Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

It's almost impossible to believe that this film is from the self same Kevin Smith who wrote and directed Clerks. Gone is the biting wit and odd charm of that film, and in its place, big-budget pointlessness and a dozen more dick jokes. The many cameo appearances of characters from the other movies which comprise the extended 'New Jersey Trilogy' (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and the woeful Dogma) serve only to remind the viewer just how good - or even average - Smith used to be. Indeed, whatever it was that made his work so individual and enjoyable was clearly lost some time ago.

Directorially, the 'post-modern' elements (several actors playing dual roles) are fairly well-handled, though presumably quite confusing for those who haven't seen earlier entries in the series. Unfortunately, however, Smith's usual lack of visual awareness and style is once more in evidence. In Clerks it didn't matter: the script was so tight that the primitive direction was irrelevant, but here, with hardly any gags hitting the mark (special mention for Mark Hamill's spectacularly unfunny cameo) it's extremely noticeable.

The acting too, is of a poor standard with too many lines and jokes fluffed, though Jason Mewes' usual one-note performance (essentially playing a toned-down version of himself, by all accounts) works well here. All in all, more puerile and less funny than its predecessors, though foul-mouthed children, stoners and idiots may take to it more than most.

While I found this movie amusing, if you haven't seen the entire Kevin Smith cannon, NOTHING is going to make much sense. Ben Affleck as more than one character, Jason Lee as more than one character, and the myriad of cameos from past Smith film characters would be confusing to anyone who doesn't know the history.

A "should see" for Smith fans, but probably not much interest to anyone else.

''f*ck,f*ck,f*ck'' when these words are said by a two year old version of Jay before the film switches to present day Jay doing his rap(''drinkin beers beers beers,rollin fatties,etc)the tone of the film is firmly set.But did you expect anything else?The heroes of Kevin Smiths Jersey film series finally get the screen time,and sadly the send off,they deserve.This film is JOKES from start to finish,the dialogue is funny and in places very rude, especially from Jay.|The cast is full of brilliantly chosen cameos,featuring many people having a tongue in cheek pop at themselves.The Good Will Hunting 2:Hunting season section shows Ben affleck and Matt Damon can laugh at themselves,which in a film like this they would need to!Jason Mewes is on top form as is Kevin Smith,especially when Bob is finally driven to an uncharacteristic outburst of more than a few words.BOUT TIME!!!The continuity of this in relation to the previous Jay and Silent Bob outings is superb,and although it is a funnier film if you have seen Kevin Smiths other Jersey films,there are still plenty of jokes for the uninitiated.This is mostly down to a fantastic supporting cast of some great comedic performers.Will Ferrells WildLife Marshall is funny as f*ck as Jay would say!The movie is not just full of jokes at previous Jersey films expense,but it takes a few good shots at other films and even the film industry itself...could Movie Poopshoot.com be a reference to IMDb.com?who knows?.The 2 disc DVD is WELL worth getting if you like the movie,the outtakes are worth the money alone.And one particular extra ''Ham Affleck'' is worth checking,with Ben showing his real cheese skills(which he would perfected in Pearl Harbour,only that time he was trying to be serious).Also the introductions to the many deleted scenes are worth watching,with Affleck again taking some lighthearted ripping from Mewes and Smith.LOL.Rude,fun poking,loud and very very funny.....just like Jay.9/10

Whether or not you enjoy `Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' is going to depend a lot on whether or not you enjoy director Kevin Smith. I, for one, think the guy is a genius. If you don't mind my lauding his name, read on. First, a little background for the uninitiated.

Kevin Smith's movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and now JSBSB) are a world created by the director himself, in the sense that all are interconnected by characters, plot points, and subtle references. The one constant, though, is the entity known as Jay and Silent Bob, a pair of pot dealers who have more or less spent their entire lives standing in front of the Quik-Stop convenience store. Jay (Jason Mewes) is the long-haired guy we all knew in high school, his endless stream of four-letter epithets almost endearing because the goofy guy just doesn't know any better. Silent Bob (played by director Kevin Smith), Jay's self-described `hetero life-mate' stands by without speaking a word and provides some sort of moral counterpoint for the duo.

