The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 224 Days to go: 225
Movie #153: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a very dumb, very silly movie, but by the time it came out I was really too far down the Kevin Smith rabbit hole to put up much resistance. That being said, however, it’s a pretty funny silly movie. It has about a million silly cameos, references all the previous Kevin Smith films (and quite a few other films too), and even makes fun of itself in silly meta ways. So if you’re in the mood for dumb comedy (and if you’ve sat through Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma by this time, you must be), you could do worse.
The premise is dumb, the schtick of Silent Bob (Smith) not saying anything is played out (but called out, so maybe it’s not quite the infraction it could be), and it actually references bloggers as people who live in their parents’ basements wearing bathrobes, like who knew Kevin Smith and Aaron Sorkin had so much in common, but it’s a fun send-up all the same. In addition to Smith and Jason Mewes (as Jay), Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) are back. Ben Affleck is back as Holden McNeil (from Chasing Amy) AND himself. Jason Lee is there as Banky (from Chasing Amy) AND Brodie (from Mallrats). Mark Hamill is the Cockknocker. Will Ferrell is a Federal Wildlife Marshall and Chris Rock is a militant director (while Gus Van Sant is an apathetic one, counting his money). Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter and Kevin Smith’s wife are sexy jewel thieves. Judd Nelson gets called out as a badass in Chasing Amy, so he’s here as a sheriff. James Van der Beek and Jason Biggs play the movie versions of Jay and Silent Bob, while Shannen Doherty shows up in a Scream sequel (as the characters of Jay and Silent Bob actually cameoed in Scream 3). Even Alanis Morissette shows up in the epilogue as God (from Dogma). And Joey Lauren Adams is back in a cameo as Alyssa Jones.
Basically it feels like Kevin Smith just got this great opportunity to have a lot of fun with his friends, which is great for him and all, but how many inside joke vanity projects does one guy get off the back of one successful indie movie from 1994? At least five, apparently.
There are some great things that came out of Jay and Silent Bob Strike back, though: 1. Afroman’s “Because I Got High,” which is just a fun song. 2. “Bad Medicine” being used in a movie to introduce the hot chick, as it always should have been. 3. A performance by Morris Day and the Time. And 4. Boo-boo Kitty Fuck being used as a term of endearment. (Your mileage may vary on that last one.)
Viable Option 