Jackass Forever is an oddly heartwarming foray into grandiose pain

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Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville in Jackass Forever. The latest installment of Jackass successfully walks the line between being endearingly funny and absolutely ridiculous. CREDIT: ONE MEDIA

PRABHJOT BAINS

Never has age so wonderfully diverted from wisdom, leaving us thankful that a certain crew of courageous fools never learned from their countless endeavours into excruciating pain. The Jackass team travels a frontier we hope to never walk, but desire to see, in all its shameless glory. Jackass Forever is a film that knows exactly what it is. It leans into its stunts and physical humour to accomplish what it sets out to do: to get a ragtag group of buddies to experience outlandish thrills full of unfathomable discomfort and blood curdling results. Frankly, calling this a “film” is a stretch, but what makes this experience memorable is not just the escapades, but the oddly heartwarming filter it realizes itself through.

The absolute dread and paranoia of these last two years forced us to pawn over an escape that simply wouldn’t come. While the cinema provided a respite, Jackass Forever’s offerings accomplished something truly unique. The film refreshingly gives us nothing to ponder. No big message, no stakes, no narrative arch; absolutely nothing. And yet, it’s undeniably marvelous. For 90 minutes, the audience is freed from the world, and only this group of friends matters.

It’s been over a decade since Johnny Knoxville and his motley crew of test subjects last graced the box office. The group returns much older and smaller in size, with a few staples of the crew having left either due to legal issues or passing. Yet, instead of a homecoming, it feels more like a brisk continuation that picks up right where it left off, with these old timers giving us one last hurrah before their bodies eventually quit on them. The outrageous stunts and weird comradery between these tried-and-true friends are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. They’ve seen every crack and crevice of each others’ bodies, laying bare a heartwarming account of buddies who just want to hang out the only way they know how: by beating each other senseless in ways your worst enemy wouldn’t even fathom.

This time around the crew sees new additions, including the “Odd Future” rapper Jasper Dolphin whose father also headlines a few set pieces, and social media stunt star Zach Holmes. They fit right into the group and, at times, shine even brighter than the old guard. But this is Johnny Knoxville’s show, as his devilish and intricate concoctions make it hard to wrap your head around how someone could keep thinking of fresh ways to inflict pain.

Yet, it’s his enrapturing commitment to his craft that steals the show. During one stunt, after being leveled by a charging bull and knocked unconscious, the first thing out of his mouth is, “did we get it?” It’s moments like these that allow for an emotional underpinning to embolden these gut-busting stunts, as he ensures that his pain is captured for our joy. Not only are you consumed by laughter, but your heartstrings are pulled, as his commitment to endearing stunt work makes these visceral set pieces stick out in the enduring canon of stunt reality. Jackass Forever is not a masterpiece. In fact, it’s far from it, but it’s unequivocally refreshing to witness an experience that revels in exactly what it is: it’s schlock, but it’s endearing schlock that makes clear that if something is made with heart, it will beautifully translate across the screen no matter how many bruised genitals it’s insistent on shamelessly showing us.