In Smith's `Chasing Amy,' Banky and Holden (Jason Lee and Ben Affleck, respectively) created a comic book entitled `Bluntman and Chronic,' based on their real-life buddies Jay and Silent Bob. Fast-forward to `Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.'

Banky has sold the rights to his comic to Miramax pictures, leaving Jay and Silent Bob in the dark about the business deal. Jay and Bob, with help from Holden, discover via the Internet (`What's the Internet?' asks Jay) that a movie based on them is about to start production. Realizing that they won't see a dime of the money, and even more upset by their defamation on Internet message boards, they decide to truck across the country to stop the film from being produced.

It's important to note that while the comedy is crude, slapstick, and even resorts to fart jokes, it's not dumb comedy, it's satire at it's finest, reminiscent of such self-deprecating masterpieces as `Pee-Wee's Big Adventure' and `Blazing Saddles.' After the fairly serious `Chasing Amy' and the spiritually overtoned `Dogma,' we see that Smith has decided to get together with his buddies and put together one big inside joke. Fortunately, he's decided to let a few of us in on it. The viewer's enjoyment of the movie is going to depend completely on his or her knowledge of Smith's previous films and characters.

Smith's friends show up in cameos, from Chris Rock to Will Ferrell to Alanis Morrissette to Carrie Fisher to Mark Hamill (Smith is an infamous Star Wars fanatic). You can literally see a man's childhood dream coming true when at one point, Smith's Bob gets to carry on a lightsaber duel with Hamill.

Local interest: In one of the many subplots, a group of female jewel thieves bring Jay and Silent Bob to our very own Boulder, Colorado, to steal a monkey from a medical testing facility. `Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' is a comedy, and doesn't try to be anything else. The only thing I felt was missing was one of Jason Lee's inspired monologues bitterly bemoaning the state of society. Some of Shannon Elizabeth's screen time could have been cut, I felt, in favor of some trademark Smith dialogue.

Smith now intends to focus his time on more dramatic pursuits, and we are given this as the fifth and last film in his so-called `Jersey Trilogy.' The bottom line is, Smith loves his fans, and this film was created for the loyal. A fitting send-off for Jay and Silent Bob, this film gets an `A-.'

For the record, I have not seen Kevin Smith's previous works, Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, or Dogma, which, I'm almost positive, affected how I saw the movie, since Smith puts in so many in-jokes and references to his previous movies, I didn't get them, except for the blatantly obvious ones.

Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) hang out in front of a convience store selling weed. When the get a restraining order, they find out that the comic starring their likenesses Bluntman and Chronic is being turned into a Miramax movie. However, they aren't being paid for it, so what to do? Travel cross-country to Hollywood from New Jersey to stop the movie from getting made, what else?

Crude, inappropriate, and extremely funny. If there's ever a movie that you should watch with your drinking friends and not with a date or family, this is the one! It has jokes about genetalia, bodily functions, innuendoes, and more, and I haven't laughed this hard at a movie for a long time. Call me immature, but I like this type of stuff, ones that actually have substance behind the crude jokes (not like Old School).

Mewes was f-ing hilarious, when he f-ing say the f-ing f-word every f-ing word. It has over 230 f-words along in this movie, with the total number of curses probably around 300. I have never heard so many, but I laughed. I'm not ashamed to admit it: Mewes cracked me up, with his stylish arrogance and foul mouth. Smith, who was laconic for almost the entire film, expressed everything with his eyes, which were funny. There were more cameos than a movie of The Simpsons, with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Jamie Kennedy, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Joey Lauren Adams, and many, many more.

There were many pot-shots of American movies. For instance, when Jay and Silent Bob meet a drug dealer played by Tracy Morgan, he says that Miramax accounts for about 75% of his income. Also, everyone on-screen looks at the camera when they mention, `No one would pay to see a Jay and Silent Bob movie,' and when Ben Affleck says that one reason you do a picture is because you owe a friend a favor. As the Bluntman and Chronic movies premieres, someone says, `Well, it was better than Mallrats.'

Are you easily offended? Does the mention of various body parts upset you? If you answered yes to either question, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is not your movie. If you answered no, sit back and enjoy the ride!

My rating: 7/10

Rated R for nonstop crude and sexual humor, pervasive strong language, and drug content.