In Deep Focus: Jackass Forever

“I’m Johnny Knoxville and welcome to Jackass.”

That's how dozens, if not hundreds, of Jackass stunts have started. Delivered by Johnny Knoxville, the statement is self-effacing, welcoming, and mocking all at the same time. Knoxville himself is both star and mastermind, the butt of the joke and the one delivering the swift kick. Part carnival barker, part Bugs Bunny, Knoxville's intro is as much Jackass as the mariachi-infused Latin punk strumming of the theme song. Welcome to Jackass, hope you survive the experience.

2022's Jackass Forever was a long time coming, and the movie embraces that. The former dirtbags who once stuffed raw chicken into a thong to walk across a tightrope over a gator pit have become elder statesmen of a pranking spirt still alive on YouTube, TikTok, and whatever social media has so far escaped the awareness of adults. They're mature now, you see—which is why they're stuffing raw meat into thongs so that vultures can attack them for it instead of alligators. And while that sense of time moving ever forward adds a hint of melancholy to the proceedings—consider Bam's meltdown and total absence or the tribute to Ryan Dunn that ends the film—it also allows Knoxville and co. to deliver on 10+ years of Jackass ideas. The new cast members might offer a new spark of inspiration and allow the nut-smashing franchise to continue ad infinitum, but there's a real sense here that this movie is the last chance to put it all on the line and do it up big. Thus:

“I’m Johnny Knoxville and welcome to Hell.”

This is not the most clearly painful stunt in the film (it would be hard not to give it to Danger Ehren literally having a testicle ruptured by a pogo stick) and it's not the most unbelievable (my money would be on the ping pong penis game which gave me a deeper respect for how truly resilient the human body can be). No, the special thing about this segment is how perfectly it lands a delivery system of cruelty that only Jackass can provide. Let's let Knoxville himself explain the "high" concept.

“We’re gonna bring the cast into this room two at a time because they think I’m doing a Rattlesnake stunt, but that’s just a ruse to get them in here so we can lock the door, turn out the lights, and make their life a living hell.”

It goes so far beyond what the cast members and the viewer expects that it nearly morphs into parody. Every reaction is accounted for, every escape route leads to another trap. Midway through, Dave England breaks down, completely freezes, and refuses to play along which seems like the only logical response. When Ehren says that he's found a door out, Dave responds, "Yeah, right. Fuck that door. There's something bad over there." A door out of the trap? "Oh wow, how convenient."

It's gleeful anarchy, the unhinged endpoint of years of fakeouts that zag the Jackass crew and the viewer alike. It's Home Alone in reverse, a mad scientist given Paramount funding to test the limits of his own imagination. You can escape the darkness, the taser sticks, but the mouse traps, frying pans, and marbles will get you in the end.

There's a tendency when talking and writing about Jackass to focus on the ways in which the show personifies the difficulty of forming lasting, meaningful friendships between men, to admire how kind and thoughtful the Jackass crew are outside of their often sadistic prank show, to marvel at the self-awareness and grace that they've cultivated over the years. All that's true, but make no mistake, parts of Jackass are mean. It's the nutshot between friends; it's moving your friend's car down the block while he's asleep and then telling him that it got stolen in the middle of the night. The boys of Jackass are genuine friends who care enough about each other to wait in hospital rooms and push each other through rehab, but they'll also go just about anywhere to hit the punchline. And it works. Try to watch the whole segment and feel bad for them. Impossible. The slow escalation, Zach's medical evac turning into a trip through the obstacle course, Ehren getting out only to immediately get hit in the head by a volleyball, the incredulous concern and joy Poopie has in his voice when he asks if Zach is okay. It must've been awful to film, but it's hilarious to watch.

By the end, Dave has to be convinced by Johnny that it really is over, that it's done. He's so shell-shocked that he's willing to wait it out in the basement until he's sure it's finished. But you know? I bet finally leaving that basement and heading out into the sun for a regular prank like getting beaned in the head by an elephant gun felt pretty good. One has to experience Hell to appreciate Heaven. And, if not, at least it was funny.