Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Will Ferrell, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Seann William Scott, Chris Rock, Jamie Kennedy, Mark Hamill, James Van DerBeek, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon, Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Judd Nelson, Wes Craven, Diedrich Bader, Joey Lauren Adams, Alanis Morissette
Directed by: Kevin Smith
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
2001

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) are angered to learn of the forthcoming Hollywood movie based on Bluntman and Chronic. As they did not recieve any of the royalties, they set off on a road trip to Los Angeles to stop the movie from being made.

Review:

Tim: It's a bit difficult to know what to make of Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. On the one hand, I appreciate that this is in many ways a love letter to all Smith's other movies. The characters or actors from each of his other movies make appearances here, and it feels like a fun, zany mash up of everything we've seen so far from Smith's movies. The nostalgia factor definitely plays into this film. I liked that aspect. However, on the other hand, the movie takes two supporting characters who truly are supporting characters, and makes them the stars. Jay and Silent Bob are a bit too one-note to be leading characters, and the film suffers a bit as a result.

I'm impressed with how much Smith crammed into this film. It does start to take on a bit of an epic feel as this road trip movie is jammed pack with famous actors and funny cameos. The sheer volume of talent involved with this film is overwhelming. I'm going to spend some time discussing the cast, so bear with me.

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith were good in the lead roles. They always bring a nice touch of comedy to Smith's films. However, I did not love making them the stars of this film. Their characters are almost completely sex and drug jokes. While that's hilarious in small doses, it does tend to get a bit redundant in a feature length film. I give Smith credit for pulling this off, but the movie was almost never going to be a classic with this formula. They work well together, but it still felt like we were watching a movie about supporting characters.

The rest of the cast is massive. I loved Ben Affleck's two roles. He was very entertaining as Holden, and got at least a decent laugh or two as himself. Matt Damon is only in the film for a moment, but I laughed when I saw him there. Shannon Elizabeth isn't a great actress by any stretch, and she shows off her weak acting throughout the film. Eliza Dushku and Ali Larter were fine, except that their characters were a bit too ridiculous and far-fetched to be believable. Will Ferrell was fine, but his shtick was a bit tiring. I liked seeing Jason Lee in his two roles, but he added very little. The presence of George Carlin and Carrie Fisher was welcome, but their roles were too small to make a difference. Chris Rock and Jamie Kennedy were basically wasted, as they had nothing to really do. Mark Hamill was hilarious as the excellently named Cocknocker (I loved that role for him). I also had fun seeing James Van Der Beek and Jason Biggs, although their presence was fairly pointless. I love that Kevin Smith got all his buddies together for this film, but a few less characters wouldn't have hurt the film.

While the story isn't exactly believable, you have to love Kevin Smith spreading his wings a bit and making a big Hollywood movie. This film feels so very different from his typical small, independent fare. He went all out with this movie, and you have to appreciate that. The movie mostly moves at a quick pace, which is appreciated. I felt like the movie grinded to a halt around the introduction of Dushku and Larter. Those scenes felt forced and out of place in the movie. There was a good 20 minute stretch where the whole film felt like it was about to fall off the rails. Luckily, Smith rescues the movie in time and ramps up to the Hollywood finale.

I very much appreciate Kevin Smith's attempt to make a big Hollywood movie on his terms. He fills the film with so much of what makes him special as a director. He's got all his actors, things he loves, and jokes he finds funny here. You really can't fault a guy for making a movie for himself. Unfortunately, the movie is a bit too much of a mess to be considered great. There are certainly some funny moments, but Jay and Silent Bob eventually get tiresome. I look forward to them returning to their smaller, supporting roles. This movie was an interesting experiment, but I can only call Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back an okay, but not very good movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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