Jay & Silent Bob Reboot (2019).
I was working at a video store inside of a grocery store in the late 90’s and my friend from work said something about a movie called Clerks - she was shocked that I hadn’t heard of it. She told me to come by that night - we popped some corn, tossed in her worn VHS tape, and dug in. I was amazed. I loved it. From the dialogue to the homespun filmmaking (and the story behind it), I knew Kevin Smith was something special. I watched Chasing Amy next, which became my favorite Kevin Smith movie, and finally Mallrats, which I knew was very low-brow humor, but I just loved the characters.
“Or Bruce Wayne’s mom, whose name escapes me.”
- Holden McNeil
I remember being really hyped to see Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back in the theater, but realizing while I was watching the movie that once the novelty of seeing my favorite characters wore off, the movie just wasn’t funny…but every filmmaker has a dud. 20 years later, I can’t help but feel like every movie since then has been a dud. Unfortunately, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot might just be the worst of the bunch.
I’m sure the plot is supposed to be poking fun at reboots and remakes by having Jay and Silent Bob stop a remake of the film they attempted to stop 20 years before. I paused the movie 24 minutes in because I had yet to crack a smirk and considered just giving up. The thing is, people who grew up with Kevin Smith’s films (like me) have…grown up. We’ve had kids. What we find funny now is much different than when we were younger. The ol’ “dick and fart formula” isn’t working anymore. It feels like Kevin Smith just has not grown much as a filmmaker, which is extremely frustrating to an early fan like myself because there’s at least one moment in this movie that shows true heart and brilliance, but it’s just stuck between slabs of stupidity, awful writing, and weird editing.
“…these guys aren’t meth-heads. They just look like meth-heads because they’re from New Jersey.”
- Justice “Boo Boo Kitty Fuck” Falcon
The entire thing hinges on you seeing the previous movies. It’s basically all fan service. Just about anyone who’s been in the ‘View Askewniverse’ films makes an appearance here (along with a few other surprises). Highlights include Ben Affleck reprising his role as Holden McNeil from Chasing Amy. He gives a great little speech about what it means to be a parent and how things change, a diatribe that nearly brought a tear to my eye. That’s why it’s so fucking infuriating - if the entire film was written at this level, it could have been great! Chris Hemsworth stole the show as a hologram version of himself, but unfortunately he was only on screen for a few minutes. It was also nice seeing Jason Lee reprise his role as Brodie Bruce, even if the segment didn’t entirely work for me aside from his rant on reboots. If, however, you’re unfamiliar with other Kevin Smith movies, this movie will do absolutely nothing for you.
I understand the story behind the film. Kevin Smith had a heart attack and wanted to make some comfort food with his family and friends, but it’s time to move on from these characters. I really think that Kevin Smith has a classic in him - he has yet to write his Breakfast Club. He’s a talented writer and a decent director, I think he just needs to let go of the Jay & Silent Bob characters to stretch his creative wings. I really liked Red State and although I wasn’t a fan of Tusk, I thought it was really great that he went out of his norm. I’d even love to see him tackle a super hero film at some point.
It’s time to retire Jay & Silent Bob.
