Review: Jackass Forever

Since the original MTV series premiered in 2000, Jackass hasn’t changed all that much. The setup is simple: a group of friends videotape themselves performing insane/gross stunts and pranks. The majority of the original cast and crew are back, 21 years later, for Jackass Forever—this is the first film since Ryan Dunn’s death in 2011, and Bam Margera’s current unfortunate mental state is why he’s no longer part of the main crew. It’s been a full decade since the last movie and the gray hairs and wrinkles definitely show. The old cast still take their hits though—a simple, oversized treadmill gag exemplifies how particularly painful it is, and how hard it is for us to watch them do these stunts well into their late forties and fifties. But it still works. Even though Jackass Forever never truly reaches the heights of the first three movies, it still manages to shock and make you laugh—if you’ve ever been a fan of Jackass, Forever feels like a welcome return to the series. 

Forever has an aura of, “Well, if we did it before, we can do it again.” It feels familiar. In the opening credits sequence, wherein we see our first penis and ballsack of many, Steve-O recreates the “Poo Cocktail'' gag he’s done before—launching himself in the air while in a porta-potty filled with shit. Later, Jackass leader Johnny Knoxville is involved with another old stunt, but instead of him walking away from it like he did 20 years ago, he lies motionless on the ground for way too long, until he’s carried away on a stretcher, later admitted into the hospital—he stated recently that he suffered severe brain damage because of this stunt. The film doesn’t immediately feel like a swan song for the series, even though Knoxville has said this was truly the end of his run in Jackass. But it feels like the old gang playing their greatest hits. 

We’re also introduced to new members of the Jackass crew—like the audience watching these movies, some of them are lifelong fans, and their energy and commitment to the bits makes watching Forever that much more fun. And it’s a delight to see the old guard lift up and celebrate the new generation of Jackass performers—the finest example of that comes when new guy Zach Holmes rides a motorcycle off a ramp into a bunch of cacti, it’s pure joy. 

Forever keeps true to what makes Jackass work. The magic isn’t in the stunts themselves, it’s in the reaction to the stunts by everyone involved in the making of the movie. Other than when pranking civilians, the behind-the-scenes crew’s presence is felt, whether it’s their laughter, director Jeff Tremaine’s shouting/egging on, or cameraman Lance Bangs’ now customary hurling in the middle of a disgusting stunt (which is my favorite running gag throughout the entire series). It’s when the camera pulls back, breaking that fourth wall, and we see everyone’s reaction that you feel like you can laugh, too. A stunt with a spider involving a new cast member, Compston "Darkshark" Wilson, verges on cruelty, but it’s not until it’s over and the laughing and the hugging starts that you can finally breathe a sigh of relief. 

Jackass Forever’s heart is there, buried underneath the shit and dick gags. But that’s not to say it’s any less vicious. Knoxville and Tremaine really enjoy turning the screws on the old cast in particular. Ehren McGhehey, who was the target of maybe the best Jackass prank ever (the cab ride/pubic hair beard in Jackass Number Two), ends up getting strapped down to a chair in Forever, gets covered with salmon, and is then joined by a bear. Pure fear runs through him, as we see, and we’re on the edge of our seats thinking, “Is this the one that goes too far?” The new cast does get their fair share of pranks pulled on them, too—the Silence of the Lambs one is especially good—but there’s a level of comfort in the cruelty between the original crew that is undeniably cathartic to watch.

You get what you pay for with Jackass Forever—90 minutes that’ll make you laugh and make you sick. The modern day Harold Lloyds risking their lives (and mental health) for the audience (and bragging rights) do their jobs here. The audience I saw it with reacted to every high-risk stunt and gross-out moment exactly you’d expect. If you feel safe going out to watch this movie, I suggest you do. Or wait until it ends up on VOD or Paramount+ and get a friends group together to watch it. Jackass Forever, like the last three movies, feels made for the communal experience—similar to when the camera pulls back to capture everyone’s reaction to a particular stunt onscreen, there’s an energy in being with an audience who are also either gagging or laughing uncontrollably. A man sitting a couple of seats next to me had to leave a few times because he just couldn’t take it—a scene involving pig semen broke him. For some, Spider-Man: No Way Home was the get-off-your-seat, cheer-to-your-hearts'-content event of the last few years, but for longtime fans of Jackass, Jackass Forever will undoubtedly be the event film for them—not only a celebration of the long-running series, but a reminder of why we come together to watch movies.