If you've seen Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma, you might have noticed a recurring trend: the repeated appearances of Jay and Silent Bob. The dynamic duo of the "Askewniverse" movies, they always appeared in the background, supporting characters to the main action. But when Kevin Smith decided to retire the "Askewniverse," he decided to move his two most popular creations into the forefront. How does it hold up with its four predecessors?
Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith) have spent practically their entire lives hanging out in front of their beloved Quick Stop convenience store. But as the movie begins, they've finally worn out their welcome and are banned from being within 100 feet of the store for a year.
The upset duo soon discover, however, that Miramax Films will soon be beginning production of a movie based on the "Bluntman & Chronic" comic book seen in Chasing Amy. They're rightfully pissed, since the comic's characters were based on their likenesses and they haven't seen that first dime from the movie deal. And not only that, but the announcement of a Bluntman & Chronic movie has been met with a resoundingly negative reception online. Combining being stiffed from their fair share of the movie deal with being personally insulted by the movie's poor reception, Jay and Bob decide to hike to Hollywood to stop Bluntman & Chronic: The Movie from being made. (Or at the very least, they can hopefully get Miramax to cut them a check.)
They encounter a number of colorful characters on their trip across the country, most notably a quartet of women (Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach, and Shannon Elizabeth) posing as animal activists to cover up the fact that they're jewel thieves. Their latest heist, involving a pharmaceutical lab, leaves Jay and Bob as wanted fugitives with a federal wildlife marshal (Will Ferrell) hot on their tails. But Jay and Silent Bob remain undeterred in their plans to raise hell in Hollywood.
If any movie requires you to have some knowledge about its characters, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is it. The movie is basically one gigantic in-joke, where only Smith's fans or friends will get any of the winks and nods directed toward them (though some of the most inside of inside jokes were left on the cutting room floor). This flick was made for nobody but Jay and Bob's most hardcore fans, as it rightfully should have been.
Taking center stage for the first time, both Mewes and Smith are the most hilarious they've ever been. Smith's script isn't as strong as it could have been, but considering the two main characters, there's no real problem with it. It provides lots of funny quotable lines, so I definitely won't complain about the script. Will Ferrell and Chris Rock (who plays the the Bluntman & Chronic movie's director) are great, and many of the cameos (like Mark Hamill as Bluntman and Chronic's cinematic archenemy "Cock-Knocker," Affleck and Damon as themselves, and the live performance of "Jungle Love" by Morris Day and The Time at the end of the movie) were all very much enjoyable.
As a whole, I'm gonna give Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back three stars. It's not Kevin Smith's greatest, but it's definitely a great note for Jay and Silent Bob to walk out on.
Final Rating: ***
No comments:
Post a Comment