(reviewed at AMC Granite Run on Satuday, August 25th, 2001 w/ Jack and Annie)
It all started in 1994. Clerks hit it big at Sundance. Then Mallrats hit but didn’t make any money, and a lot of a-hole critics panned it (Steven Rea gave it three stars…I still remember). So Smith came back with a hard-core independent titled Chasing Amy. It was funny but grown-up (a little bit, anyway). Then Dogma, his religious epic, hit. Now Smith has released Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, his worst effort so far, but that doesn’t mean much. Why? Because Smith is one of the best writer/directors working today. Clerks and Mallrats are legendary. They are hilarious. They are entertaining. Dogma is funny, but also very complex and interesting. Chasing Amy showcased Jason Lee once again. And Ben Affleck became a star. It’s all over, however. Kevin Smith’s universe is done with. No more Dante. No more Randall. No more Brodie or Banky or Jay or Silent Bob or Steve-Dave. No more.
This is the fifth and final chapter of Kevin Smith’s expanded trilogy. He has said that he wants to make more serious films, or at least, ones that don’t involve his characters that we have come to love and admire. He’s moving on. He’s got a more serious film lined up to star Jason Lee. And then he’ll probably make that Fletch movie. It wouldn’t surprise me if his other stars show up as different characters, and I doubt we’ll see the end of Jay or Silent Bob, but for now, this chapter in Smith’s life is over.
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back is Smith’s end to end all films. It’s the apotheosis of all dick and fart joke movies. If you actually look back at Clerks, that film was major serious compared to this latest opus of zany proportions. Basically, in Chasing Amy, Banky and Holden McNeill created a popular comic book based on both Batman & Robin and Jay & Silent Bob. It was titled Bluntman & Chronic. Holden moved on in Amy, and sold the comic book rights to Banky. In J&SBSB, Banky has sold the rights to Hollywood, where a big motion picture is underway. Jay (Jason Mewes…just about as hilarious as ever here, he eats up the screen in every scene he’s in) and Silent Bob (the writer/directior himself, Smith) find out that a movie is being made, and they haven’t gotten a dime. They soon find out that people on the internet (one of the greatest lines in the film comes when Jay says, “What’s the internet?”) with screen names like MagnoliaFan are bad mouthing Jay and Silent Bob. The Laurel & Hardy of the 90’s/00’s want revenge. They head out on a road trip from Leonardo, New Jersey to Hollywood, California to strike back.
While there is a lot of funny stuff in this film, including a plethora of cameos, and a healthy heaping of inside Hollywood jokes (many Hollywood pros play themselves), there are a lot of sequences that just fall flat, namely the pseudo-action scenes. While Clerks was hilarious, it was never over the top. It was silly, but never out of bounds. Mallrats was over the top also, but it never went too far. This film goes a little bit too far. It’s out there. It’s all over the place. You either go with it or you don’t.
Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back never comes near Clerks in the funny department, or Mallrats. But it is highly entertaining and a downright funny ride. These characters are great. The only real problem beyond the over-the-top factor is that some of the funniest characters in the View Askewniverse, like Jason Lee as Brodie or Banky, and the clerks themselves, don’t appear as much as they should.
But Jay and Silent Bob couldn’t be funnier. They’re great. And while this film is never as great as it could have been, it makes a point to take everything Smith wants to say about “dick and fart” jokes and lay them to rest.
I’m going to miss these guys and these characters. I’ll never forget them. Kevin Smith has created a wild world, a wild place to hang out and just have fun. It was great while it lasted, and for the most part, this is definitely a fun comedy to cap off a great five picture ride. **1/2
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