Review: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

What the Internet is really for, explains one sage in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the latest in Kevin Smith's continuing series featuring the two drug-dealing, sex-obsessed slobs from central New Jersey, is so kids can slander other people anonymously. In his previous movies -- Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks -- Smith chronicles work, sex and blasphemy. This time the sub-theme is the Net and the waves of brainy but obnoxious adolescent jerks who have helped set its sometimes nasty tone in recent years. Many readers of this website will especially love the ending, one of the few Hollywood got right this summer. Spoilage warning: plot is discussed, but not ending.

In a way, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a series of inside jokes, albeit some very funny ones. Smith gets that movies are a universal experience of his young audiences. Still, only attentive, die-hard movie buffs will get them all. The cast, plots and references are closely tied to other Smith films, lines, scenes, actors and plots, along with some that aren't his. (There is a hilarious spoof of Good Will Hunting which Ben Affleck and Matt Damon good-naturedly join in.) Smith's studio Miramax is continuously ridiculed (Bob Hope also used to poke fun at Paramount in some of his road-trip comedies with Bing Crosby). Chris Rock pops up with some riffs on race.

The movie's director, Gus Van Sant (CT:Good Will Hunting, not J&SBSB of course), has a funny bit part, and Smith parodies Charlie's Angels, The Fugitive (so specifically he includes a reference to Provasic, the drug that nearly destroyed Richard Kimble's life), Scooby-Doo,Hannibal, and even Star Wars (Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill appear, the latter in a loopy take-off on the mythic brawl between Darth and Luke.

The Net figures heavily in this sometimes hilarious if uneven movie, yet another comedy that self-referentially uses pop culture as humor, reference point and plot line. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are outraged to learn that kids online are flaming the movie based on the comic book -- Bluntman and The Chronic -- that the pair inspired. Besides, they're not getting a dime out of any of it. Jay, who's never even heard of the Net, is astonished to learn that people can call you names online, and he flames them back, urging them to lick his private parts. He and Bob set out for Hollywood to stop the movie's production and end the besmirching of their alleged reputations. They have various misadventures along the way, including dust-ups with a nun, the Utah State Police, animal rights activists, federal wildlife officials, and nasty child geeks.

There is, of course, the inevitable moment when Bob speaks -- as always, finally provoked by the genial stupidity and crudity of his "hetero-life mate" Jay. This movie backs off from the controversial religion-bashing of Dogma, which triggered some boycotts and threats on Smith and the movie's producers. If the movie is frequently gross in the now-standard scatalogical way of studio films aimed at the hip and the young, it is good-natured and easy-going, not even remotely controversial. Jay is still obsessed with getting laid and with his and everybody else's masculinity, but this round is much more relaxed about it.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is less of a coherent movie than a series of one-liners, set gags, set-ups and cultural in-jokes and spoofs. There are moments of genius and of stupidity, also flashes of satire and comic genius. It works best if you've seen a substantial chunk of the Smith canon. If you haven't, a lot of it will sail over your head. But it will still probably be the funniest movie you've seen all summer.

Askew-niverse

This movie is mainly a continuation of Chasing Amy, and tries to tie up the rest of the movies; Clerks, Mallrats and Dogma.

It will also be the last live-action movie featuring these characters. There is, however, a new animated movie on the way, supposedly. Clerks: Sellout, the story of Dante and Randall being offered lots of money to make a movie about a day in their lives.

As with a lot of Smith stuff, you'll either love it or hate it, and a lot of it is fan service for people who've seen his previous movies.

You know what's REALLY sad?

"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is a better movie name than "Attack of the Clones."

Misinformation

Kevin Smith directed the film, not Gus Van Sant. The latter directed Good Will Hunting and that's why he's in that area of the film.

The pair is called Bluntman and Chronic, not Bluntman and The Chronic.

Of all the times Silent Bob speaks, this is the only time it's provoked by Jay's stupidity. In Clerks, he speaks to Dante to convicne him that Veronica loves him. In Mallrats, he delivers his Jedi line. In Chasing Amy, he tells the story of Amy to Ben Affleck's character. And in Dogma, neither of his two lines are delivered to Jay; one is to an extra, the other Chris Rock.

Isn't there something that requires movie reviewers to actually know something about the movie they're discussing?

I saw it on the sneak preview and laughed my ass off. There were some people there who hadn't seen any Kevin Smith movies and they laughed their asses off. It's just a funny movie. Go see it.

Re:Misinformation

I saw it on the sneak preview and laughed my ass off. There were some people there who hadn't seen any Kevin Smith movies and they laughed their asses off. It's just a funny movie. Go see it.

Fight the MPAA! [ampcast.com]

Is that your way of "fighting" the MPAA? Recommending that people go and see a Disney-owned film?

Smith Ain't Hollywood

"..one of the few Hollywood got right this summer. "

Smith isn't Hollywood. He's New Jersey. And BTW, is there anything you read/see Mr. Katz, in which you don't infer some type of "'net" related subtext?

Hilarious... but...

