There’s Still Some Lowbrow Charm in Jackass Forever

Jackass Forever plays like a soft sequel. The familiar ensemble of punch-takers and poop-ploppers returns once again for another round of pranks, stunts, and skits. There are some new faces as well, and they could use some new members to compose more compelling bits. After doing Jackass for over 20 years, the troupe is starting to revive many of its classic segments. This film presents the return of one of their more simplistic segments, the Cup Test, a simple experiment to see how well a cup will protect your genitals from a punch. Before starting the segment, Johnny Knoxville remarks that it’s been decades since this bit, and here they are—much older—doing the same experiment again. At least this time, they have a heavyweight boxer to punch them in the crotch.

Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Steve-O, “Dark Shark” Dave England, Zach Holmes, Eric Manaka, Jasper, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, and Danger Ehren in Jackass Forever. Paramount Pictures

The best way to explain the appeal and stagnation of Jackass Forever is the upscaling of the same bits. After four films, the criteria for judging a mere anthology of elaborate jokes ultimately comes down to how funny it all is. On that level, this may be one of the weakest of the Jackass movies, but that’s only because I found myself smiling more than laughing. I still had a good time, but there are perhaps only so many times you can slap a penis or shoot someone out of a cannon before the allure becomes mundane. That’s a lingering sensation you can feel the team struggling to conquer, and they narrowly do so, even while unearthing some of their greatest hits.

I can’t deny the innovation present, which certainly remains the film’s most admirable trait. Consider how the team chooses to stage a kaiju movie with the most creative of puppetry. Marvel at Johnny Knoxville attempting to reenact the flight of Icarus by ascending many feet into the air with wings. Gaze upon Steve-O’s encounter with bees who are instantly attracted to one body part. It all sounds like such a circus act that it’s rather admirable how much these boys can deliver on spectacle, performing all their own stunts with their own body parts.

Chris Pontius, Eric André, Rachel Wolfson, and Eric Manaka. Paramount Pictures

Of course, the new crew deserves some credit as well. Jasper Dolphin is more than willing to hop onto a ridiculous stunt. Zach Holmes carries himself well as the guy willing to not only commit to the human surfboard bit but to become the surfboard itself. And you can’t forget Rachel Wolfson as the first female member of the Jackass troupe, incredibly willing to let a scorpion sting her in the face or lick electricity. Sticking to the tradition of the other Jackass movies, there are also guest stars who take on a few bits, such as Eric André providing some chuckling commentary and Tyler, the Creator playing the piano while being zapped.

It’s all fun and games until someone gets a broken rib. That’s exactly what happens to Johnny Knoxville when attempting another skit where he is hit by a bull. Yes, he has been hit by a bull in a previous Jackass movie, but he doesn’t get up so easily this time around. This encounter ends in a trip to the hospital for the rib and a concussion. He recovers after a few days, but it really does speak to how lucky these guys have been with their stunts and how that luck shows just as much age as the players.

Johnny Knoxville takes a hit. Paramount Pictures

Even after two decades, Jackass continues to deliver lowbrow brilliance, always finding a new innovative way to get punched in the junk. There’s a tenacity one can’t help but admire about such a film series. Even for being one of the lesser films in this series, there’s rarely a dull moment, despite evoking a lot of oldies for these old dogs. Thankfully, they can still learn some new tricks and even teach them to a new generation of daredevils. That aged troupe can rest easy knowing their legacy of slapstick is firm within the battered hands of new blood, cheerfully launching face-first into the next patch of dirt and animals nibbling their naughty bits.