Over 100 years since they originally started, the spirit of the Three Stooges is alive, well, and more grotesque than ever in the broken bones of the Jackass crew. For Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, Dave England, and Danger Ehren, their goal for the past 25 years seems to have been to inhabit the twisted spirit of classic Hollywood stuntmen, without faking the stunts. That fearlessness is why their MTV show of pranks and stunts turned in a global franchise, with this last and fifth film acting as a retrospective, a celebration, and an excuse to beat the hell out of each other one last time.
To give a summary of a “Jackass” film is a fruitless endeavor, but for those unaware, the film consists of the original crew, as well as newer members Poopies, Zach Holmes, Jasper Dolphin, Rachel Wolfson, and Compston "Dark Shark" Wilson, performing a combination of elaborate stunts that regularly lead to injury or outlandish pranks that also typically lead to injury. However, this time around, there’s a heavier emphasis on reflection, including footage of the “best” stunts from the series according to the crew, and never before seen moments from the early days of production.
That never-before-seen material is likely the biggest draw for fans of the series, as it allows for a peek behind the scenes that’s unusually candid, even for a series based around candid material. What’s even more fascinating is seeing what MTV refused to allow the group to air back in the day juxtaposed against what they’re allowing wholeheartedly for this new film. Ironically given the frequent attacks on the franchise on behalf of “good taste”, this allows for an examination of the cultural differences of the world and what was acceptable in media just 25 years ago. It’s not a profound examination of those differences, but it's an interesting byproduct, nevertheless.
Unfortunately, the retrospective nature of this film also hinders much of the newer material. The most entertaining parts are the previously unseen stunts and watching the cast look back at what came before. Showcasing that earlier material, and how technically elaborate most of it was, exposes the cheapness with some of the newer stunts. While there are still plenty of go for broke moments, and a few that will go down in infamy with fans (a game of Twister after chugging X-Lax is... certainly something), all but a handful pale in comparison to the previous skits.
It isn’t so much a lack of creativity, although most new bits are far too simple even when they are good ideas, but rather an overall sense of cheapness. When you see older stunts set up on massive lakes or desert wastelands, with large amounts of technical competence on display for simple bits of stupidity and then cut to the inside of a rented office space for something that takes place in a few minutes in one room, it's a lackluster feeling. The thought behind the stunts is still there, with the trademark bits of stupid genius, but a fifty-fifty batting average of new material for what’s billed as your big finale isn’t really going out on a high note.
No matter how fresh it feels though, there’s a simple and infectious attitude to everything. Watching old footage of Brad Pitt in the early 2000s come along for pranks alongside Paul Walter Hauser joining in for some new stuff perfect shows why people love these guys. None of this ever feels off or mean spirited. It is legitimately just a bunch of guys hanging out and doing dumb stuff together, taken to its most logical and explosive extremes. The laughs are real, the smiles are real, the hugs are real, and watching Knoxville bear hug a completely naked Pontius after a stunt further reinforces the sweet friendship at the core of these crude adventures.
“Jackass: Best and Last” is the sort of film tailor made for the idea of “if this is for you, you’ve already seen it.” The pranks are still fun, the camaraderie is still infectious, and the retrospective angle to things does legitimately lend itself to some interesting reflections on the series. However, highlighting so much of the best against the more hit-or-miss new material showcases an uneven pace that makes this final achievement more of a miss fire than one might hope for. But can it really be so bad if you’re going through it with your dumb little buddies alongside you? 3/5
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