Review: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

What the Internet is really for, explains one sage in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the latest in Kevin Smith's continuing series featuring the two drug-dealing, sex-obsessed slobs from central New Jersey, is so kids can slander other people anonymously. In his previous movies -- Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks -- Smith chronicles work, sex and blasphemy. This time the sub-theme is the Net and the waves of brainy but obnoxious adolescent jerks who have helped set its sometimes nasty tone in recent years. Many readers of this website will especially love the ending, one of the few Hollywood got right this summer. Spoilage warning: plot is discussed, but not ending.

In a way, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a series of inside jokes, albeit some very funny ones. Smith gets that movies are a universal experience of his young audiences. Still, only attentive, die-hard movie buffs will get them all. The cast, plots and references are closely tied to other Smith films, lines, scenes, actors and plots, along with some that aren't his. (There is a hilarious spoof of Good Will Hunting which Ben Affleck and Matt Damon good-naturedly join in.) Smith's studio Miramax is continuously ridiculed (Bob Hope also used to poke fun at Paramount in some of his road-trip comedies with Bing Crosby). Chris Rock pops up with some riffs on race.

The movie's director, Gus Van Sant (CT:Good Will Hunting, not J&SBSB of course), has a funny bit part, and Smith parodies Charlie's Angels, The Fugitive (so specifically he includes a reference to Provasic, the drug that nearly destroyed Richard Kimble's life), Scooby-Doo,Hannibal, and even Star Wars (Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill appear, the latter in a loopy take-off on the mythic brawl between Darth and Luke.

The Net figures heavily in this sometimes hilarious if uneven movie, yet another comedy that self-referentially uses pop culture as humor, reference point and plot line. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) are outraged to learn that kids online are flaming the movie based on the comic book -- Bluntman and The Chronic -- that the pair inspired. Besides, they're not getting a dime out of any of it. Jay, who's never even heard of the Net, is astonished to learn that people can call you names online, and he flames them back, urging them to lick his private parts. He and Bob set out for Hollywood to stop the movie's production and end the besmirching of their alleged reputations. They have various misadventures along the way, including dust-ups with a nun, the Utah State Police, animal rights activists, federal wildlife officials, and nasty child geeks.

There is, of course, the inevitable moment when Bob speaks -- as always, finally provoked by the genial stupidity and crudity of his "hetero-life mate" Jay. This movie backs off from the controversial religion-bashing of Dogma, which triggered some boycotts and threats on Smith and the movie's producers. If the movie is frequently gross in the now-standard scatalogical way of studio films aimed at the hip and the young, it is good-natured and easy-going, not even remotely controversial. Jay is still obsessed with getting laid and with his and everybody else's masculinity, but this round is much more relaxed about it.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is less of a coherent movie than a series of one-liners, set gags, set-ups and cultural in-jokes and spoofs. There are moments of genius and of stupidity, also flashes of satire and comic genius. It works best if you've seen a substantial chunk of the Smith canon. If you haven't, a lot of it will sail over your head. But it will still probably be the funniest movie you've seen all summer.

Comments

What about the filter?

[dinivin]

Any particular reason the Katz filter didn't catch his usual crap this time?

Dinivin

Re:What about the filter?

[ColdGrits]

I agree completely.

What is the point of a Katz filter if it doesn't freaking work?

Mind you, reading this "review" reminded me why I chose to filter out Katz's
crap in the first place - full of factual errors which are so elementary it
makes one wonder whether Katz ever watched the film or even did ANY research
before writing.

I mean, come on Katz - you get the name of the director wrong; you get the
name of the comic wrong; you get the circumstances under which "Silent" Bob
speaks in his other films wrong; you get the residence of the REAL director
wrong;

Please, slashdot-team, fix the Katz filter so we don't have to put up with
this lameass ill-thoughtout un-researched rubbish again.

Please?

Stephen King, author, dead at 54

[Anonymous Coward]

I just heard sad news on talk radio - Horror/fiction writer Stephen King was found dead in his Maine home this morning. There weren't any details. I'm sure we'll all miss him - even if you didn't read his books you've probably enjoyed one of his movies. Truly an American icon.

Re:Stephen King, author, dead at 54

[Anonymous Coward]

You're so lame.

At least put some effort into it and try to bypass the ASCII art filter.

Re:Stephen King, author, dead at 54

[Anonymous Coward]

|.----- ----- -.|
|| ||
||stephenking dead!!||
|| ||
||___ _____ ___||
'---. .---- ---'
|| _|/
||." ".
||/(o)-(o)\
/_)||/ |
|_)||'- |
\_)|\'.___.'/ |\/|_
||\ \_// _|'/
|_|\'.___.' \)/
\ \_/\__/\__|==|
\ \/\/\`\ ||
\ \\// \||
`\ /\| /|
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Re:I've filtered out Katz, but still see this

[Anonymous Coward]

Everything is broken in Banjo.

Re:Breaking Expectations...

[Anonymous Coward]

> There's something wrong with you if you don't understand why Mallrats is good.

It's called "growing the fuck up and not laughing at penis and bowel movement jokes".

You should try it sometime.

Re:All his movies suck

[Anonymous Coward]

I hear yah, my brother. But these stupid fucking cocksucking geeks seem to think otherwise. Of course, they also think that stupid fucking dancing video game is cool and like skateboards too.

Not everybody can be as enlightened and as mature as us, unfortunately. We will just have to get used to the idea that we live in a world full of morons.

Re:It Really is too bad.

[Anonymous Coward]

GOD DAMMIT why can't you stupid fucks post a link within the IMDB site???

fucking fatties.

(OT) Aaliyah

[Anonymous Coward]

Even though this is off-topic, Aaliyah however, has died.

Story here

Re:I've filtered out Katz, but still see this

[Anonymous Coward]

Then what is the point in putting this version into production? Is it hosted on IIS now? /me runs.

Why was this moderated as a troll, you jackass?

[osgeek]

Criticize Kevin Smith, and I'm a troll? Piece of shit moderator you are.


Reminds me to metamoderate more often.

Re:Why was this moderated as a troll, you jackass?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because you both are full of shit. Please don't go to these type of movies to criticize, stay at home and masturbate while I enjoy myself and movies.

pornolize

[Anonymous Coward]

Assfucked by JonKatz on Sunday "Up the Arse"

August 26, @09:00AM
from the raunching what-the-Net-is-really-for dept.

What the felching Internet is really for, thrusts one sage in Jay and Silent "Mistress Anal" Bob Strike "Butplug" Back, the felching latest in Kevin "Motherfucker" Smith's fucking dripps aardvarking the fucking two drug-sex fighting, sex-cocksucked smoochs from central New "Bitch" Jersey, is so dripps can slander other people anonymously. In his fistfucks bangs --Dogma,Fisting "The-Champ" Amy,Fists -- Smith sucks work, sex and blasphemy. Asslicks time the fistfucking sub-theme is the pecking Net and the balling smacks of brainy but gangbangs adolescent cuntlapps who have entered set its fingerfucks nasty tone in recent raunchs. Many fomps of cocksucks website will especially love the blowing charvering, one of the cocksucking few Hollywood got right jerks summer. Spoilage assfucking: plot is wad pulled, but not unclefucking.

This sounds familiar

[KidSock]

... the Net and the waves of brainy but obnoxious adolescent jerks who have helped set its sometimes nasty tone ...

Mmmm ...

Re:All his movies suck

[spiny]

10 quid says the last two posts are by the same person...