Jackass: Best and Last, directed by Jeff Tremaine, sends off the MTV TV and film series in a funny but slightly lackluster mix of new bits and old favorites.
In 2022, Jackass Forever seemed poised as a send-off for the continually hilarious TV series (2000 to 2002) and films (the main 3, their .5 expansions, and offshoot Bad Grampa starting in 2002 at the end of the show). But wanting another moneymaker this summer, in January Paramount provided Johnny Knoxville and his gang of merry pranksters a few million bucks and set aside five days to film in February. Yes, just a few months ago, and not long to do it. As such, with little time to plan, perform, and pull together, there was no way to film a full 90 minutes of gags. Thus, what better way to fill in the time but a clip show! That and with the main set of guys now in their 50s and unable to do the same famed acts and the new crew introduced in Forever being a little lackluster and unable to carry off a handover, it’s nearly the only way to go: remember why we love these guys with little conversations, replaying some of the more memorable bits, and give a touch of new bits to keep it fresh. Jackass: Best and Last, as always directed by Jeff Tremaine with a few moments by Spike Jonze, mostly works, still earning laughs on new ways to destroy one another, but it also feels sleepily pulled together with duct tape, just a tad cynical.
Perhaps if the clip show aspect, along with their remembrances of the past 30 years, were more coherent as a documentary about Jackass and its history. It feels like a structure is almost there with a little more editing bay work. But as it is, Jackass Best and Last feels scattershot and half-assedly thrown together. That’s not much of a surprise with the quick production schedule. A point on the slapdash, the editing is odd. Not just in just about randomly jumping across time (I’d estimate about half is the past), sometimes noting when we are in the timeline, sometimes not (it’s a fun game to try to remember what movie or show based upon hair, tattoos, and injuries). Within the film, we see castmates having action upon them we didn’t see (such as Dark Shark having puke all over him in Escape Room From Hell or Dave awkwardly hanging out in a live-action marionette sketch. He said on Reddit that what was done to him was cut for being too mean. Often, the recollections and emotional bits are cut off before they come to a close with a weird edit.
However, let my complaining be done. Despite my grousing, despite the weird editing, despite the focus on the clip show, Jackass does what it always does: earns hearty laughs from start to finish. There’s something inherently funny about self-aware, purposely moronic folks hurting themselves for their and our amusement. I’ve always much preferred it when they ruin their own days compared to others with their sort of gleeful, but ultimately benign, malice. Although we get a cut from the original show skit involving Knoxville and a jail uniform, which gets some cringe laughs. It helps that they all have a likeable charisma. One can’t help but smile along with the cheery faces of Chris, Steve O, Preston, Wee Man, Dave, Ehren, posthumously with Ryan, and yes, even Bam. Bam’s cut footage from Forever is seen, and while he had nothing to do with this edition, he allowed his clips to be used. What’s important is the camaraderie between them; that’s what makes it fun. They feel less like professionals doing stunts and dumb things, but a bunch of guys who like to abuse one another. Which, of course, they are. There’s a real friendship in the pain. One that is open and loving with no reservations to showing emotion in every direction and making intimate physical contact, while avoiding body shaming amid the true shit talking.
Ultimately, even as a weaker entry, it still works in that most basic of emotions. We care about these guys, even as they taser one another or watch as they come close to death again and again. Dammit, if it didn’t make me tear up (again!) with mentioning they miss Ryan Dunn and a whole bunch of slow-motion close-ups and camera talks at the end. As for the new gags, good stuff even if a little lower energy. The new segments are maybe less on the death devying and more on the gross: the colonoscopy prep twister… good god. That got me (man, these normally have plenty of poop, but this specific entry went full diarrhea). I wonder how many of the new cast had bits that were cut. While Poopies gets his moments as he’s game to do anything, and Zac is all over as the newer large man (Preston isn’t very active), Rachel and Jasper are often just hanging out in the back or doing help work, although Jasper has one moment with a racist ram. Eric from Forever straight up vanished. 
Jackass: Best and Last, Jeff Tremaine, may be the last of the series, and the least of them, but for those who like Jackass – and by now you know if you do or not – it’ll still be fine, depending on how much you want for remembrance of the beloved, long-running series compared to all new material. But it did what it was intended to do, perhaps cynically: it had me want to go back and rewatch the previous Jackass films.