Before there was YouTube, there was MTV.

I know it sounds like a lifetime ago (mainly because it was) but, in its heyday, MTV was the voice of a generation that was absorbing music through the lens of visual media for the first time. Every video on rotation felt like a revolution. It was chaotic, enthusiastic and utterly adored causing a ruckus. But in the late 90s, MTV’s programming began to shift away exclusively from music and add the newly branded ‘reality tv’ to its roster. These shows still tried to maintain that same MTV mindset of reckless abandon and, in the process, became undeniably popular.

One of those shows was Jackass.

Led by the incomparable (and invincible?) Johnny Knoxville, Jackass took the insanity of youth and put it on the screen in the most extreme of circumstances. Love them or hate them, they represented an entirely different style of programming, the sort of adolescent anarchy that wouldn’t truly take over the internet for another 7-8 years. (Remember, YouTube only launched in 2005.) They were rebellious and irresponsible but still laughed at themselves along the way. In short, they were MTV.

Chris Pontius and Johnny Knoxville in jackass: best and last from Paramount Pictures.

Now, after almost three decades, Jackass: Best and Last appears to truly be their apparent swansong. Now all advanced into middle age, Knoxville and Co. take the opportunity to feature footage from the past with new stunts designed to both thrill and disgust the viewer while trying not to kill themselves along the way.

Before I go on, I should say that, even though I was the right age, I was never a Jackass fan. I’ve always appreciated Knoxville’s comedic work (and hey, I even loved watching him at Wrestlemania several years ago). Yet, watching people throw various bodily fluids on each other simply wasn’t my first choice for tv viewing.

But after Best and Last, I’m starting to understand why the show has remained so endearing.

To be clear, Jackass: Best and Last pushes the boundaries as far as ever for the crew, even if they acknowledge their age in the process. Jokes about prostate health and colonoscopies serve as a reminder that Knoxville and friends are well into their 50s at this stage. Still, they’re willing to go for broke when the opportunity arises. Despite the fact that they’ve been at this for almost 30 years, the crew are more than prepared to serve up bodily fluids, body blows and electrical shocks like they did when they did in their youth. (Truthfully, you’ll never look at a game of Twister the same way again…)

Johnny Knoxville, Chris Pontius, Dr. Julie Mizener, and Sean “Poopies” McInerney in jackass: best and last from Paramount Pictures.

At the same time, it’s also worth noting that roughly half of the film includes classic popular bits, serving as a sort of final montage of their fatal farewell. (Notice the title says Best and Last, not Best for Last.) Even so, there’s more than enough new stunts and footage to justify the release. If this really is the end, they want you to see that they’re going to go out with a (literal) bang.

And that’s exactly the point. For this crew, there’s a strange sense of youthful exuberance that undergirds every punch to the crotch. They may be inflicting physical trauma on one another but they’re all in on it. And they’re all ready to take their turn. Then, no matter how awful the experience may be, they still manage laugh about it together. (Maybe not all at the same time but…)

Because of that, there’s something oddly… pure about Jackass. Underneath the fecal matter and physical violations, this crew is still trying to reclaim some aspect of their youth that makes them feel alive. Coming at a time when Toy Story 5reminds us of the importance of play for kids, Jackass: Best and Last reminds us that we never have to stop playing. Yes, they’re idiots. But they’re idiots together—and they’re all in on the joke.

Danger Ehren, Dave England, Johnny Knoxville, and Wee Man in Jackass: Best and Last from Paramount Pictures.

What’s more, if the screening that I went to is any indication, so is everyone else. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat in a theatre with such audience anticipation and excitement. As soon as the MTV logo appeared on screens, there were multiple cheers from the crowd. Gone were the critics waiting to judge whether or not this film was ‘worthy’ of our attention. Suddenly, the room was filled with fans, waiting for the next stunt that made them turn away in disgusting glee. For two hours, we were a (safely distant) part of the crew. And, by the end, even I had to admit that there was something glorious about this band of madhouse misfits.

It was infectious.

As the film draws to a close, there’s even a tear to be shed by the team. Asking Knoxville as to whether or not this is really the end, you could really sense the heartbreak within him as he confesses the ride is over. This lovable troupe of morons have stayed the course for over a quarter of a century with such fury that you’re almost proud of them for doing so. But such is the passage of time – and they’re genuinely sad that it’s over.

To be fair, Jackass isn’t the sort of film that the squeamish should take lightly. If you’ve never enjoyed their sense of gross-out comedy before, you likely won’t become a convert now. But I can’t deny that, for one night, I fell in love with them, cheering on the fact that they’ve turned teen unruliness into a lasting (and endearing) legacy. They’re so enthusiastic, so irresponsible, that they actually turned the entire room into a party. And, almost inexplicably, everyone is welcome to attend.

Jackass: Best and Last is available in theatres on Friday, June 27th, 2026.