My girlfriend and I found it outright the funniest, and most outright clever movie in a summer full of duds. But... I'm a big Kevin Smith fan, and I've got all his flicks on DVD, so I wonder how the movie would be recieved by a Smith Virgin.

Jason Mewes actually carries this movie, which is remarkable, since I think no one was more surprised than him that it went so well. He's hardly the mainstream movie star like Affleck or Jason Lee.

Also, while 'movie parody movies' have been a subgenre for ever (see: Scary Movie to Naked Gun) there hasn't been one done well in ages. This one is both bang on in it's attacks on those movies, but it's obviously done with love and respect, which makes it all the more clever.

At it's core, it's a road trip movie, which, since Capra invented the genre, has always proven to be a treat; the potential for unpredictable characters and situation is hard to exceed, and Kevin Smith handles it admirably.

All in all, after a summer full of disappointments (see: A.I. Kiss of the Dragon, Evolution, et al.) this was refreshing, fun and Smith's most inside joke, and simultaneously, most accessible movie yet.

If you have some patience for a seemingly offensive movie - but with a lot of heart - you couldn't do better this summer.

Remark about Dogma incorrect

"This movie backs off from the controversial religion-bashing of Dogma..."

Wrong. That is the accusation that was lobbed against Kevin Smith, but I'm disappointed to see this mainstream misinformation repeated here. (Yes, I know, there's plenty of misinformation on /., but it's usually off-center geek misinformation, not repeated mainstream misinformation).

Dogma was a funny movie that parodied religious dogma, not religious beliefs. Kevin Smith was and is a Catholic, and the movie was actually respectful of Catholic beliefs -- just not rigid dogma. Typically, this flew right over the Catholic church's head and they protested, looking ignorant in the process. I'm surprised to see Katz repeating this untrue accusation here.

Re:Dogma _are_ beliefs

Any serious Catholic - in fact, almost any serious Christian - would tell you that that film was extremely offensive.

that's a pretty huge generalization to make. my parents are really hardcore Catholics, and they loved Dogma for being so pro-religion and anti-dogma. but if you really meant "serious" as to mean "so-blindly-fanatic-that-they-no-longer-have-a-sen se-of-humor-about-anything,", then yes, i agree with you that they'd see it as offensive

I'm a "serious" Christian

I consider myself a serious Christian, that is, I seek to devote my life to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, and living by His word.

My pastor was the one who told me about Dogma. Yes, it pokes fun at religion, but it does not challenge faith.

It was actually very moving at times. Take the scene where Linda Fiorentino was struggling with being up to the task of saving the world, and the angel tells the story of having to be there when a young Jesus was starting to understand his mission. Or the scene in the parking garage where Ben Affleck is letting loose about being kicked out of heaven and missing the presence of God, and that the humans don't even realize what they are missing.

If that's offensive, it is only so because of the very rigid, do-my-thinking-for-me dogma that the movie is about.

Remember, that Jesus himself was one who challenged the "dogma" of his age. He was a lawbreaker in the minds of many because he healed on the Sabbath and touched the unclean and let prostitutes pay him honor. What he did was more offensive as the movie Dogma.

It was not that long ago that Anabaptists, some of the most Christ-like people of their age, were persecuted by the Catholic Church for being offensive - by practicing adult baptism (rather like the baptism Jesus had, I suppose). Just because people take offense at something does not mean that it is bad; it is often an indication that it is good.

Dogma challenged the beliefs of Catholics who go to chuch, say the prayers, do the ritual, but have not faintest idea of what they are saying, and live no differently than those who reject the Church. I would suggest that those people need their belief challenged. And I would say that it's too bad Kevin Smith has to do it, but that is only because their priest won't.

Great Ironic Humor in this Movie *Spoilers*

Smith pokes fun at about everything in arms reach in this movie including the audience and himself. You can measure how many Smith fans are in the audience by the laugh response to:

"I wonder if Mirimax will option Holden's comic."
"What, Chasing Amy? That'll never work as a movie."

Also, Holden's line:

"Who would go and see a movie about Jay and Silent Bob?" [Smith, Mewes, and Affleck turn to look at camera. Smith smiles.]

The best irony in the film is a joke on many levels. Jay and Silent Bob become incensed about posting on moviepoopshoot.com [moviepoopshoot.com] which is registered to:

Registrant:
View Askew Productions
PO Box 400
Red Bank, NJ 20902
US

Registrar: Dotster (http://www.dotster.com)
Domain Name: MOVIEPOOPSHOOT.COM
Created on: 09-JAN-01
Expires on: 09-JAN-03

At a deeper level though, Smith is ranting about postings on Internet message boards, made even more ironic by the focus of his site [viewaskew.com] which contains an extensive message board, to which he posts. (And occasionally answers questions.)

I found the irony and asides to the camera to be great fun in this movie and would highly recommend it on the basis of in-jokes alone (Of which the material I mention is only a tiny part.)

The Bluntman & Chronic Movie

Bluntman and Chronic and their stupid alter egos Jay and Silent Bob only work in small doses, if at all. They don't deserve their own movie.

Re:Don't compare ...

The irony being that a major subplot of J&SBSB is morons on the Internet insulting movies they haven't seen...