It’s not easy watching middle-aged men get hit in the crotch, but that’s “Jackass: Best and Last.”
Reuniting the regulars for what must be the final hurrah, Johnny Knoxville shows scenes from more than 20 years of wincing stunts. His battle with bulls is included; Steve-O’s naked humiliations are here, and, for good measure, Brad Pitt shows up. While there are still reasons to laugh, the stunts now land differently. Should we feel sorry for the men who made this prank show their life’s work? Or regret we didn’t get on the bandwagon and do something similar?
Johnny Knoxville oversees a human marionette show involving Ehren McGhehey and Dave England in a scene from "Jackass: Best and Last."
Age does show its ugly head. One cast member gets an overload of lip filler and it’s not clear what we should learn. Several take colonoscopy prep and don pants that will force them to confront the outcome. It’s a sign of the times, obviously, but it’s still revolting.
When the Jackass regulars had to abide by MTV standards, they were more creative and did things that weren’t offensive. We see as much here because “the best” includes many of those stunts — including abducting Pitt. Scaring each other in the dark works, too, because their fears are greater than their realities. If snakes don’t make you cringe, they will in these circumstances.
People are also reading…
Jasper, "Dark Shark," Rachel Wolfson, Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Zach Holmes, Johnny Knoxville, Preston Lacy, Danger Ehren, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man and Dave England in "Jackass: Best and Last."
While an interview might have helped answer questions, Knoxville and company don’t say why Bam Margera isn’t with them anymore and the tribute to the late Ryan Dunn is minimal, at best. Knoxville backs away from stunts, too, but he isn’t afraid to goad the others into embarrassing (or hurting) themselves.
It’d be interesting to learn what prompted the friends (and the newcomers) to follow Knoxville and what they do when he’s not holding a camera in front of them.
Steve-O receives a prostate exam from a robot in a scene from "Jackass: Best and Last."
In “Best and Last” we get to see why we marveled at what they were doing two decades ago. Now, after the series and several films, we wonder what else they might have done. There’s talent here. It isn’t so much revealed as it is goaded. When the guys take a last trip in an oversized grocery cart, we feel a sadness that their sense of abandon is over. It was a good run, but as “Best and Last” reminds us, all good things come to an end.
