'Crash Land' Review: 'Jackass' Meets 'Hot Rod' in This Wild, Ridiculous Comedy

2 weeks ago 7

Gabriel LaBelle and Finn Wolfhard in Crash Land

Published Mar 21, 2026, 6:48 PM EDT

Ross Bonaime is the Senior Film Editor at Collider. He is a Virginia-based critic, writer, and editor who has written about all forms of entertainment for Paste Magazine, Brightest Young Things, Flickchart, The Free Lance-Star, and more. Ross graduated from George Mason University with a focus in communications and journalism and a minor in film and video studies.

Ross is a Tomatometer-approved critic, a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has loved movies ever since he saw Cinderella in the theater as a kid, he can quote 10 Things I Hate About You and Wet Hot American Summer from memory, and is fascinated by all things Georges Méliès and Charlie Chaplin.

Before every episode and movie in the Jackass Cinematic Universe (the JCU), there always comes a warning that states that the stunts you’re about to see were “performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals.” This is followed by a request not to try to re-enact anything you’re about to see. Right away, you’re starting with a joke, because A. in no way are Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville professionals in anything other than getting hurt in hilarious ways, and B. there’s absolutely no way that dumbass kids aren’t going to at least try their own variations on those stunts.

'Crash Land' Stars a Group of Dummies Trying To Make an Actual Movie

In the opening moments of Crash Land, we see one of this group’s stunts, performed by Darby (Billy Byrk). Darby yells, “Eat my ass, death!” then rides his motorcycle into a flaming tire. Darby hits the tire, hits the ground, and dies — a consequence of a brain aneurysm and not due to this odd stunt. The family at Darby’s funeral doesn’t seem to understand his greatness in the videos he made with his friends, saying that he wasted his meaningless life.

The death of Darby only gets Lance (Gabriel LaBelle) to lean even harder into doing stunts on camera, even while his friend Clay (Noah Parker) tries to make a normal life for himself working at a grocery store. But then Clay comes up with an idea to show just how great Darby was: they should make a real movie in tribute to Darby. The only problem is, they have no idea what makes a movie. They want explosions, they want some fantasy stuff, and they know a movie should probably have a girl in it. As Lance says, “Maybe movies aren’t shit, just all the movies so far.”

Lance and Clay get their other buddy, Sander (Finn Wolfhard), to man the camera for their directorial debut, while they turn to Jemma (Abby Quinn), a bit of an outsider from Quebec and the only girl they’re aware of in their town, to play the important part of a female character in their movie. With barely any awareness of what a movie should actually be, and their dedication to showing that their friend’s life wasn’t just wasted time, this group of friends sets out to make the ultimate movie and tribute to Darby.

‘Crash Land’s Cast Shines and Shows Gabriel LaBelle in a Completely New Light

With Crash Land, Dempsey Byrk finds a nice balance between idiots doing dumb crap and friends genuinely trying to tribute their friend. They might not know how to make a movie, but that’s not going to stop them from doing the best they can — including taping a photo of Darby onto other actors, as if that’ll trick the audience. Byrk relishes in the silliness of these friends, but always grounds that in an unexpected amount of warmth and care for each other. Byrk films this story with some of the graininess they capture on their outdated camera, and it’s a clever stylistic choice that almost makes the whole film feel like one of their stories we’re being told from their perspective.

Maybe the biggest surprise here is Gabriel LaBelle as Lance, who does whatever a stunt requires and gives every moment his all. He’s strange and abrasive at times, but underneath that is a dude in his early 20s just doing what he loves and not caring what the world thinks beyond that. LaBelle masters this type of character far better than one would think, considering his previous roles in The Fabelmans and Saturday Night often make him seem far more timid than this. Here, LaBelle does a complete 180 from that, and it really works for him.

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Parker’s Clay is also a pleasant surprise, who feels like he’s torn between two worlds. We find out that Darby was planning to move on to bigger and better things before he passed away, and Clay ends up having a foot in both Lance and Darby’s ways of doing things. He likes making these movies with Lance, but he also knows that this can’t last forever, which Darby realized before his death as well. Parker is great at presenting Clay as someone who is still struggling with the loss of one of his closest friends, a pain we can see in his eyes without him ever having to say it, but he doesn’t want to focus too much on that feeling.

Also wonderful here is Abby Quinn as Gemma, who brings a bit more focus to the film this group is making, and who has, at least, seen a movie before. The budding relationship between Clay and Gemma is a bit obvious at times, but it doesn’t stop it from being quite sweet and charming in its own way. It’s another solid standout performance in a cast full of intriguing and wild characters.

'Crash Land' Is Extremely Goofy but With Plenty of Heart To Ground It

Image via SXSW

There’s a nice mixture of that melancholy in Dempsey Byrk’s story, as we see the uncomfortable reality of this Canadian town they all live in, and the stunts they do to avoid that reality. For example, Finn Wolfhard’s Sander was abandoned by his parents as a teenager, and he now lives in a trailer by himself. It’s seen as a joke, but it points to the loneliness and isolation that this group clearly feels at times. We get this in bits and pieces throughout the film, as we witness Clay at his dead-end job and the home life of these friends. This isn’t a film that focuses too much on this aspect of the story, always staying light-hearted and fun throughout, but it’s always there in the background.

Crash Land is a strong debut feature from Dempsey Byrk, one that mixes the spirit of Jackass with the quirky comedies of the 2000s like Hot Rod or Napoleon Dynamite. Byrk beautifully handles the push-and-pull this film requires, from absurdist stunts to real loss over this group’s friends, and it all leads to an enjoyable, often hilarious comedy with plenty of heart. With its great cast of weirdos and a clever, delightful vision from Byrk, Crash Land is a pleasant surprise at this year’s SXSW Festival.

Crash Land premiered at the 2026 SXSW Festival.

Release Date March 13, 2026

Runtime 90 minutes

Director Dempsey Bryk

Writers Dempsey Bryk

Cast

Gabriel LaBelle

Uncredited

Pros & Cons

Dempsey Byrk finds just the right mixture of ridiculous and heartwarming.
This cast, especially Gabriel LaBelle and Abby Quinn, are wonderful all around.
Feels like an ode to the great comedies of the 2000s like Napoleon Dynamite and Hot Rod.