Celebrate the joy of a perfectly executed shot to the groin as Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and the rest of the gang return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd and often dangerous displays of stunts and comedy.
When “Jackass” premiered on MTV in October of 2000, the show’s creators, Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville, probably had no idea how huge the series, and eventual film franchise, would become. While the show only lasted three seasons, its big-screen adaptations continued the zany and, at times, controversial content for years to come, starting with “Jackass: The Movie” (2002), “Jackass Number Two” (2006), “Jackass 3D” (2010), “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” (2013), and “Jackass Forever” (2022).
If you’re familiar with the show and the films, “Jackass Forever” pretty much follows the same tried and true formula. However, I found this time around, they cut back on many of the gross, stomach-churning gags, such as the Vomelet, the Sweatsuit Cocktail, and the Poo Cocktail Supreme from “Jackass 3D,” focusing more on the visual jokes, likely because of their ages, wanting to show the physical aftermath of each participant.
Two notable missing faces are Ryan Dunn, who perished in a car accident in 2011, and his best friend, Bam Margera, who only appeared in one gag in the film before being fired by Paramount Pictures after he allegedly tested positive for Adderall. He has been in and out of rehab throughout his career, and after he signed a contract with Paramount, stating he would stay away from drugs and alcohol for the duration of filming, he constantly failed regular drug and urine testing, and he was let go from the movie. His absence is noticeable, and honestly, he was probably my favorite of the original cast, so the film has a void in there that you will feel, especially if you are a fan.
Knoxville recently stated that this would be the last Jackass movie he would appear in, and with him now at a sprightly 51 years of age, he is right to move on. He will probably stay on as a producer should they continue with a younger cast, but one of the gags in “Jackass Forever,” in which Knoxville tackles a bull, left him with a broken rib, a broken wrist, a concussion, and a hemorrhage on his brain. Not exactly the kind of injuries one needs to sustain, especially at his age. Steve-O broke his collarbone, Ehren McGhehey ruptured his right testicle, and Pro skateboarder Aaron “Jaws” Homoki and Dave England severely burnt their hands. They might have been able to walk away from injuries like this when they were younger, but their ages are catching up with them now, and it’s time to pass the torch.
Some of the gags, including the bull mentioned above with Knoxville, involve Steve-O using his penis used as a beehive, Dave England getting 5 gallons of pig semen dumped on him, Preston Lacy’s testicles being used as a human punching bag, newcomer Rachel Wolfson allowing a scorpion sting her lips and then licking a taser, a vulture eating pieces of meat off Wee Man’s almost naked body, and many others too numerous to mention. If you’ve never seen an episode of “Jackass” or any of the movies, this paragraph will probably have you wondering just what the hell I’m talking about. If you have a strong stomach and a sense of humor, you’ll probably have a blast, one last time, with Johnny Knoxville and his gang of maniacs; I know I did.
Now available on Digital HD, and on Blu-ray and DVD April 19th
