Just hear me out. I saw “Jackass Forever” and it brought me right back to the good times of my youth. Directed by Jeff Tremaine and opened No.1 at the box office last month this movie is the best thing you can watch this week.

If You’re Laughing Then You’re Not Fighting

They say if you’re laughing then you’re not fighting. As I write this article, Ukraine is still under siege by Russian armed forces. Indoor mask mandates have been lifted in California and New York, and gas prices could hit an all-time high soon. Personally, I lost my grandfather to covid related complications last month, and a childhood friend was killed in Colombia recently. Needless to say, there isn’t much to laugh about these days.

I’m speaking from the heart when I tell you I was looking forward to seeing “Jackass Forever” as a way to escape the madness. Maybe a bit unfair to Johnny Knoxville and the crew but my expectations were high. Thankfully, they did not disappoint.

Let’s start at the beginning. “Jackass” has been notorious for its awe-inspiring opening stunts. Often set against a grand symphony of classical music, this usually sets the tone for the rest of the movie. It’s gonna be epic, it’s gonna be idiotic, it’s everything society wouldn’t approve of. A recipe you go into the movie knowing you’ll get.

After about three minutes of mayhem, you’re introduced to the cast and somehow buckled into a rollercoaster ride for the next 90 minutes. 🎢 The now-iconic punk rock theme song by the Minutemen plays and you’re off to the races.

I won’t give any spoilers away because I want you to watch it, but I haven’t laughed this much through a movie in a long time.

For all it’s worth, the movie delivers and for 96 minutes I was able to forget about my problems and just have a laugh.

A Movie About Friendship

I first read about the movie as I flipped through the pages of a GQ article on a flight back to the US from South Africa last year.

The most memorable thing about the article was that Knoxville had torn his urethra back in 2007 in a motorcycle stunt gone awry, and had to pee using a catheter.

I don’t know if it was the absurdity of the type of accident or because I’m a male, I respond to any type of injury to that area with a particular visceral gut reaction.

It dawned on me, that this crew of misfits had been enduring pain like this for the entertainment of my friends and me for decades. The first episode of Jackass aired on October 1, 2000. Although, I’m a little young to remember watching it on MTV (my dad was so against it) I certainly recall being excited to watch it at my friend’s house anytime I could. For a seventh-grader in 2002, watching “Jackass” and performing “stunts” for your friends was a right of passage. This may be true for many millennials.

Fast forward twenty years and I am still very close to those same group of guys and saw this latest installment with my childhood best friend.

Were these movies about more than just brainless acts of stupidity and vile bodily fluids?

At thirty years old, I finally realized that these movies were about those things and friendship. Not the brand of friendship that includes deep talks, but the one where you want to make them die laughing. A friendship that is just as important as the others.

These guys had shown me what camaraderie could be and for better or worse how to maintain close relationships over the years.

The Jackass gang grew and changed much like my own circle of friends. They faced falling outs and continue to mourn the death of their brother, Ryan Dunn right before our very eyes.

This latest movie introduced a new set of likable characters including a female comedian Rachel Wolfson and Jasper Dolphin, an African-American actor and singer.

This had a symbolic meaning for me as the original crew was recognizing a new generation of entertainers and didn’t feel threatened by them or the need to keep them out. I thought this was particularly beautiful in a way. Underlying the truth, that comedy knows no gender or race.

I may have Jackass to thank for my diverse group of friends.

The Perfect Movie For 2022

If the word business-model and “Jackass” can be used in the same sentence, Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, and co-creator Spike Jonze found their cancel-proof business model decades ago.

While Hollywood goes PC, the R-rated comedy is facing a tough time. What “Jackass” does so brilliantly is that it avoids social commentary and instead makes pain and “dick” jokes a universal connection. I was surprised by the number of times I laughed out loud with other people in the theater. At first, it felt strange to interact with total strangers in this way, but I was quickly reminded that this was what the movies were all about.

It was great to hear the bellowing laughter of ladies and gents alike and for 90 minutes I felt closer to a group of random people than I have in the last two years.

I remember when I saw Superbad for the first time and the people in the theater couldn’t contain their raucous laughter. “Jackass Forever” showed me that in 2022 people are still interested in laughing their asses off.

Maybe even more now.

Coda

There’s so much more to say about the movie and my nostalgia around it. Watching Johnny Knoxville go from a lush head of dark hair to completely white, and seeing Steve-O embrace himself without drugs and alcohol. We’ve seen the sheen of youth, slowly fade off these guys.

I’m reminded of my father who as a doctor was very serious most of the time. Except when he would cry laughing every time he watched Austin Powers.

Asinine comedy allows even the most solemn people to be as uninhibited, pure, innocent, and childlike as they want.

I definitely recommend watching “Jackass Forever” this week.

Lastly, if their bodies can withstand the punishment, I would love to watch these guys doing this well into their eighties. Who knows, an old guy getting shot out of cannon might be hilarious!