Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

[baumer]

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[baumer]

I am amazed at how far Kevin Smith has come since he shocked the industry with Clerks. That was a film made on a shoestring budget, filmed in black and white with what can only be surmised as Smith's friends in the lead parts. Smith went onto make a 5 million dollar film with Mallrats and then made probably his best film with Chasing Amy. Next came Dogma, where it seems Smith made many friends and they all seemed to show up in J&SBSB. Along the way, Smith executive produced Good Will Hunting and must have gotten to know the Miramax boys quite well because many of the principal players appear in this film as well. This is a film that is a feast for the eyes and if nothing else, it will keep you entertained just by counting the amount of Hollywood starlets that make cameos only to poke fun at themselves. Some of the best ones are Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek. Giving away what their cameos are all about would illicit a spoiler warning and it would also take away from some of the fun of the film. So I will refrain and just say that even if you have never seen a Smith film before, this one will make you laugh.The film begins back in New Jersey at the Quick Stop convenience store where Dante and Randall are still working their jobs which they hate. And even though it is seven or eight years after Clerks, it is somehow believable that these two miscreants would still be working here. They are the kind of people that are quite knowledgable yet lack the drive or the ambition to really succeed at anything in life. Everything is still the same inside the store as well. The one shutter is still closed, the same sign is hanging from the cash register and Jay and Silent Bob are dealing weed outside the store. Dante and Randall still look relatively the same as well. But one thing has changed and that is Dante's finally become tired the two idiots standing outside his store. He slaps a restraining order on the laconic Bob and the scurrilous Jay. They flee and seek out other characters from other movies that they were in and one thing leads to another and they are off on a road trip to Hollywood to stop a film that is being made about them.Though it pains me to do so, I have to say that the first hour of this film was lacking in some areas. It had some very funny bits but it also fell short in some areas. That is all I'm going to say about that because once our two idiots/heroes get to Hollywood, the hilarity never stops. Smith has convinced some of his cronies to appear as themselves and poke fun at themselves and this turns into some of the funniest bits I have seen in any Smith film. I can truly say that if you are a Kevin Smith fan then you are going to love the final half hour of this film, and as I stated earlier, even if you are not much of a fan, there is still enough in here to make you chuckle. There are those of you out there that will look at Smith innuendo as being perfunctory and see his shelf life as being ephemeral, and I'll tell you straight up that this film is not for you. But I would in turn accuse you of being myopic and tell you that there is much more to this film than just fart and puke jokes. Kevin Smith is one of the best writers working today and he is insightful and pensive in more scenes than it appears. Jay and Silent Bob is a great way to end the series as it sums up everything that we may or may not have wanted to know from the other four films.I guess a good way to sum this up is just by saying that if you are one of the cult followers of everything that is Kevin Smith, then this is a perfect film for you you. If however you think Smith is a sanctimonious, dogmatic blip on the map, then stay away. I happen to think he is anything but prosaic and this is one film that will at least keep you smiling as you leave the theater. After all ( small spoiler alert ahead) when Gus Van Sant is too busy counting his money to yell ACTION and Ben Affleck looks strung out from too many nights of boozing and whoring, that is funny.8 out of 10-- If you want my opinion on how this ranks with his other Jersey films, it would be Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Strike Back and then Mallrats. Still, it worth an eight, only because three of the four films rank at a 9 or better.

[Maxmoser3]

Really funny movie! I enjoy Jay and Silent Bob, and also got a kick out of the scene with the kitty kitty fuck fuck and the Hollywood scene with the Scream 4 set with the monkey and Shanen Dohetry and Good Will Hunting 2:Hunting Season and the reference to Phantoms and Reindeer Games. Grade:B+