Anthony's Film Review - Jackass Forever (2022)

Jackass Forever is crude, shocking, disgusting, and vulgar, and that's why it's pretty funny...

Let me first provide details of my familiarity with the Jackass franchise. I've never been a fan. I have heard of the MTV show of the same name back in the early 2000's, just as I would hear about the theatrical releases of its follow-ups: Jackass the Movie, Jackass Number Two, and Jackass 3D. But I never watched any of it. The content isn't my kind of thing at all. It totally appeals to an audience with lower standards of humor, decency, and intelligence. This is not meant to criticize the people involved in Jackass or their fans. I'm just simply pointing out the type of comedy that's involved here.

When it comes to comedy, there are plenty of types. One can divide it into two broad categories: high-brow and low-brow. High-brow comedy tends to be more intellectual, something with wit and cleverness. Low-brow often delves into the silly and grotesque. Nothing wrong with that if you're open to it. So I figure that if I am fairly open-minded when it comes to humor and to movies in general, I should watch Jackass Forever just so I know what makes its target audience laugh.

The film does provide a serious warning, both before and after the movie, about not reenacting what is shown in this film. I shall accompany that with my own detailed comments about what to expect. In this movie, there are graphic acts involving physical pain, dangerous animals, sensitive body parts (especially the penis), gross bodily functions, and even a certain animal bodily fluid that is already disgusting just from hearing about it. I would definitely describe the humor of Jackass as sadomasochistic, where laughs are generated from inflicting pain on someone or willfully choosing to endure a painful situation. You might know people in your youth who are so bored that they'll do dumb things for entertainment. Well, Jackass takes that to a very high degree.

The first scene of Jackass Forever is a goofy parody of Godzilla, which then segues into a quick shot of something weird that a naked man is doing. That simply serves as the warm-up and introduction. The rest of the movie is a series of clips in which the Jackass cast, led by Johnny Knoxville, engage in one extreme act after another. It's either a stunt they want to experiment with or a prank they play on each other. Occasionally, pranks are played on real unsuspecting people, though they are ultimately not the main source of Jackass's comedy.

Part of the reason that this movie is funny, if you can stomach it, is that the Jackass cast members are laughing their butts off in response to the stunts and pranks. I'm not just talking about the ones who are witnessing their fellow cast go through torture. Even the participants may be laughing, once it's all over. Watching these people is like watching any tightly-knit group of friends laughing together. When we see people having a good time, even if we may not share their interests, we often feel good that they can enjoy themselves. I keep thinking this every time the cast laughs like crazy and I see Johnny Knoxville's big smile with it. This is how I can still laugh even when the most shocking and disgusting acts don't make me laugh all that much.

That doesn't mean I didn't laugh in response to any of the stunts or pranks. There are scenes that I did find funny, often because they were among the relatively milder stuff. For example, one prank involves telling pairs of cast members that they will be in the same room with a big snake. In actuality, the snake is removed before they enter, but the room goes pitch black after they come in. Night-vision cameras capture the frightened reactions of the participants. Oh, and there is also someone in night-vision goggles who will scare them even further in various ways. It's painful physically and also emotionally, but the rest of the cast looking in are laughing their butts off. Besides this, I was also amused by the Cup Test, an old Jackass feature that involves seeing how much force a protective cup for men can really take. For this, four professional athletes of different sports gladly assist in delivering the forces to the crotch of the one man willing to take it. Yes, this is one of the intensely masochistic segments, but just remember that all participation was voluntary (at least, I hope so).

I went into this movie expecting to either hate it or just find it mildly funny. I was surprised that I enjoyed it more than expected. It all came down to a willingness to just put my brain aside before watching this movie. Also, watching this movie is like getting an up close and personal glimpse into another culture. Yes, that culture revolves around taking huge risks, but there's still a fascination from hanging out with people you normally would never bother to be with in the first place.

So there you have it. Jackass Forever is a funny comedy movie even if it is heavily dipped in the crude and gross. Again, this is coming from someone who has never seen a Jackass movie or TV episode, but who still has enough of an open mind to just let go and enjoy the ride, as well as a stomach strong enough to not make me walk out of the theater. So if penile or testicular pain, defecation, flatulence, vomiting, hard body landings, mousetraps, a naked man with a bee colony, a bear approaching a guy covered in honey and raw salmon, an extreme wedgie, and other similar things don't scare you away, then you're either a jackass or a resilient smartass. Either way, you may laugh your ass off.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Jackass Forever, visit the Internet Movie Database.