Impractical Jokers: The Movie

Joe. Murr. Q. Sal! The stars of TV’s Impractical Jokers have made their way to the silver screen in their very own movie. While it has some very funny moments, the overall premise of Impractical Jokers: The Movie was almost what you’d see on their cable series on truTV. Was it worth going to see? Find out as we explore the movie debut of the comedy troupe known as The Tenderloins

Impractical Jokers: The Movie

Starring: James Murray, Joe Gatto, Brian Quinn, Sal Vulcano, Paula Abdul
Directed by Chris Henchy
Produced by Funny or Die, truTV
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 92 Minutes

Impractical Jokers has been running on truTV since 2011. The show stars 4 friends from high school who now in their 40s, perform a series of pranks to embarrass each other. Over 200 episodes have aired in the past decade. Through the years, each episode ends with one or more of the Jokers losing the episode and getting punished as a result. Punishments have included getting bad hair cuts, being forced to jump out of an air plane and to have the 13-year old face of Jaden Smith tattooed onto their thigh.

In what can only be considered a ‘mega-sized’ episode of the TV show, the Impractical Jokers (AKA The Tenderloins) are invited by Paula Abdul to a party down in Miami. Leaving the quartet with only 3 passes, the guys decide to drive from New York to Florida and perform pranks. Whomever loses the most on this road trip doesn’t get to attend the party.

If that was the movie, I would be totally happy. That set-up captures the Impractical Jokers TV show perfectly. While I am not sure how the movie will look on the small screen due to an obvious change in recording medium, the stunts aren’t any different from the show. Yes, the language isn’t bleeped out and there’s a little more skin showing than usual. But overall, this could’ve all been done on pay-per-view. 

The movie starts in 1994. It’s hilarious seeing the Jokers looking like they were teenagers again. And the opening segment which ties into why the 4 guys want to go to Paula Abdul’s party so badly is actually quite funny. It’s a sort of origin story. But it also harkens back to how the guys came to know each other. So this fictitious plot wasn’t so bad. 

What was really stupid was when the Jokers tried to act like themselves. In between the times where they are basically filming an episode, there’s filler that just doesn’t flow with the rest of the film. For instance, there’s a plotline that has Joe, Q and Sal wondering just what does Murray do when he’s not with his friends. As this segment keeps getting explored, it stops the pace of the movie, like when someone farts in an elevator but nobody wants to admit they did it.  

I also hated the very staged ending. Yes, somebody loses in this movie. The lead-up to that wasn’t planned. But the parts where ¾ of the Jokers get to party hearty without their 4th wheel was clearly scripted. That lengthy penultimate scene was just painful to watch. 

Impractical Jokers: The Movie brings about a lot of laughs. Making the film a limited showing was quite smart on everyone’s part. Having to wait longer, plus the massive advertising campaign truTV has done for this movie had my wife and I eating out of the Impractical Jokers hands as we both were eager to see this in the theater!

If you love the Impractical Jokers, then you really should show your love and see the movie! I just think that I would have enjoyed it more with less ‘fake Jokers’ and more of the guys doing the pranks and other oddball stuff which have made them household names! If you don’t go to see this in theaters then definitely set aside a couple of hours for some laughs when it hits PPV!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.