Jackass Best and Last: The End of an Era

No experience in the history of cinema has been as surreal as watching a now 52-year-old Steve-O get a prostate exam in beautiful digital fidelity. As I sat there in my seat laughing uproariously, a wave of emotions came over me as I realized this is it, the last jackass film. The existential realization felt like both a wedding and a funeral at the same time, an experience where the permanence of time becomes almost too real before the love and community shared on screen becomes too infectious to dim the smile. Jackass: Best and Last is an experience unlike most films, one which initially feels like a coda to ‘Forever’ but upon further consideration is a beautiful encapsulation of what makes these films tick, beyond the stunts and gross out gags. It’s a celebration of the timelessness of love and friendship which echoes throughout the franchise, inviting viewers into this shared experience making for a theatrical experience unlike many other.

Jackass: Best and Last is a film that, for better and worse, lives up to its title, serving as part greatest hits clip show and part ‘lost’ footage, while implementing brand new footage including the new cast from the franchise’s last outing, and a few cameos. The final ‘Jackass’ film succeeds in encompassing nearly everything the franchise has achieved over its incredible run, including the harsh reality of the toll these injuries take and the undefeated record of father time. Given this, the structure of the film slightly strays from the tradition. now balancing old and new footage while giving insight into the creation of stunts and its stars reflecting of their mortality echoing the formula of the always incredible .5 features.

Much discussion has been had around its clip show elements, with worries around how it cheapens the film. Luckily, it finds a way to walk the Alligator Tight Rope, utilizing archival footage in a way that feels not only tasteful, but also comforting, like seeing an old friend return home from college. This is largely achieved by the film’s inclusion of familiar and classic stunts. Offering audiences different angles, reactions, and longer takes, placing them between new footage, leaving room for nostalgia for the content they love, with a distinct separation from the original footage. This unfortunately is, as expected, the weaker aspect of the film as many others itching for new footage, and that desire for a truly new film is made worse when the new footage, featuring standout bits that would work in any jackass film, feels like a bit of a funeral march.

While Jackass: Best and Last isn’t filled with classic new moments like ‘Forever’ was before it, to its credit, delivers the wholesome and loving energy present throughout the franchise with a sense of love and friendship flowing seamlessly moment to moment. An element that runs deep throughout not only the films, but the .5 content, tv specials, and even interviews. Watching the crew growing up on camera from old-new footage is unexpectedly moving unlike many films in recent memory. It’s hard to think that the final ‘Jackass’ film would leave me with equal parts sadness and happiness, ruminating on my life and prior decisions like a European art film, but here we are, reminiscing about growing up with jackass and where my own retirement may fall. While ‘Jackass’ has always been a divisive franchise, there are few greater examples of the moving power of cinema than watching this franchise ender. If there is anything to take away from it all, it’s this sage advice, “if you’re going to be dumb, you gotta be tough.”

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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Brad Simon

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