Watch This Before You See Impractical Jokers: The Movie

Born from the minds of a New York comedy troupe called The Tenderloins, Impractical Jokers has been a reliable hit for TruTV since debuting in December 2011. Each episode consists of a series of challenges and dares in which four friends bust each other's chops by embarrassing one of their own, usually in public, while hidden cameras capture it all. The goal: good-natured humiliation, all featuring comic improvisation in a real-world setting.

After annual cruises, world tours, and the embarrassment-themed TBS game show The Misery Index, Joe, Murr, Q, and Sal are moving from the small screen to the big screen when Impractical Jokers: The Movie hits theaters on February 21st, 2020. But what do you need to know before heading in?

If you've watched the show, you know that the average episode is constructed, but not scripted. The dares conceived by the Tenderloins force them to use their improv skills in unusual situations, both to make some good TV, and to avoid a punishment at the end of the episode. Impractical Jokers: The Movie takes the basic concept of the series and blows it up to big-screen levels.

The official synopsis?

"A humiliating high school mishap from 1992 that sends the Impractical Jokers on the road in hidden camera challenges for the chance to turn back the clock and find redemption."

The movie's December 2019 trailer shows that this early '90s element is provided by '90s superstar Paula Abdul, who meets the Jokers and invites them to a big party in Miami… but not all of them get to go. They decide the best way to determine the odd man out is to do what they always do: stage elaborate, competitive scenarios in which they can embarrass each other. Whoever they collectively deem the loser of this competition after ten events doesn't get to go to Paula Abdul's party.

The trailer also gives a few sneak peaks at some of the high-stakes humiliating situations, including one of the Jokers crawling out of a cave, resembling Gollum from The Lord of the Rings.

They're also seen trying to get somebody to help with a broken-down car with a trunk full of drugs, and engaging in what appears to be a horseback gladiator ride. And Jokers fans will also appreciate Sal's Jaden Smith tattoo making a cameo appearance again.

All four members of the Tenderloins troupe have co-written and co-headline the film: Joseph Gatto, James Murray, Brian Quinn, and Salvatore Vulcano. You'll also spot producer and Inside Jokes host Casey Jost. The rest of the cast is filled out by both actors playing people the Jokers meet during their long voyage to Miami, and random strangers who happen to get pulled into the group's staged pranks. At a 2018 San Diego Comic-Con event, Brian Quinn stated that the movie consists of "80 percent hidden camera and 20 percent storyline."

However, some "name" actors do show up for cameo appearances. Expect to see Impractical Jokers : After Party host and former NSYNC member Joey Fatone play a street busker. And Kane Hodder, the man in the Jason Voorhees hockey mask in multiple Friday the 13th movies, puts in an appearance as an imposing bodyguard.

If you want to catch up before the movie debuts in February, the show's latest slate of episodes debuts on TruTV on Thursday January 30th. This ninth season will feature the 200th episode of Impractical Jokers on February 13th, which will be set in Los Angeles. About a week later, Impractical Jokers: The Movie will begin rolling out to theaters nationwide.

Unfortunately for those who want to know if they should bring their kids, the MPAA has yet to announce the film's rating. That being said, there's no reason to expect the Jokers' feature-length adventures to venture too far beyond the bounds of all-ages entertainment. We'll have to wait to find out for sure, but the show's antics are in the PG-13 realm, and fans should expect the same from the film. Watch This Before You See Impractical Jokers: The Movie!

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