The story of a humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers on the road competing in hidden-camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and redeem three of the four Jokers.
“Impractical Jokers” first aired on truTV on December 15th, 2011 and has just been renewed for a 26-episode ninth season. I actually got into the show a few years after it premiered and basically, it is “Candid Camera” for a new generation. The show stars real-life friends Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano. Basically, the four friends try to outdo each other by setting up hidden cameras and interacting with members of the public, unbeknownst to them that they are on TV. One friend has to interact with the public while the other three talk to them wirelessly and feed them lines of dialogue that they have to say. If they don’t, they lose that round.
When a feature film was announced, I honestly had no idea how they would pull it off, unless they expanded their 30-minute TV show into 90 minutes of the jokers doing what they do best. In actuality, the producers try to offer up a narrative that typically accompanies most feature films but this aspect falls flat. The movie starts in 1994 in Staten Island with the four friends sneaking into a Paula Abdul concert, dressed up as security. When Joe jumps onto the stage and tries to interact with Ms. Abdul, things take a nosedive quickly and after ruining the show for the audience, Ms. Abdul threatens to hunt them down and kill them. Yep, the “Forever Your Girl” most certainly has a vicious streak. 25 years later, while sitting in a Red Lobster restaurant, the four friends are approached by Ms. Abdul. She doesn’t remember them from the night of her concert but does recognize them as the Impractical Jokers on TV and tells them she is a huge fan. She offers them backstage passes to come and see her perform in Miami and they are only too happy to oblige but after she leaves, they realize she only left three passes and not four which means one of them will not be able to attend. In order to sort out who will make the cut, the foursome agree to take a road trip to Florida and along the way, compete with each other in their quintessential hidden-camera challenges.
That is the plot summed up. The narrative structure feels awkward and unwarranted and I think the film would have benefitted if they had just done a 90-minute version of their TV show instead but I also understand the need to break free of the constraints of the television framework for the big screen and try something new. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work. What does work though, is the four friends’ chemistry. Real-life buddies for many years, their onscreen magnetism is undeniable as they make fun of each other but never stoop to demeaning or disparaging circumstances. Watching oblivious bystanders get caught up in their jokes is half the fun, the other half is the reactions of the four friends as they try to outmaneuver each other with every new gag and the one who loses the most points, is relegated to doing something embarrassing, usually in front of a large group of people. Towards the end of the movie, the loser has to get up in front of a packed room of media influencers and make a presentation to them as to how they can be better at their jobs but naturally, it isn’t that easy. What the loser does not know, is that the other three friends have produced the presentation and they have to go along with it, regardless of what transpires.
If you are unfamiliar with the Impractical Jokers, I’d recommend watching a few episodes of the show before the movie as it will make a lot more sense. While “Impractical Jokers: The Movie” has a few laugh-out-loud moments, overall, it fails to deliver the hilarity and entertainment value its small-screen cousin offers when the show is on TV. If you are a fan of the show, the film should appeal to you. If you’re not a fan, fast forward to the next title.
Now available on Digital and VOD
