Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Smith (characters)
Kevin Smith (written by)

Release Date:

24 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

Hollywood had it coming

Plot:

The comic 'Bluntman and Chronic' is based on real-life stoners Jay and Silent Bob, so when they get no profit from a big-screen adaptation they set out to wreck the movie.

Plot Keywords:

Jay And Silent Bob | Orangutan | Drugs | Hollywood | Police

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jason Mewes	...	Jay
Kevin Smith	...	Silent Bob
Ben Affleck	...	Holden McNeil / Himself
Jeff Anderson	...	Randal Graves
Brian O'Halloran	...	Dante Hicks (as Brian Christopher O'Halloran)
Shannon Elizabeth	...	Justice
Eliza Dushku	...	Sissy
Ali Larter	...	Chrissy
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith	...	Missy (as Jennifer Schwalbach)
Will Ferrell	...	Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly
Jason Lee	...	Brodie Bruce / Banky Edwards
Judd Nelson	...	Sheriff
George Carlin	...	Hitchhiker
Carrie Fisher	...	Nun
Seann William Scott	...	Brent

Also Known As:

VA5 (USA) (working title)
View Askew 5 (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for nonstop crude and sexual humor, pervasive strong language, and drug content.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Finland:K-15 | USA:R (No. 38444) | USA:TV-MA (tv rating) | Hong Kong:III | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | France:U | Germany:12 | Ireland:18 | Israel:16 | Japan:PG-12 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:11 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Camarillo, California, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (Missy), one of the lesbian jewel thieves, is Kevin Smith's real-life wife, making her film debut. Several scenes of her making out with Ali Larter (Chrissy) were cut for time, not due to their content.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: After Jay and Silent Bob escape into the sewer pipe in Utah and make it to the end of the line at the dam, two things occur once they climb to the top: 1. There is no water on the other side (mountains can actually be seen), and 2. The background on the waterfall side of the dam is of the mountain face of Pyramid Lake, just north of Castaic, California, named for the way the cut out face looks like a pyramid. This would mean that the pipeline ran all the way from Utah to California and that they made it in the same day on foot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Silent Bob's Mother: Bobby Boy, stay here while mommy picks up the free cheese, kay? Here, this will keep the sun out of your eyes.
[puts a baseball cap on his head backwards]
Silent Bob's Mother: You be good, now.
[walks in store, then Jay and his Mom arrive]
Jay's Mother: Alright, don't you fuckin' move you little shit machine. Your Momma's going to try to score.
Passerby: What the hell? 'Scuse me. Who's watching these babies?
Jay's Mother: Uh... the fat one's watchin the little one?
Passerby: Oh yeah, nice parenting. Leave 'em out here like that and see what happens.
Jay's Mother: YO, FUCK YOU YOU FUCKING SQUARE!
Passerby: Oh yeah, keep on truckin'!
Jay's Mother: [to infant Jay] Did ya hear that fuckin' guy tellin' me how to fuckin' raise ya? What a motherfucker, man! Who the fuck does that fuckin' guy think he is? What's the worst fuckin' thing that can fuckin' happen to ya just standing outside a fuckin' store, right? Fuck!
[Jay's mother walks into the record store, leaving infant Jay and Silent Bob in their strollers]
Baby Jay: [his first words] Fuck... fuck... fuck... fuck...

Movie Connections:

References House Party (1990)

Soundtrack:

Bullets

The funniest film of the year!

Writer/director/co-star Kevin Smith bids farewell to the Jay and Silent Bob characters in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," the first of the five movies featuring them in which they are the stars. He couldn't have come up with a better send-off for them. True, there's no big ideas behind this film like there were in "Dogma" or "Chasing Amy," but really, the grand ideas in those movies came from the main characters, not Jay and Silent Bob. They were there for comic relief mainly. Therefore, it makes sense that "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" would be pure slapstick comedy. Think about it, do you really want a foul-mouthed, over-sexed stoner telling you how to live your life?

So anyway, it's a pure slapstick humor road movie. But unlike most slapstick comedies of late, this one's actually funny...extremely funny. Jay and Silent Bob find out that a movie is being made from a comic book (Bluntman & Chronic) that was based on them. They set off for Hollywood intending to stop it. Kevin Smith manages to pack so many jokes into what could have been another predictable, boring road comedy, that it's head and shoulders above the competition. I'm gonna have to go see it again, to make sure I didn't miss any jokes. Smith once again is showing off his incredible writing skills. Some people may not believe that any movie full of crude, R-rated humor is well written, but it is. Not only is it incredibly funny, but there's an intelligence and wit behind it that is unmistakably Kevin Smith's.

I was also pleased with the quality of acting in the movie, especially Jason Mewes (Jay). In past View Askew movies, Mewes has been funny, despite not doing a particularly good job of acting. The one thing I was worried about was whether or not he'd be able to carry a film mostly by himself (since Silent Bob is mostly, well, silent). But he definitely proved that he has grown enough as an actor to be able to head up a movie. Kevin Smith (Silent Bob) does his usual decent job. Since he doesn't say much, mainly just reacts, he can't to a great job, but he's still very funny. He's the perfect companion (or should I say, "hetero life mate" for Jay, who's the complete opposite. There are no real other big parts in the movie, but there are tons of little cameos. Really, I think it'd be easier to list the people who DON'T appear in it. Some of the highlights include a scene with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon playing themselves, on the set of "Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season," a scene with Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek, as themselves, playing the stars of the Bluntman and Chronic movie, and a scene with Mark Hamill parodying Star Wars. But really, almost all of the jokes are highlights.

For people who have seen the other films in Smith's New Jersey Chronicles series ("Clerks," "Mallrats," "Chasing Amy," & "Dogma"), there are quite a few in-jokes that you will find hilarious. In addition to playing himself, Affleck also reprises his role as Holden from "Chasing Amy," Jason Lee reprises his roles from "Chasing Amy" and "Mallrats," and Jeff Anderson and Brian O'Halloran reprise their "Clerks" roles. Many others from the View Askewniverse appear as well. However, this movie is not only for fanboys. I saw it with a friend who hadn't seen any of the other four movies, and he thought it was hilarious too. The majority of the jokes will be understood by anyone. The in-jokes are like a little bonus from Smith to his fans, but they are not the focus of the movie.

Kevin Smith also does a good job directing. Lately, it seems to have become popular to attack Smith's directing ability, but I think he did a good job. In his earlier movies, his directing was simply decent, not good, not bad. But he has made a lot of progress. This is one of the better directed comedies I've seen. Not Academy Award stuff, but most other comedy directors are pretty boring it seems.

I want to briefly comment on the GLAAD protests of the film, citing large amounts of homophobia. I am gay, and I didn't find the film offensive. I think a lot of people are just taking the film way to seriously. It's not a serious film. People forget that Jay is, basically, a moron, so you can exactly take everything he says as the truth. Smith has said it's supposed to be a satire, and it works. Especially considering that in past films, Jay has admitted to sometimes fantasizing about guys. It's a satire, lighten up people. There's actually a funny scene where James Van Der Beek chastises Jason Biggs for calling something "gay," and also there's a funny disclaimer at the end.

Which reminds me, stay for the credits. There's plenty of funny stuff, and Alanis Morissette shows up at the very end. All in all, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is an extremely funny movie, plain and simple. Just don't take it seriously, because again, it's not a serious movie. There's still a few months to go, but I think this will prove to be the funniest movie of the year...actually, of the last many years. Quit reading this and go see it!

Rating: 10/10