PLOT: The Jackass gang is back for one last hurrah.
REVIEW: Here’s the thing—you either like Jackass or you don’t. If you don’t dig watching Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the gang suffer major testicular trauma in a series of juvenile pranks, then this isn’t for you. If, on the other hand, you’re like me and enjoy the merry gang of Jackass bros, then you’ll want to see this presumed last go-round for the fellas.
Now, even for fans, it has to be said that this definitely doesn’t live up to the “Best” part of its Best and Last title, as this is easily the weakest, most half-assed installment. Perhaps “Best” is meant to represent the fact that Knoxville and his gang replay some of their favorite stunts, including the Poo Cocktail Supreme (which I’ll never forget seeing in nauseating 3D in the third film), and the time they kidnapped Brad Pitt. But there’s not a ton of new material, with only about 40% of the film devoted to fresh stunts.
Even still, Jackass: Best and Last is worth a watch. Even though I’d seen many of the stunts before, I had a good time watching them again in theaters, and it’s interesting to see them juxtaposed with the guys now, with the majority of them well into their fifties. While some, such as Johnny Knoxville, avoid the more dangerous stunts (although he still gets rocked by a bull at one point), there’s a lot of fun to be had with their age. Guys who hit middle age have to deal with plenty of indignities, many of them involving their anuses being probed, and that fits right into the Jackass wheelhouse.
Perhaps the most anticipated new stunt is Steve-O getting a prostate exam from a robot (who sticks around afterward as part of the Jackass crew), and it’s even grosser than the trailers suggest, with a liberal helping of crunchy peanut butter being used as lube. But by far the gnarliest sequence is when the guys all drink Colyte (used to evacuate the bowels before colonoscopies) and play “Leaky Anus Twister.” I gagged when I wasn’t laughing.
Of the gang, this is Steve-O‘s movie, with him enduring most of the abuse. In one of the new scenes, he says he wanted this to be the movie where he shined, and he certainly commits. As always, the guys have great chemistry, with the gang still coming across as a good-humored bunch of rascals. Despite the crazy shit they do, one can’t help but think they must be a solid group of guys. While it’s sad that Bam Margera is only present in archival footage (which he approved), if this is the finale, it ends on a good note.
Still, it can’t be denied that Jackass Forever was the film that really felt like a finale—but it made so much money that Paramount wanted more. Knoxville insists this is it, but I have my doubts because, unless the grosses are truly disappointing, I don’t think they’ll be able to resist the temptation to get the gang back together—even if it takes a long time. After all, wouldn’t you want to see a Jackass movie where Knoxville no longer needs makeup to play Bad Grandpa?
Jackass: Best and Last is for the fans, and if you’re one of them, you don’t need me to tell you to go see it in theaters.
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