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"Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"

Directed by Kevin Smith.
Written by Kevin Smith.
Starring Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck. 
Release Year:  2001 
Review Date:  8/24/01

Folks--

The second half of the double bill was the new Kevin Smith movie.  I admit, expectations were low because I thought the previews sucked for the movie and because of my horrible experience watching "Dogma", one of the worst films I saw two years ago.

Thank the Lord I was wrong!  I can tell you why the trailer sucked--it was the only thirty seconds of the film where characters are not saying one of the three following words:

• "Fuck"--used in every manner possible, I don't think any of the films I have seen in the last five years, save for "Casino", use the f-word this much.  I can't confirm this, but I think it was the goal of writer/director Smith to have every character that appeared in the film say the word at least once.

• "Gay"--there are more male-on-male blowjob jokes in this movie than any other film in history.  See the film and you will agree.

• "Clit"--you have to see the movie to know why...but, when Jay was making the "Clit Commander" video, my theater lost control of their minds!!

This movie is hilarious, and not just because of the ~300-400 profanities laced throughout its 90 minutes.  Quite simply, if you have not seen Smith's other films ("Clerks", "Mallrats", "Chasing Amy", "Dogma"), do NOT go and see "JSBSB."  There are so many references to Smith's other films that I would say a good 25% of the movie gets its humor from just that.  In fact, the end sequence won't even be funny to you if you don't recognize some of the characters coming out of the in-film movie theater.  Smith's reliance on his past films is great...if you have seen all of them.  For the unordained, this might lead to many "Hey, what is everyone laughing at?" moments.

Also, there are about 30 cameos in the film, and about half of those cameos are famous people parodying themselves.  Even more difficult is the fact that some of these actors show up in two different roles--so, Ben Affleck shows up as himself...AND as his character from two other Smith films.  This will confuse the *shit* out of you unless you have seen the other films.  Now, granted, some cameos, like Mark Hamill's near the end of the film, will make you laugh whether you know he was Luke Skywalker or not.  And, some jokes, like the real-life Kevin Smith's hatred of "Magnolia" director PT Anderson, will only make you laugh if you read a lot of Variety or The Hollywood Reporter.

There is so much in this film that I won't even go into a plot summary.  For a good half-hour, the film doesn't even mention why Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are going to Hollywood, anyway.  It didn't matter, because the movie takes time to poke fun at about a dozen other movies during this time, including "Planet of the Apes" (the original), "Good Will Hunting", "Charlie's Angels"...it was exhausting.  This was great for me, because I have seen all of these.

This one isn't Smith's best--clearly, that is "Clerks"--but, it is a close second place for me.  ("Chasing Amy", "Mallrats" and "Dogma" are all Rentals for me.)  If you have seen Smith's other films, you are going to love this film.  If not, expect a lesser experience.

Rating (if you've seen Smith's other films):  Opening Weekend
Rating (if you haven't):  Matinee

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  This is the highest rating a movie can receive.  Reserved for movies that exhibit the highest level of acting, plot, character development, setting...or Salma Hayek.  Not necessarily in that order. 

"$X.XX Show":  This price changes each year due to the inflation of movie prices; currently, it is the $9.50 Show.  While not technically perfect, this is a movie that will still entertain you at a very high level.  "Undercover Brother" falls into this category; it's no "Casablanca", but you'll have a great time watching.  The $9.50 Show won't win any Oscars, but you'll be quoting lines from the thing for ages (see "Office Space"). 

"Matinee":  An average movie that merits no more than a $6.50 viewing at your local theater.  Seeing it for less than $9.50 will make you feel a lot better about yourself.  A movie like "Blue Crush" fits this category; you leave the theater saying "That wasn't too bad...man, did you see that Lakers game last night?" 

"Rental":  This rating indicates a movie that you see in the previews and say to your friend, "I'll be sure to miss that one."  Mostly forgettable, you couldn't lose too much by going to Hollywood Video and paying $3 to watch it with your sig other, but you would only do that if the video store was out of copies of "Ronin."  If you can, see this movie for free.  This is what your TV Guide would give "one and a half stars." 

"Hard Vice":  This rating is the bottom of the barrel.  A movie that only six other human beings have witnessed, this is the worst movie I have ever seen.  A Shannon Tweed "thriller," it is so bad as to be funny during almost every one of its 84 minutes, and includes the worst ending ever put into a movie.  Marginally worse than "Cabin Boy", "The Avengers" or "Leonard, Part 6", this rating means that you should avoid this movie at all costs, or no costs, EVEN IF YOU CAN SEE IT FOR FREE!  (Warning:  strong profanity will be used in all reviews of "Hard Vice"-rated movies.)