Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

What's to say? This movie just hits all the sweet spots. It's a barrage of Dad-jokes, dick jokes, retreads and do-overs, but it feels like a warm reunion with old friends. Heartfelt, entertaining and full of Smiths trademark raunch, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a hilarious return for the titular stoners. Welcome back boys!

source: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

I am actually not sure if "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot" even got released. I cannot imagine how it could because that would mean that some studio executives somewhere would actually have to endure this "film" for two hours. I doubt this review will help anybody because I could not even make it through half of the "movie". I watched it up to a "scene" where the blond fella who is Jay and Silent Bob go to some fast food restaurant, and the scene was so stupid it defies any kind of logic of how this thing would ever get released even on some obscure cable station. Kevin Smith doesn't speak when he plays this character so he just makes these dumb faces and moves his head around and somehow this is supposed to be really funny. Do even the most diehard fans actually laugh at this? Does Kevin Smith think he has great physical comedy skills or something? I really cannot think of many performances that come off more awkward, it just doesn't work at all. I don't want to ever think about this stupid thing ever again. Can you imagine how many good screenplays were never produced and this ridiculous crap gets made. Truly just painful in every way. It's not even fun to make fun of it because it's just too boring. Maybe Kevin Smith can take this act on stage and stand there and make those stupid faces to all his diehard fans. I don't know what the story is even about or what happens to silent bob and his friend, just do yourself a favor and never look at this one. If your friend suggests watching this, just punch him in the stomach and go to bed. I will not even rate this thing because I cannot seem to find a way to give it less than one star.

Let's start with the BAD. And yes there is enough of it. 1. The film by it's nature LOW budget. Granted Smith has always been on the low end and some of his movies have been more successful in spite of the budget. Clerks 1, 2, Amy.. some are hampered a slight bit Dogma.. so unlike 'Strike Back' the camera is much less static and the set pieces and physical comedy are toned down a bit (even the last act fight out could have been bigger). 2. This is not a negative really but at times the meta nature can make the film cheesy.. and on occasion the remake / reboot nature while the in-joke is supposed to be it's obvious is just a bit too much. Having said that. This much like 'Strike Back' is a reward for the fans who have followed not only Jay and Bob.. but Dante, Holden, Brodie, Alyssa.. his various entries into the DC universe with cameos from his 'Supergirl' gang (sadly the cameos from 'The Flash' either never happened or were cut). But this also includes jokes from Smith about not only himself.. But even more this is a real family affair. The real Kevin and Jay have grown up.. they've become fathers and in this film, do has Jay even though he doesn't know it. The reboot characters on their own adventure never really get much to do aside from the leader "Milly" aka Millennium Falken. I admit i appreciated her performance much more on the second viewing... She doesn't play a Jay clone and there's an actual friction between them but also as those who know the stories and obvious connection between them (Jay has idea been referred to as Uncle Jay). So it works really well on screen. Even with the limited budget it's still a nostalgia blast. A few actors return some in their iconic roles and a few in new ones. Usually just a quick scene. I think most of them have been revealed but i won't spoil them here though. I will say most people not familiar with the characters can enjoy the film on a smaller scale but will not appreciate the nostalgia fueled meta deep dive where most of the best humor comes from.

The movie relies on Jay and Kevin Smith's kid to drive the movie, that tells you about all you need to know. A steady diet of Jay shouting and Kevin Smith's kid struggling to act gets real old, real fast. The jokes are lazy, the teenager girl gang is annoying and the whole thing is a massive letdown.

There's an absolute tragedy that becomes apparent when watching this film. In amongst all the stoner jokes and self referential humour - most of which falls flat, I'll be honest - Kevin Smith has a scene that throws back to what I consider to be his greatest work: 1997's Chasing Amy. In the scene - SPOILERS by the way - Jay and Silent Bob run into the character of Holden McNeil, Ben Affleck's character from AMY. It gets revealed that Holden and Alyssa became very good friends, and Holden becomes the surrogate father of Alyssa's daughter. It works, trust me. Holden then goes on to speak about the merits of becoming a father, how life has changed and, more importantly, how his perspective on life has changed. It's a quiet, introspective and truly beautiful moment nestled in amongst a lot of craziness. Even though I still count myself as a Kevin Smith fan, I haven't enjoyed a lot of what he has produced in a very long while. Yogahosers should never have been seen by audiences, TUSK was Smith being incredibly amused by his own nonsense, his Batman comics were just terrible and I got completely sick of his podcasts. But I kept going back. Mostly because I was hoping to see some of the creativity and brilliance that Kevin could do when he put his mind to it. And I knew he could do it. Chasing Amy proved it, his runs on Green Arrow and Daredevil proved it, Red State proved it. The man is a natural born storyteller. Just listen to him talk in his many youtube videos. That's a gift, and one that does not come lightly. And that's where the tragedy of J&SB: Reboot comes in. Because right there, in amongst a bunch of guys who are nearly 50 and should stop pretending otherwise is this wonderful moment that proves - beyond any shadow of doubt - that that incredible creativity, intelligence and sincerity is still there. I still truly believe that Kevin Smith has at least one more brilliant piece of work in him. And I hope that he one day finds the courage to create that. But maybe all we can hope for is these brief moments that show just want a talented individual he is.

Oof, this was painful. A movie based entirely on nostalgia for old Kevin Smith movies. Nothing but recycled bits from previous View Askewniverse films, "meta" references and celebrity cameos.

I saw this at The Prince Charles Cinema, an independent theatre filled with Smith fans. It started with a cinema of laughjng patrons who were so thrilled to see familar faces and revelled in the in-jokes. Sadly as the film went on the stoner jokes grew tired and old and it just seemed like a director trying too hard to be the guy he was 20 years ago and please that audience. His audience has grown so why not Smith? The daughter narrative had heart but the rest of the film was just at times embarrassing.

I'll open with the simple fact that if you're not familiar with Kevin Smith's body of work, don't bother with this one. Every joke and reference will fly over your head. Having said that... I actually went to a roadshow screening of this with Smith and Jason Mewes in attendance. Even with seeing those two live and getting a sweet intro, the movie just didn't do it for me. At the same time when it points a finger at the reboot model of Hollywood and mocks it, this movie falls into the same traps as bad reboots. If it were a clever take on the reboot model (22 Jump Street), that would be a different story altogether but instead it's just the same plot all over again with the same jokes all over again. That might be the most disappointing thing about this movie, the comedy. While there were moments I was laughing, so many of the intended jokes were either references to old jokes from Smith's previous films or line for line repeated jokes. This movie isn't Smith saying, "hey! I came up with some new jokes for these old characters" more than it's him saying, "remember all these jokes that were funny 20 years ago? Well....here they are again!" I will call out one scene where I thought to myself, "I wish the movie was as good as this scene" and that's the scene with Ben Affleck reprising his role of Holden McNeil. That scene was funny, heartfelt and concise. Flashes of the Kevin Smith of old with dialogue. While there is more heart in this story than the first Jay and Silent Bob movie, it's handled with the same subtlety as the comedy, beating you over the head with it. Overall, I will say that if you love Kevin Smith's filmography and cherish every one of those films, go see this movie and laugh your ass off. If you're hoping that this movie is Smith's return to form, you'll be greatly disappointed. It's a Kevin Smith's Greatest Hits Tour, the question is, "how much do you like his music?"