Jackass 3.5 (2011)
★★★ — Jackass 3.5 (2011)
There's a moment in Jackass 4.5 (2022) where you realise these bonus-cut releases have their own weird logic, and watching Jackass 3.5 I had the same thought. This isn't a film in any traditional sense. It's a blooper reel that got too big for its boots, clocked a feature-length runtime, and decided to have a lie-down on your sofa. And honestly? Fair enough.
What you're getting here is the overflow from Jackass 3D, all the bits that were either too long, too repetitive, or just too spectacularly disgusting to make the theatrical cut. Extended takes, alternate angles on stunts you've already seen, and gags that were presumably left on the cutting room floor for very good reasons. None of that is a complaint, by the way. It's a statement of fact. If you go in expecting a tightly edited comedy film, you've badly misread the situation. If you go in expecting Johnny Knoxville and the lads doing horrible things to each other for ninety-odd minutes, congratulations, you've found your film.
The chemistry is still the thing that holds all of this together. Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man, and the rest of them have this bizarre dysfunctional family energy that no amount of bad editing or loose structure can undermine. They genuinely seem to enjoy each other's company, even when that company involves a paint balloon to the face or an electric shock to somewhere sensitive. There's a warmth underneath all the filth, which is probably the strangest sentence I've written this week, but it's true.
That said, some of the new material does push into repetitive territory. There's only so many times you can watch a nut-punch montage before the law of diminishing returns kicks in rather firmly. A few of the extended cuts go on longer than they should, and you can see why certain alternate takes were left out of the main event. The pacing, such as it is, goes entirely out the window in the back half. But then again, pacing was never really the point, was it.
What saves it is those moments of genuinely inspired stupidity. The kind of bit where someone does something so monumentally daft that you find yourself laughing before you've even processed what's happened. Those moments are still here, scattered through the chaos like diamonds in a skip. And there's something oddly joyful about watching people commit so completely to being absolute idiots in the name of entertainment. It's not sophisticated. It doesn't try to be. It knows exactly what it is.
I've said before, covering the likes of Jackass 2.5 (2007), that these half-cut companion pieces work best when you come to them already invested in the crew. This is not your entry point into the franchise. Watch the main films first, fall in love with the nonsense, and then treat this as extra time with people you already like. On those terms, it delivers.
Three stars. Mindless, messy, and kind of glorious in its own stupid way. Perfect viewing for when your brain needs a full evening off and the cringe can do all the heavy lifting.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2011 | Watched: 2025-09-11
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Paramount Plus · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Paramount Plus Premium · Paramount Plus Basic with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Paramount Plus Premium · Paramount Plus Essential · Paramount+ Amazon Channel · Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Jeff Tremaine: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) · Jackass: Gumball Rally 3000 Special (2002) · Jackass 2.5 (2007) · Jackass Forever (2022)
More with Johnny Knoxville: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (2013) · Skiptrace (2016) · The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) · The Ringer (2005)
More from the 2010s: Wonder (2017) · Beautiful Boy (2018) · The Witch (2015) · What We Do in the Shadows (2014)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
More documentary: Letter from Siberia (1957) · Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Style Wars (1983) · Here and Elsewhere (1976)
