusting feature-length melody. In typical Jackass film tradition, we open with a dramatised semi-scripted stunt intro, this time with a tribute to kaiju movies, in what appears to be a city being overrun by a giant green monster. From the moment you realise it is Chris Pontius’ penis puppeteering over a small set of a city – which naturally, ends with the “monster” being bit by a snapping turtle – you know they haven’t missed a beat. 

Most segments will have you laughing and wincing in equal measure, with each cut to black being met with an eerie excitement to what the hell they are going to do next. Some are simple in their design; “The Human Ramp” is exactly what you expect, but you’ll be howling all the same. Others, – notably “The Lie Detector” and “Silence of the Lambs” – will have you on the edge of your seat as the chaos spirals in quick succession.

Throughout you’ll be questioning how most of the original cast made it to fifty, let alone still performing these stunts at this age. Yet the original cast are as wild as ever, and all are present minus the late Ryan Dunn, whom the film pays tribute to, and Bam Margera. The cast seems determined to prove they can still do it in true decades later fashion, with several segments succeeding in topping older versions of stunts that came before. In what feels like a baton pass, the film introduces a new generation, including Rachel, the first woman Jackass, and Jasper, the first Black man in the crew. The new members fit in well and are welcome additions to the cast, truly feeling like they have always been there.

Understandably, Jackass has always come under criticism for the use of animals in its antics and Jackass Forever is no exception. It is certainly uncomfortable at times to see animals placed in these scenarios, but we never actually see them being harmed. Rather, they’re the ones inflicting the damage onto our deranged anti-heroes. Still, the use of animals in these contexts is definitely up for debate, but admittedly it’s hard to think about the moral ramifications of using a snapping turtle in these situations when it’s chewing a man’s genitalia.

It’s Jackass. Its stupid, disgusting, hard to watch and yet, strangely wholesome at the same time. It’s the kind of pure mindless fun and escapism the world needs right now. Jackass has carved out a unique niche for itself and is an obscure landmark in the history of cinema. For multiple generations now, the series is a nostalgic reminder of their younger years, and Jackass Forever is a true reunion of the boys that is a true blast – often literally – from the past.

Did you know? Because most of the film was filmed during the pandemic, all of the cast and crew members had to be tested for Coronavirus every day of filming. Director Jeff Tremaine says that Covid safety measures and testing had cost the production over one million dollars.

Jackass Forever is now in cinemas