Two of the biggest turnarounds I’ve had in fandom over the years are both from the early 2000s: The Fast and the Furious and Jackass. The Fast and the Furious I hated at first. It took the remarkable pivot to success with the 4th film for me to go back and appreciate the first few films for what they were. Jackass I think I hated even more. It was just a bunch of dumbasses pranking each other. At 14, I couldn’t articulate why it bothered me, but now, I think it was some mix of “they’ll put anything on TV” and believing the pranks came out of a desperate need for attention. I’m still not fully on board with Jackass, but over time, I’ve definitely come to appreciate it more.
The odd thing about watching Jackass Forever is how much history there is to it. While there are some new recruits they brought in, the core of the movie is the same group of guys doing the same stupid shit to each other. None of them need to do this. It’s not a cry for attention. They aren’t doing the pranks to get people to like them. This is literally just how they get along. You get the sense that these guys would be pulling these same pranks and trying these stupid stunts even if there were no camera [albeit on a much smaller scale]. At first, it all looks like cruelty, but then you start to see the amount of trust involved. I’m shocked each time a prank or stunt goes horribly wrong and the victim ends with a smile. It’s cool how many of the stunts were variations of things they did 20 years ago too. I never thought Jackass would make me sentimental, but here we are.
Look, I have my issues with it too. I hate hidden camera pranks on unsuspecting people. Maybe I have a stick up my ass or sound holier than thou about it, but I just don’t find it funny when the joke is on people who didn’t sign up for this. Even if they sign wavers afterwards. It’s why I mostly enjoyed the Jackass movies but couldn’t stand Bad Grandpa. And I don’t care for dick, semen, and shit humor as much as them. Thank god I didn’t see this in theaters, because I had to be able to look away at numerous times.
Still, the movie is a tight 96 minutes. It’s admirable seeing the original crew still taking some of the roughest stunts. It’s crazy to think that the new people literally grew up on Jackass and were motivated to do stunts in the first place because of them. This is lowest-common-denominator entertainment, but once every few years, that’s ok.
Verdict: Weakly Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment