We’re not sure what prompted Johnny Knoxville and his friends to get together in the first place and do stupid, gross stunts for the Jackass TV show, but we’re among the many that are glad they did. As painful as a lot of these stunts are, they’re also pretty hilarious, ranging from getting slapped with a giant hand at full speed to stuff that’s beyond description from “party boy” Chris Pontius. It’s all pretty wild and gross, but just the thing fans need. That’s where Jackass Forever comes in.
Released in theaters earlier this year, Forever catches up with Knoxville and most of the crew, along with some new faces. They get back together in the hopes of doing even more stupid things. How stupid? Well, their take on Godzilla is a bit… curious when you discover what the big monster is not to mention a glitter bomb for the ages, and a reunion with a bull that leaves Knoxville with a nasty concussion.
So, how does this last go-around (we assume, can they do this in their 80’s?) fare? Not bad actually.
Just Chill and Have Fun With It
If you go into Jackass unaware of what you’re going to watch, you’re likely in trouble. Forever keeps up with the status quo when it comes to doing gross, hilarious things. At one point, there’s a table tennis competition using, well, certain body parts. That’s all we’ll say. The movie follows that logic (or lack thereof) for the most part, and benefits from it.
Is it for everyone? Hell no. There are likely to be a few people that get sick to their stomach watching this. Parts of the movie are actually devoted to watching these guys lose their composure at some points, though they laugh afterward.
Still, there’s something magic about it. Gross? Yes. Yet, it maintains the spirit of what Jackass is all about. It gets ridiculous at times, but a lot of fans have been needing this. Plus, there’s something about watching Johnny Knoxville in full grandpa mode get launched into a ceiling. It’s hilarious. Painful, sure, but hilarious.
Jeff Tremaine returns to direct and likely has all sorts of traumatic memories as a result. Still, Jackass Forever proves you can’t keep some good folks down. Even if that means shoving Steve-O back into a port-o-potty, fake teeth and all, or watching things blow up around a creature made of…well, just watch the movie.
A Solid Home Treatment
For better or worse, Jackass Forever’s gross stunts are nicely captured on Blu-Ray in a 1080p transfer. The picture looks great, and you can see all the details including, yup, the vomit. The slow motion stuff is particularly fun, even if that means Johnny’s hard landing from doing a modern Flight of Icarus. It was still entertaining to watch him try.
The audio is good too. Not that it needs anything amazing for puke noises or farts, but hey. The songs sound great, and all the dialogue is nicely captured. It’s great hearing these guys laugh, even as all this destruction and chaos is happening. They live for this. How long is anyone’s guess, but they survived thus far.
As for the special features, I would’ve loved to hear a commentary talking about the guy’s return. Instead, however, we’re treated to 40 minutes of new sequences that didn’t make the cut in the film. The cast and crew do sit down and chat, however, and the new stunts fit right in to what made it in the movie. It does provide a human look at what’s happening, while still remaining delightfully absurd. That’s a fine balance to have.
Jackass Forever and Ever
Look, if you don’t like Jackass, skip Jackass Forever. It’s more of the same brutal, painful, and gross comedy. However, a lot of people grew up on this hilarity, and Knoxville and his boys know exactly what they want. They deliver in spades with stuff that’s sophomoric, stupid, and just plain sadistic.
Alas, it’s likely the final go round. Who knows, there may be a surprise reunion in a year or so, but age is definitely showing here. Thankfully, the boys go out with a bang and, thankfully, not with a firecracker up someone’s butt this time.
VIBE RATING: 7.5/10
Need more zany movie madness? Don’t miss our review of Everything Everywhere All At Once!
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