Jackass Forever || Spoiler-Free Review

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Genre:  Reality, Comedy
Directed by:  Jeff Tremaine
Written by:  Andrew Weinberg, Colton Dunn, Derrick Beckles, Eric André, Knate Gwaltney, Nick Kreiss, Sarah Sherman, Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze
Starring:  Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, Preston Lacy, Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, Rachel Wolfson, Eric Manaka
Cinematography by:  Dimitry Elyashkevich
RottenTomatoes - 85% from Critics, 93% from Audiences  ||  IMDB Average 7.7 out of 10  ||  Letterboxd Average 4.0 out of 5


Brief Thoughts on the Movie 

"Jackass Forever is just about everything you could want from a lega-sequel. An effortless return-to-form for the series, featuring a charming mix of returning & fresh cast members. If you're yearning for more Jackass, Forever easily meets that bill."

What's It About?

Jackass Forever, like its predecessors, is a feature-length collection of the stunts, pranks, and gags fans have come to expect from the cast and crew of this now 22 year old MTV series. This time around, returning veterans like Johnny Knoxville and Steve-O are joined by a welcomed selection of fresh, new cast members - Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, Rachel Wolfson, and Eric Manaka.



What Worked?

The Jackass franchise has been infamously pushing the boundaries of entertainment in the name of dumb fun for over two decades now - at this point, I'm sure you're already well aware of whether a new Jackass movie is going to be for you or if it isn't. Outside of the aging legacy cast and crew members, it would be nearly impossible to tell that there was a ten year gap between Jackass Forever and the previous installment, Jackass 3D. This sequel effortlessly recaptures the madcap, chaotic energy permeating each of the previous entries, something that could've been tricky with the time-gap and the rearranged cast of players.

Bam Margera and a few of the original crew members end up not making a reappearance in Jackass Forever due to some behind-the-scenes issues with rumors and allegations coming from both sides - mercifully, this doesn't end up affecting the overall dynamic much at all. The returning cast members and newer additions play off of one another well, quickly creating this palpable and easy camaraderie. If anything, I've fully embraced this new (Margera-less) dynamic for the series, especially when considering many of the more mean-spirited bits have also been removed. This seemingly small shift helps Jackass Forever feel kinder and more mature - and as blasphemous and as unexpected as that might be, it was entirely welcome.

Don't let that fool you though - Jackass Forever doesn't hold its punches when it comes to its pranks and stunts, containing some of the most dangerous and nail-biting stunts yet. The Jackass movies have always been known for putting its cast through all sorts of freshly invented hells, something which translates to a squirmy and cringe-inducing sit for its audience members. I can safely say, on that front, Jackass Forever is no exception. It's obvious that the "brains" behind Jackass Forever felt the need to make up for lost time by coming back strong, with a literal and metaphorical bang. The result is Jackass Forever - a no holds barred piece of entertainment broken down to its simplest and purest form.



What Didn't Work?

Having been a fan of Jackass since its inception, I've been diligently following every release within the franchise. I've seen the entire original series, each and every one of the Jackass movies (including the .5s and Bad Grandpa), the MTV spin-offs Viva La Bam and Wild Boyz...even Too Stupid To Die (featuring Zacharias Holmes - one of Jackass Forever's new members). I even have vivid memories of being excited to watch the Jackass crew take over MTV for 24 hours - quite possibly the last time I remember holding any enthusiasm for the channel. I bring this up not to make one of the weirdest, nothing brags in history, but to show my fondness and familiarity with the franchise - at least during the height of its zeitgeist. Not only am I the target audience for this movie, but Jackass is one of those rare teenage properties that still firmly has its nostalgia hooks in me.

And yet, with all of that said, I have to admit that there is some part of Jackass' shine that has faded for me. While I absolutely enjoyed the majority of Jackass Forever, it was hard to shake off this feeling that some of that initial magic Jackass captured might be gone for good. I had an bothersome feeling of overfamiliarity and "been there, done that" throughout many of Forever's bits. After some reflection, I think this is attributed to two specific issues: over referencing previous stunts for nostalgia's sake and YouTube and other video platformers offering similar content.

There are quite a few stunts in Jackass Forever that borrow visuals and ideas directly from the previous movies and the original show, except with the intensity dialed up significantly. While this further reinforces the underlying themes of nostalgia and going back to its roots after a long hiatus, it does make Jackass Forever feel a bit as if we might be reaching the point of diminishing returns in terms of originality.

Then there's YouTube, TikTok, Vine, and other video sharing platforms, offering users the ability to create their own content in addition to easy access to audiences. Within the last decade, user-created content has gone on to become just as popular as some of the more in demand streaming and network television programs. This seemingly small shift completely and dramatically shook-up the television and entertainment landscape. This allowed countless fans who grew up on Jackass to create successful and enduring imitations and knock-offs to scratch that same itch during the franchise's absence. FailArmy, WipeOut and Impractical Jokers are some notable properties which have taken individual elements of the Jackass formula and ran with them to varying levels of success. All of this makes going back to Jackass, which arguably still remains the gold standard for this breed of entertainment, feel just a little less special than it used to.



Standout Scene

Though every one who watches Jackass Forever will come away with their own favorites, the two bits that have stayed rent-free in my head since watching it are The Silence of the Lambs prank and The Dum Dum Game. The Silence of the Lambs skit starts off as a simple and clever homage to the Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins classic of the same name before quickly escalating into pure chaos. The gleefully unpredictable surprises along with the obvious amount of careful thought put into this skit make it a clear standout.

Then there's The Dum Dum Game which is as simple and straight-forward as the skits come. Host master Johnny Knoxville asks three contestants a series of fourth-grade equivalent questions. If they answer answer incorrectly, they get hit in the ding dong by a questionably rigged, mechanical flip-flop contraption. The trivia game itself is amusing enough, but adding in this dubious element only heightens the humor. This spirit of this skit is succinctly encapsulated by a quote from Eric André from later in the movie - "It's Jackass. It ain't a bunch of NASA scientists writing this shit." Truer words have never been spoken.

Standout Performance

Though all of the new additions are likable and get their own respective moments to shine, the real revelation is Sean "Poopies" McInerney who within moments of his first bit feels like he was always "one of the gang", so to speak. His surfer-bro charisma and undaunted enthusiasm for tackling some truly cringe-inducing stunts made him a clear standout for me.



Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

  • In late 2019, Johnny Knoxville shared a 200-page document to director Jeff Tremaine - one loaded with new concepts for a fourth Jackass movie.
  • After Jeff Tremaine fought with Paramount Pictures to keep Bam Margera in the movie due to concerns over his recent erratic behavior, Margera ended up being officially removed from the production of the fourth Jackass film - allegedly due to being unable to adhere to sobriety clause within his contract. Even though he was removed from the film, Margera can be seen in Jackass Forever in one of the stunts involving an industrial treadmill as well as in some archival footage played during the end credits.
  • Although the CKY crew members are often regular players in the Jackass movies, Chris Raab is the only CKY member associated with Jackass Forever as a camera operator, alongside returning camera operators Rick Kosick, Greg Iguchi, and Lance Bangs.

Pairs Well With...


Film-FTW Rating  ||  7 Stars
"Very Good / Compelling"

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