Directed by: Jeff Tremaine
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuna, Preston Lacy, Davon Wilson, Zach Holmes, Sean ‘Poopies’ McInerney, Rachel Wolfson, Lance Bangs, Jeff Tremaine, and Paul Walter Hauser
Runtime: 92 minutes
‘Jackass: Best and Last’: The greatest hits inclusions from the television series and movies wallop this legendary troupe’s feature film finale
“Hi, I’m Johnny Knoxville! Welcome to ‘Jackass’!”
And, unfortunately, goodbye to “Jackass”.
Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuna, Preston Lacy, and a collection of newer stuntmen and one stuntwoman are apparently hanging up their portable toilets, fireworks, bunny ears, and jockstraps, because this sixth “Jackass” cinematic installment (including “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” (2013)) is the legendary gang’s final feature film.
On a personal note, I’ve been an enthusiastic fan for over two decades, so it’s a colossal bummer that “Jackass: Best and Last”, directed by Jeff Tremaine, is the “Jackass” troupe’s swan song.
However, the movie itself – sadly – is a disappointment.
The prime reason for the letdown is that the film splits time between brand-new stunts/dares/flat-out insanity and a retrospective of classic bits from past movies that diehard enthusiasts enjoyed for the first time on the big screen, committed to memory, and cherished via repeated DVD, streaming, and YouTube viewings. Tremaine, Knoxville, and the team also include gags from their original MTV program (2000 – 2007), including one dicey bit – involving the Los Angeles Police Department - that never aired on television.
Admittedly, this critic hadn’t seen a couple/a few of the TV pranks. One from 2001 included an Oscar-winning film icon, and, in another instance, I didn’t recall a joke from Knoxville’s spinoff flick, “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” (2013). Therefore, some of the capers projected onto the silver screen from yesteryear or yesterdecade were or seemed like first-time watches, but, by and large, the intermittent flashbacks felt initially confusing and then increasingly discouraging as the movie moved forward.
For instance, early in the film, and out of the blue, one of the lineup’s all-time best pranks from “Jackass: The Movie” (2002) begins frolicking on-screen, which caused this critic to almost say out loud, “Wait. What is happening here? This skit is 20-plus years old.”
Alas, clips from “Jackass Number Two” (2006), “Jackass 3D” (2010), and “Jackass Forever” (2022) are also featured in the new flick, and their inclusion could be a pleasurable nostalgia trip or a celebration of the TV and movie series for many fanatics. However, for this fan, their inexplicable presence feels cheap.
It’s difficult to determine without a stopwatch how much of this film featured “Jackass” history, but my best guess is that the past gags landed somewhere between one-third and one-half of the movie’s runtime. IMDb lists the film’s length at 92 minutes, but that includes an extended credits run that seems to persist for eight minutes, so do the math.
Granted, seeing Bam Margera – who is no longer with the troupe - and the late Ryan Dunn remerge on historic skits, including one moment with Bam that was cut from “Jackass Forever” (2022), did induce warm feelings for these two hilarious, eccentric personalities.
Still, moviegoers – one would assume - are primarily traveling to theatres to experience NEW turns of mischief, adolescent humor, physical bouts of impairment, and bodily-function hijinks. In that respect, “Jackass: Best and Last” delivers for 45, 60, or possibly 70 minutes (again, it’s difficult to say), as our gray-haired, wrinkled 50-something heroes with the mindset of courageousness, invincible 15-year-olds, place themselves in harm’s way and set themselves up for ridicule for our amusement (and their own).
Specifically, the fellas and one lady (Rachel Wolfson) devised three events of foolishness - a dubious medical exam procedure, a shaving and tattoo romp, and a disgusting twist on a popular game invented in 1966 - that induced absolute gut busters and brought down the movie house. Fantastic stuff! This triad of moments can proudly stand alongside the mischievous ensemble’s most celebrated creations, but not every stunt reaches those heights, and a couple of bits were simply derivative ideas from previous movies.
Younger cast members - Davon Wilson, Zach Holmes, and Sean ‘Poopies’ McInerney – “enjoy” plenty of the physical brunt, but Steve-O, Chris, Dave, and Ehren certainly risk their health and dignity, while Jason ‘Wee Man’ Acuna and Preston Lacy are less involved. Johnny is more of the ringleader and takes the approach of a brilliant comedian from the famous saying: he doesn’t figuratively run naked on the football field during the first quarter of the big game. Johnny’s the guy who convinces the others to strip off their clothes and sprint.
Inexplicably, Rachel, who was a nice addition to the crew in her “Jackass Forever” debut, isn’t asked to run any bits other than a brief instant in the opening montage. It’s an odd oversight, although she is frequently shown admiring the foolishness on mass as a spectator.
Full disclosure, I am 56 years young, and with Knoxville (55), Steve-O (52), Chris (51), Dave (56), Ehren (49), Wee Man (53), and Preston (56) reaching (or close to reaching) AARP status, one cannot fault this comedic crew for seeking retirement and churning out less feats of folly in their last “Jackass” movie, but that doesn’t mean “Jackass: Best and Last” is their finest flick.
Far from it.
Jeff’s ranking
2 / 4 stars
