Impractical Jokers: The Movie (2020)
If you’re a fan of the Impractical Jokers television series, you’ll certainly like the film but If you pay to see this in the theater, you’re a sucker. The biggest joke here is the title. There’s nothing “movie” about Impractical Jokers: The Movie.
As teens, Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, and Sal Vulcano snuck into a Paula Abdul concert, turned it into a riot and in the process, came up with the idea for their show. Today, Paula has become a fan and invites them to her concert in Miami but only gives them three tickets. To decide who will miss out, the friends compete in a series of hidden-camera challenges on the way to the show.
The film begins with a flashback that starts you off laughing. The attempt to make The Tenderloins look like high-schoolers is so deliberately bad it’s hilarious. Once on the road, several gags had me in stitches. What works in the show works here. First, you’re laughing at the passersby’s reactions. Then, you laugh at the jokers themselves. You can tell the guys have been at this for a while and know exactly how to push each others’ buttons. Several of the skits are innovative and memorable. Even if, like me, you’ve never seen even a single episode of the show, you’ll be laughing long and hard.
And yet… the film disappoints. At the end of the day, this is not a movie. The story is garbage, barely more than an afterthought. While most of the challenges feel genuine, the wraparound is never convincing or all that funny. It’s poorly written and predictable. Not helping are the Tenderloins, who are horrendous actors. You wish you could annihilate the Paula Abdul story but then, all you’d be left with is an elongated episode of the show and that, you can see “for free” at home.
This movie isn’t doing anything the show hasn't done already. It's rated PG-13 so it’s not like they’re upping the ante - not really - by performing death-defying, risqué or shocking skits. While watching, you develop a new appreciation for the Jackass films. Those cranked up the insanity to a level you would’ve never been able to get away with on the small screen. This may be smarter but it’s safer too, which is a big mark against it.
I can’t be too hard on Impractical Jokers: The Movie. I was bordering on tears more than once and that’s worth a lot. Worth the price of a movie ticket though? Absolutely not. No boundaries are pushed so nothing will prevent this film from being shown on TV in a couple of months. It won't win the series any new fans despite the numerous laughs because of the price, which means it’s for those who are already part of the club. For them, it’s worth seeing - at home. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 2, 2020)
