Twenty-six years ago, one of the most controversial and high-risk television series debuted: “Jackass.” This show, created by Jeff Tremaine, Spike Jonze, and Johnny Knoxville, featured people performing dangerous, pain-inducing stunts, slapstick bits, and pranks on each other to entertain viewers at home. Because of its impractical methods and harmful actions, the show was perceived as indecent, with many parents concerned about whether their children or others would replicate what they saw and be inspired by these stunts to do their own. But the outrage didn’t kill the “Jackass” crew’s momentum, and they quickly became a hit show and were included on Entertainment Weekly’s “New TV Classics” list in the early 2000s.
What began as an idea for Knoxville to test self-defense equipment for an article became a highly successful franchise and a cultural phenomenon. They have broken bones, messed with wild animals, nearly killed each other, and done wince-inducing things to their privates. They never lost sight of what made fans fall in love with the program. Father Time is now tapping them on the shoulder. Their time has come to close the “Jackass” curtains. After almost three decades of pain and damage to their bodies, which is more than what you would expect, the gang has decided to give it one last go–a curtain closer to leave this chapter of their lives behind and move on with other (hopefully safer) endeavors.
A Curtain Closer for the Wild Boys and Daredevils
The sixth and final picture is titled “Jackass: Best and Last,”where the OG crew (Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, etc.) — as well as the new additions — look back on the past–their legacy, history, friendship, and pain endured–as they head towards a future distanced from all of the craziness. They seek to culminate with a bang, as part of a collage-like homage to their dangerous creation and the daredevil spirit. “Jackass: Best and Last” is yet another recent piece that looks at a long life lived and the legacy left behind. The 2020s have seen many pictures in that spirit from acclaimed directors now decades into their careers, whether it is Francis Ford Coppola with “Megalopolis” or Victor Erice with “Close Your Eyes.” And these times that we are living in have many thinking about what they have done and what’s next for them.
Knoxville, now fifty-five years old, has been at it since his early twenties. Like a wrestler, all of those bumps and bruises take a toll on the “Jackass” crew. Unlike many, they have the choice to go out on their own terms. Knoxville has already left his stamp on Hollywood and stuntmanship, but wants to go with one last set as a parting gift. Of course, the great majority of stunts and pranks are not up to par with what we have seen on the show or previous movies. It is mostly because they can’t (or won’t) do such things anymore. Those were hard-hitting, extremely dangerous stunts that cost them their teeth, required surgeries, and left them with heavy bruises — but it also could have cost them their life if things went sideways.
A Repetitive Turnaround with Similar Stunts
Although in “Best and Last” they do dangerous things, the majority is mostly simple slapstick stuff and gross-out humor, sometimes exaggeratedly so, like in the laxative Twister game, where they wore see-through plastic pants, and the peanut-butter prostate exam done by a robot. It is both somewhat funny and terribly disgusting. The stunts fulfill their purpose of shocking the viewer, but they don’t stand out in the “Jackass” repertoire. You’d expect more creativity from them, not these repetitive shenanigans that are quite similar to what we have seen from them before, even with their restraint and limitations. They don’t have to sacrifice their bodies to draw attention. However, some ingenuity in their craft helps tether them to their capabilities.
The result in “Best and Last” is a sort of funny stunt that grows tiresome each minute, but entertains in the slightest bit to keep the viewer hooked on a small dose of foolishness and nastiness. But those apply to the latter part of the film’s title: Last. The word Best refers to Knoxville and company reminiscing by playing some of the greatest hits: the bull runs, trampoline portapoties, their first piece of work, and others that have generated millions of views worldwide. They begin these segments with something introspective and somewhat melancholic. Seconds later, it immediately cuts away to a clip from their previous work before they can elaborate. It is the constant inclination to keep prodding rather than opening up for the first time.
In Between the Faults Lies an Emotional Core
You’d think, since this is a curtain closer, they would flip the switch on this important occasion, letting everyone know how it feels to close a chapter in your life after twenty years. Instead, they provide the old clips with no new perspective or commentary, just using the hits to increase the runtime. I do have these heavy reservations about “Best and Last” that greatly hinder my viewing experience. However, there is something rather emotional about the film. In hindsight, the film is about male friendship and camaraderie. It often seems like a cruel, toxic relationship for the “Jackass” crew. Yet, they do love each other tons. Even through their pain and suffering, you see collective smiles. Their unity transcends the screen, and what they have left behind is a testament to their camaraderie.
There are moments when they hate each other. But this “Jackass” project wouldn’t have been made or continued without their friendship. Although the newer stunts lack the creativity or daredevilry that made their name, you feel their joy and a slight melancholy on their face — knowing this is the end of their program — yet with the knowledge the experiences they had can’t be replaced. The closing sequence, which involves them riding a giant shopping cart as the desert plains around them explode in fiery fashion (a reference to a sequence in one of their movies), encapsulates this. They hold their heads high, arms raised higher, all in the name of the “Jackass” brand and their companionship. The good, the bad, and the ugly blend together in their minds to create nostalgic daydreams that make some of them tear up.
