Publication Date: 07-28-2026

Jackass Number Two (2006) review

Dir. Jeff Tremaine

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★½

Johnny Knoxville revealed that Jackass Number Two is his personal favorite of the series. He claimed that the crew was on their “worst behavior” for the entirety of shooting, and it’s easy to see why. Perhaps the only reason he didn’t mention was Paramount saw the proof-of-concept pay dividends with Jackass: The Movie and more-than-doubled the budget of the sequel ($11.5 million), freeing up the team to construct a big red rocket; a big loop-de-loop for a pocketbike; and pay Broken Lizard alum Jay Chandrasekhar enough to pose as a taxi driver.

The increased budget gives everything from the visual look to the stunts added dimension. While I still prefer the first movie by a hair, Number Two is a worthy sequel that shows the crew operating with the kind of dedicated fearlessness and clear-and-present idiocy necessary to take the next leap in the franchise. Another round of comparatively small-scale stunts involving a pole and fireworks might’ve seemed juvenile and tame. This movie ups the ante in a very believable manner.

Many animals are involved in the stunts too. The opening scene has the crew running from a drove of bulls in what appears to be a studio backlot designed to look like a suburban street. There’s reason to believe the cast might’ve gotten genuinely hurt here more than they did in any previous episode or film. Everyone walks away scathed. At one point, Dave England rides a giant firehose that launches him onto a patch of mud. Ryan Dunn’s lucky he didn’t break his shoulder or collarbone getting flung into a garage door whilst in a shopping cart. Chris Pontinus’ penis gets bit by a snake. Steve-O gets his cheek pierced by a fishhook before being used as bait in shark-infested waters. And Johnny Knoxville gets run over by a bull (twice).

Now 20 years old, it’s fascinating to see how a couple of the stunts have aged rather questionably, though I’d be lying if I said they didn’t amuse me all over again. The one is “the switcheroo,” in which an underwear-clad Preston Lacy switches places with Bam Margera’s dad, Phil, in bed, and moves to spoon Bam’s mother, April. April’s post-stunt commentary and admission casts a light-hearted glow over a stunt that would more-than-likely be scrapped by Paramount execs.

The other questionably problematic stunt is admittedly one of the most creative in Jackass history. It involves dressing Ehren McGhehey up as a Muslim terrorist — I won’t tell you what they used for the fake beard-hair — strapping fake explosives to his chest, and pulling a prank on an unsuspecting cab driver en route to the airport. Chandrasekhar plays the cab driver, and in reality, the joke is on Ehren, the series’ biggest punching bag. It’s a testament to the camaraderie this crew so efficiently and effectively fosters that even these stunts, which tap-dance on the line of being socially acceptable, are still made light-hearted.

My favorite of the bunch might indeed be “the brand,” where Dunn uses a cattle-brand that’s shaped like a penis and testicles on Bam’s buttocks. Because Bam keeps flinching, Dunn uses it on him multiple times in a row, leading to an unsightly, infected blotch. Even better? Hours after they do the stunt, they unveil it for Phil and April. Not that I’m clamoring to see Bam’s ass again, but part of me has always wondered if it ever healed or if it’s still noticeable 20 years later.

Jackass Number Two is an all-out blast, proving Knoxville’s point that the best of the series comes out when the crew is indeed on their worst behavior.

My review of Jackass: The Movie (2002)
My review of Jackass 2.5
My review of Jackass 3D
My review of Jackass 3.5
My review of Jackass Forever
My review of Jackass 4.5
My review of Jackass: Best and Last

My review of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
My review of Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa .5

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason “Wee Man” Acuña, Preston Lacy, Dave England, and Ehren McGhehey. Directed by: Jeff Tremaine.