Post by Doomsday on Feb 6, 2022 23:17:49 GMT -5
Jackass Forever
When I walked into the theater of Jackass Forever I noticed that Scream was playing right next to it. The joke is tired I know but I did feel like I was back in 2002, a Jackass movie on one side and a Scream movie on the other. How do you rate a Jackass movie in 2022? We all know what it is and fully understand there's no plot, characters, arc or anything even remotely redeemable. No, the sole way to rate a Jackass movie is by how hard you laugh and maybe, depending on your tolerance level, how much you wince. The first Jackass movie came out in 2002 when I was 17 and while I was never a fan of the show as I never, ever watched MTV, I laughed my ass off during the movie. Not every bit was a hit but pranks like the golf course air horn and the car toy x-ray still make me laugh. Over half of my life has gone by since I first watched Jackass: The Movie and while I can't say I was ever a big fan of the guys and their 'franchise' I did see the subsequent movies, with the same friends no less. Jackass Forever is advertising itself as 'old men doing the same stupid stuff' and while they're indeed older it's clear that they're not up to the task like before. Not only that, Jackass Forever had a lot going against it. Each subsequent Jackass movie has felt like it's just B-roll of the movie that came previous so the law of diminishing returns has applied extra harshly to these movies. It also doesn't help that I, along with many people who grew up over the years between films, have matured. That doesn't mean that I don't find these things funny, it's just that we've seen it all before. On that same note, there are absences that are clearly noticed. Ryan Dunn died over a decade ago in a tragic car crash, Bam Margera has apparently been battling addiction for the past several years which resulted in him being fired from Jackass Forever which also meant not seeing Bam's parents Phil and April, two people who had heaps of torture dished upon them much to the delight of the audience. In their place we have forgettable replacements, clearly meant to be the 'next generation' of Jackass performers but they aren't as memorable, funny or enthusiastic. They take up most of the spotlight in Jackass Forever and while mainstays Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius and Steve-O are there and subject themselves to some degree of torture, they're mostly on the sidelines letting the second unit do the heavy lifting. I'm sure there were conversations in pre-production where studio suits basically said 'we're not filming any of you dying, get some replacements or it's a no-go.' And lastly, this movie was shot during the pandemic which meant their dedication to in-public pranks on unassuming strangers is almost completely gone which is unfortunate since I preferred those bits far more than the ones where they're deliberately hurting themselves. That means this movie is 99% of those painful, cover your eyes 'gags' which quickly feel tired and uninspired. There's a bit where one of the new performers, I think her name is Rachel, sits in a chair and they sting her face with a scorpion. Nothing really stunt-based here nor is it a laugh riot, it just leaves you wanting to move onto the next thing as quickly as possible. That's what a lot of it feels like and nostalgia can only excuse so much of it (very little in fact).
I'm sure there are a lot of people giving it positive reviews (of which there are several) that are incorporating their nostalgia of Jackass with their score. I would bet many of them were in high school or college if not younger when Jackass first premiered and watching these guys takes them right back to childhood. That's fine, it's not against the rules but I don't think you should be rating a movie primarily based on that. Like I said, Jackass Forever feels like B-roll of Jackass 3D which felt like B-roll of Jackass: Number 2 which felt like B-roll of Jackass: The Movie. It was nice seeing these guys on screen again and I admit it did take me back as well but as stated at the top of this review, the only way to rate a Jackass movie is on how much you laughed and I have to say there wasn't much of it from me.
C so says Doomsday
When I walked into the theater of Jackass Forever I noticed that Scream was playing right next to it. The joke is tired I know but I did feel like I was back in 2002, a Jackass movie on one side and a Scream movie on the other. How do you rate a Jackass movie in 2022? We all know what it is and fully understand there's no plot, characters, arc or anything even remotely redeemable. No, the sole way to rate a Jackass movie is by how hard you laugh and maybe, depending on your tolerance level, how much you wince. The first Jackass movie came out in 2002 when I was 17 and while I was never a fan of the show as I never, ever watched MTV, I laughed my ass off during the movie. Not every bit was a hit but pranks like the golf course air horn and the car toy x-ray still make me laugh. Over half of my life has gone by since I first watched Jackass: The Movie and while I can't say I was ever a big fan of the guys and their 'franchise' I did see the subsequent movies, with the same friends no less. Jackass Forever is advertising itself as 'old men doing the same stupid stuff' and while they're indeed older it's clear that they're not up to the task like before. Not only that, Jackass Forever had a lot going against it. Each subsequent Jackass movie has felt like it's just B-roll of the movie that came previous so the law of diminishing returns has applied extra harshly to these movies. It also doesn't help that I, along with many people who grew up over the years between films, have matured. That doesn't mean that I don't find these things funny, it's just that we've seen it all before. On that same note, there are absences that are clearly noticed. Ryan Dunn died over a decade ago in a tragic car crash, Bam Margera has apparently been battling addiction for the past several years which resulted in him being fired from Jackass Forever which also meant not seeing Bam's parents Phil and April, two people who had heaps of torture dished upon them much to the delight of the audience. In their place we have forgettable replacements, clearly meant to be the 'next generation' of Jackass performers but they aren't as memorable, funny or enthusiastic. They take up most of the spotlight in Jackass Forever and while mainstays Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius and Steve-O are there and subject themselves to some degree of torture, they're mostly on the sidelines letting the second unit do the heavy lifting. I'm sure there were conversations in pre-production where studio suits basically said 'we're not filming any of you dying, get some replacements or it's a no-go.' And lastly, this movie was shot during the pandemic which meant their dedication to in-public pranks on unassuming strangers is almost completely gone which is unfortunate since I preferred those bits far more than the ones where they're deliberately hurting themselves. That means this movie is 99% of those painful, cover your eyes 'gags' which quickly feel tired and uninspired. There's a bit where one of the new performers, I think her name is Rachel, sits in a chair and they sting her face with a scorpion. Nothing really stunt-based here nor is it a laugh riot, it just leaves you wanting to move onto the next thing as quickly as possible. That's what a lot of it feels like and nostalgia can only excuse so much of it (very little in fact).
I'm sure there are a lot of people giving it positive reviews (of which there are several) that are incorporating their nostalgia of Jackass with their score. I would bet many of them were in high school or college if not younger when Jackass first premiered and watching these guys takes them right back to childhood. That's fine, it's not against the rules but I don't think you should be rating a movie primarily based on that. Like I said, Jackass Forever feels like B-roll of Jackass 3D which felt like B-roll of Jackass: Number 2 which felt like B-roll of Jackass: The Movie. It was nice seeing these guys on screen again and I admit it did take me back as well but as stated at the top of this review, the only way to rate a Jackass movie is on how much you laughed and I have to say there wasn't much of it from me.
C so says Doomsday
