It has been over 10 years since the last installment in the “Jackass” franchise and the reunion is a welcome one.
Walking into the theater I really had no idea what to expect. For me, this franchise was always various videos on the internet. I had never sat down and watched a “Jackass” movie from beginning to end. I had one particular question floating around in my head. Was I going to get bored after ten minutes?
After 10 minutes the answer was a resounding no.
‘Jackass Forever’ lets you know its intentions right off the bat. After just a few minutes of a bit of a re introduction the first crass element was revealed and it was met by an uproarious response from not just myself, but the entire theater.
I was not prepared for what was to come and that is the best thing I can say about this movie. While a large majority of the gags revolve around hits to another man’s groin, there were several stunts that I really didn’t see coming. It didn’t take long at all before I was completely swept up and found myself guessing as to what they were going to do next.
As the hijinks progressed and the laughter grew louder from the audience, I was taken aback by the fact that the bond between this group of friends transcends off the screen and into the auditorium. It quickly became more of a 90 minute hang out with your wild group of friends rather than simply sitting down to watch a group of guys use each other as much pain as possible.
The guys also acknowledge (on multiple occasions) that they aren’t as indestructible as they once were but that certainly doesn’t stop them from performing acts that will have you squirming in your seat. Knoxville, 51, takes one of the hardest hits throughout the runtime, landing him in the hospital with multiple broken bones. It’s hard to imagine being the age these guys are and continuing to partake in the stunts they do. So what do you do? Bring in new faces. The new players in this wild game certainly come to play.
Verdict: Full of laugh out loud and wince worthy hijinks, ‘Jackass Forever’ is a shockingly sweet piece of escapism that the world needs right now. The familiar cast is of course great but even the newcomers earn their spot in this franchise. See this one with an audience. 7/10.