Jackass Forever – A Ridiculous Bit of Nostalgia

Jackass was a pop culture phenomenon in the early 2000s and a part of countless childhoods, whether or not they should have watched it then, following its premiere on MTV. Putting Johnny Knoxville and his merry gang of misfits on the map, the franchise has generated 5 films (counting 2.5 and 3.5) over the course of 9 years with the last coming in 2011. Now 11 years later, the franchise is back with its sixth installment with Jackass Forever (the film was originally set to release in October 2021 before being delayed to February 2022). The question is will it have the same impact this time around as the gang and subsequently the franchise’s core audience have grown up? While that is not for this reviewer to decide, watching people get hurt on screen for the enjoyment of audiences certainly doesn’t feel the same way that it used to. That being said, the nostalgia factor is one that will be hard to ignore as this film, and the other films in the series, takes audiences back to a simpler time when they were watching the series on television back when they were younger. The film has been a hit thus far likely due to that factor.

Setting the tone with a ridiculous opening, Jackass Forever essentially works as an extended episode of Jackass, featuring various stunts introduced by the participating cast members tied together by gags and other sequences. Obviously not for everyone, fans will be at home here as the reflection from the franchise’s original cast members contrasted with that of its newer cast members made for a compelling dynamic in the midst of the chaos and ridiculousness. However, a lot of the stunts and gags were just not funny. Mostly going back to the same material, sometimes evolving on classic stunts, they missed more often than they hit. But when they hit, they hit. In the end, there just wasn’t nearly enough of those moments to be had. The funnier and more interesting material was arguably during the end credits, featuring classic material from the television series and past films that helped showcase the evolution of the franchise.

At the end of the day, what makes a film like Jackass Forever and the Jackass franchise as a whole is its people. Despite what they do to one another, they are a family above all else and that energy still comes through in spades. With Knoxville and the gang doing all this stuff for so long, that chemistry developed over decades still made for a fun watch. They were clearly having fun therefore it was easy to have fun right with them even if the film didn’t all work. The film’s new additions definitely didn’t miss a beat either though they took a backseat for the most part in favor of the originals. Meanwhile, it also featured plenty of celebrity cameos who joined in on the fun.

Jackass Forever was made for the fans. At this point, it won’t be converting anybody but those who aren’t fans were already going to stay away from it anyway. However, that impact is waning.

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.