Jackass Forever is everything I wanted, needed and deserved. There’s no other way of putting it — the troupe of beautiful idiots have once again knocked it out of the park with their sixth feature-length film.
Almost as if they knew what the last two years would put us through, the Jackass crew have hurled themselves back into our lives with an offering of no-thoughts-needed, joyous comedy, providing what’s possibly the perfect antidote for our pandemic trauma-addled brains.
I didn’t realise just how much I desperately needed Jackass Forever until I sat down in the darkened room of my local cinema on a warm summer’s evening with a group of friends and half a room of strangers. When I stepped back out into the world, guts hurting from hooting with laughter and watching men spew coloured milk, it hit me — that film has come at exactly the right time, and not a moment too soon.
Why? Because it was just really fucking nice to turn my brain and phone off and laugh myself stupid for a couple of hours.
The Jackass formula hasn’t changed. There are just a few new faces, more money to throw at ideas and some better equipment than a few idiot skaters with handycams. The crew have finessed the fine art of punching one another in the dick and doing the old bait and switch on each other, cementing themselves as the creme de la creme of cum and poo jokes.
There’s nothing to think about, no plot lines to comb through and decipher — none of that big-brained shit. Jackass Forever, as with every other offering from the Johnny Knoxville-led troupe, is a pure physical comedy with no ulterior motive other than to invite everyone in on the joke and get them to laugh their asses off.
Although there’s a simmering sentiment of a changing of the guard within the Jackass crew with the introduction of Jasper Dolphin, (and his dad Compston “Darkshark” Wilson), Eric Manaka, Rachel Wolfson, Zach Holmes, and Sean “Poopies” McInerney, there’s never a feeling of Old vs. New. The younger, keener cast members are invited into the fold immediately — they’re all just as able to be in on the joke as they are being the butt of it. It continues the crucial foundation on which Jackass is built: there’s no punching down and everyone’s a target.
Sure, Jackass Forever might feature a couple of moments where members are genuinely terrified or ask director Jeff Tremaine if the bit is over (most notably Ehren “Danger Ehren” McGhehey and Dave England) but it doesn’t stop each and every one of them from coming back for more.
Therein lies the beauty of the comedy behind the slapstick, body-threatening stunts — everyone there knows exactly what they’ve signed up for, and everyone is just as guilty for egging each other on.
Whether it’s lighting a fart on fire underwater or transforming a ballsack into a tiny punching bag, there’s no doubt in my mind that Jackass is the pioneer of consensual frat comedy, which means it never fails to hit the bullseye.
It’s insanity, but it truly hits the sweet spot every single time. I already want to go back and log out of my brain for another ride.
Jackass Forever is out now at your local cinema, if you want to mentally check out and get some dumb laughs.
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