Johnny Knoxville and the “Jackass” guys had their prime moment of cultural relevancy about twenty years ago after the TV show first premiered on MTV. Since then, there have been three feature films, each one more commercially successful than the last. Now, for the first time since 2010’s “Jackass 3D,” the boys (now middle-aged men) are back again with “Jackass Forever.”
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Anyone who has seen the TV show or previous films knows the drill at this point: Knoxville, Steve-O, and the rest of the crew put themselves and each other at risk in what’s best termed violent slapstick. Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Preston Lacy, Chris Pontius, Ehren McGhehey, and Dave England also return to get in on the action. Of course, there will be several celebrity cameos, too. And if you didn’t read that recent GQ profile of Knoxville and the history of “Jackass,” it’s a must-read. The gist? It’s the last rodeo and last “Jackass,” decades of these stunts have taken a toll on the bodies of these men, and many of them are surprised they are still walking upright.
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“Jackass 3D” grossed $171 million worldwide on a $20 million budget, not a bad gross for a movie that’s ostensibly a bunch of guys physically punishing themselves in gross and harmful ways for the sake of a laugh. However, that was now over ten years ago, and much has happened to the Jackass crew since then. Cast member Ryan Dunn tragically passed away in a car crash in 2011. His brother Bam Margera fell into a downward spiral shortly afterward and has battled alcoholism in recent years (all of that discussed in the aforementioned article).
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Due to Margera’s issues, Paramount has effectively barred the long-time member of the Jackass ensemble from any involvement in “Jackass Forever,” something that Knoxville also gingerly addresses in the GQ piece, essentially saying he hopes Magera gets the help he needs (the director of the film, Jeff Tremaine, filed a restraining order against him). After being officially fired from the project in February, Margera struck back against the studio, and his old friends, over social media. He claims Paramount forced him to go on anti-depressants, submit random urine samples, and check into rehab twice on his dime. It’s unlikely that any reconciliation will happen before the film wraps production.
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Here’s the official synopsis:
Celebrating the joy of being back together with your best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the dingdong, the original jackass crew return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast. Johnny and the team push the envelope even further on October 22 in jackass forever.
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Jeff Tremaine is behind the camera again for “Jackass Forever,” as he was for the past three movies. Spike Jonze is also on board again as a producer. With the “Jackass” ensemble now all approaching age 50 (or, with Knoxville and Lacy, already there), this film looks like it will be the last series, and many of the guys are shocked that this one even happened, given all the grave injuries sustained over the years. If it’s lucrative at the box office, however, who knows? With these guys, a geriatric “Jackass” movie sounds feasible. “Jackass Forever” hits theaters on October 22 and streams exclusively on Paramount+ 45 days later.
