The Atlantic

The Surprising Innovations of <em>Jackass Forever</em>

A franchise beloved for its anarchic pranksterism reinvents itself once more.
Source: Jennifer McCarthy / Paramount

The power of has always rested with the peanut gallery. Almost every ridiculous, painful stunt Johnny Knoxville and his gang of nimrods have pulled over the past 20-plus years has come with a reliable laugh track: the rest of the ensemble gathered around to watch, doubled over and cackling as someone subjects themselves to unspeakable injury. The sight of Knoxville shooting himself out of a cannon armed only with feathered wings to keep him aloft is certainly something to behold, but its beauty is increased tenfold because of the hooting and hollering coming from his pals on the ground.

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