Review of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) by Brad H — 17 May 2011

Director Kevin Smith's popular side characters Jay and Silent Bob have their own feature length outing and use it to carry on pretty much as they always have done.

Readers familiar with other films by writer/director Kevin Smith will already recognise Jay and Silent Bob; the junkie-bum duo first seen lurking outside the convenience store in "Clerks". They were evidently popular amongst cinema goers because not only were they to be later found hanging around at the mall in "Mallrats", but they also gate crashed into "Chasing Amy", "Dogma" and stalked the original Clerks characters over to Moobie's Restaurant for "Clerks II". Somewhere between these came Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

I like Kevin Smith's films to date (I've not seen "Chasing Amy" yet and it's been too long since I saw "Dogma" to remember anything about it). His humour pretty much reaches into the hearts of every slacker and geek the world over and his character's pointless conversations, stabs at pop culture and in-jokes about the daft parts of the human condition are what makes his films enjoyable in a so-funny-because-it's-true kind of way. It comes as a bit of a shock then that I actually like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back because there's none of that cleverness here! This is no-brainer cinema at it's strongest.

The wise cracking views on real life are virtually gone, replaced almost completely by slapstick comedy and crude stoner jokes. There IS a plot but it's not really important and there's a huge amount of star cameos who are basically most of the people Smith's worked with before. In fact the whole film just feels like a guilty pleasure for Smith (who plays mute stoner Silent Bob). The film plays out like a real life cartoon; it has daft plot twists, larger-then-life stereotyped characters, countless references to a multitude of films and Smith's wife in a skin-tight, Black PVC catsuit (OK! So it's got Smith's wife AND three other women in skin-tight, Black PVC catsuits, but you get the point!). Smith even enjoys making the characters mock not only the film but us for watching it! This is all topped off with funny, foul mouthed co-star stoner Jay (played as always by Jason Mewes).

The loveable couple blunder their way through the film's rediculous plot. They get stoned with the Scooby Gang, steal an Orang-utan, bong-sabre fight with Mark Hamill and take on Hollywood. It's not a master of filming or directing; it's just fun and that's what it's supposed to be. If you liked Jay and Silent Bob in their earlier appearances and they left you wanting more then this will probably be right up your street. If you didn't like them then you should know better by now...

THE VERDICT?

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a crude, daft, goofball road-trip movie, but somehow it all works quite well. Some people will be turned off by the more lewd and crass jokes, but anyone that already likes Jay and Silent Bob should be pretty happy. As it turns out fun actually CAN substitute for content! (I'm also not going to say anything bad in case they find out where I live and come to beat me in for ripping into them!).