Jackass: Best and Last (2026) - Review

There isn’t one, technically. The “plot” is as thin as ever: the crew assembles one last time, shoots a bunch of insane, painful, and borderline medically inadvisable stunts, and occasionally pauses to reflect on the fact that this is it. The framing device is simple - Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Dave England, Preston Lacy, and Ehren McGhehey gather in a warehouse, crack open a few beers, and talk about old times before launching into new mayhem. The narrative thread, such as it exists, is the countdown to the final stunt, a massive set-piece involving a rocket-powered shopping cart and a very angry bull. Throw in a montage of career highlights and a touching tribute to the late Ryan Dunn, and you have a structure that’s less a story than a wake with explosions.

Let’s be honest: the Jackass formula hasn’t changed since 2000. Guys hurt themselves, laugh through the pain, and occasionally vomit on each other. What makes Best and Last different is the mood. The stunts are still deranged - there’s a sequence with a swarm of bees and a honey-covered trampoline that will make you squirm, and a surprisingly elaborate set-piece involving a runaway golf cart and a series of punji-stick-style mousetraps that’s pure slapstick genius. But the laughter feels tinged with something else. Knoxville, now 55, moves slower. His fall into a pit of tasers isn’t as springy as it used to be. Steve-O, 52, still has that manic grin, but the “gross-out” bits (one involving a live eel and his underwear) feel less like youthful rebellion and more like a man proving he still can.

The real emotional core arrives via Bam Margera, who appears only in archive footage. His absence is conspicuous and unspoken - no one mentions him by name, but a montage of his greatest hits, from the shopping cart crash to the infamous high-five with a cobra, hangs over the film like a ghost. It’s a risky choice, but Tremaine handles it with surprising grace, letting the footage speak for itself without turning the film into a therapy session. There’s also a genuinely moving sequence where the crew reenacts a classic stunt from the first movie - Knoxville being launched off a mechanical bull into a wall - only this time, they do it in slow motion, with the camera lingering on their faces. It’s not sad, exactly, but it’s heavy.

Comedy-wise, the highlights are the new, inventive ways they find to hurt each other. Dave England’s “backyard Olympics” bit, where he and Preston Lacy compete in a series of increasingly absurd events (including a high-jump over a flaming bar of soap), is pure gold. Chris Pontius’s “Party Boy” makes a triumphant return, but now he’s doing it in a nursing home, and the elderly residents’ reactions are the funniest thing in the film. Wee Man and Ehren McGhehey have a brilliant bit involving a pair of remote-controlled cars and a vat of pig intestines that is both disgusting and hilarious.

But there are misses. A prolonged sequence with a live alligator and a rubber snake goes on too long, and the pacing sags in the middle. The film also leans heavily on nostalgia, which works for long-time fans but might feel like homework for a younger audience. The TMDb rating of 7.554 suggests a mixed-to-positive response, and that feels right. It’s not the masterpiece of Jackass Number Two, but it’s a far cry from the tired Jackass Presents spin-offs.

The 92-minute runtime is tight, and Tremaine knows when to cut away before a bit overstays its welcome - mostly. The 3D gimmicks of the fourth film are gone, thank God; this is shot clean and digital, which makes the impact of every hit feel more visceral. The sound design is brutal: bones crack, skin slaps, and the crew’s laughter is mixed high, so you hear them wheezing through the pain.

Pros

• Genuinely touching farewell that doesn’t sacrifice the franchise’s core stupidity.
• The stunt choreography feels fresh, especially the “Backyard Olympics” segment.
• Knoxville and Steve-O’s chemistry remains electric; they’re the heart of the film.
• The archive footage tribute to Bam Margera is handled with subtlety and respect.
• Tight pacing at 92 minutes - no filler, just payoff.

Cons

• The middle third drags, with a couple of bits that feel like B-sides from a previous film.
• The emotional weight occasionally clashes with the gonzo comedy, creating tonal whiplash.
• Newcomers will be lost; this is unapologetically fan service.
• Some stunts feel like rehashes (more bees, more tasers, more falling) rather than new ideas.

Jackass: Best and Last is a love letter to pain - both the physical kind and the ache of saying goodbye. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, because it knows the wheel is already on fire and rolling toward a cliff. Jeff Tremaine and his crew have crafted a finale that’s messy, gross, and occasionally heartbreaking, but always unmistakably Jackass. The stunts still land, the laughs are still there, and the final image - the crew standing in a parking lot, covered in bruises and smiling like idiots - is the perfect capper to two decades of self-inflicted mayhem. It’s not the best film in the series, but it’s the right one to end on. Go see it with a group of friends, wince together, and enjoy the last ride.