Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

3 out of 4

Starring: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Shannon Elizabeth, Will Ferrell, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock

Director: Kevin Smith

Time: 100 mins

After having supporting roles in writer-director Kevin Smith's previous four movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma), the inimitable duo of Jay and Silent Bob now have a film of their own. Designated as Smith's final episode in his "Jersey trilogy", Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back marks a return to the loose, no-holds-barred comedic style evident in Clerks, rather than focusing on potentially controversial topics such as homosexuality (as covered in Chasing Amy) or religion (Dogma). It's just meant to make you laugh, and you certainly will if you're a member of Smith's generation. The first half drags in certain spots, but the second half more than makes up for this with some of the most side-splitting lines and star cameos appearing on screen for some time.

Like Clerks and Mallrats, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back has little plot to speak of. The drug-dealing duo of Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) discover that Bluntman and Chronic, the comics series based on them, is being turned into a feature film by Miramax. Realising they're not going to see a cent of profit, our heroes decide to travel to Hollywood to ruin the film's production before it starts. Along the way, they get involved with a quartet of beautiful jewel thieves (Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith), run afoul of Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly (Will Ferrell) for stealing a lab monkey, and generally make nuisances of themselves. When they finally reach Miramax Studios, where films like Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season are also being shot, all hell breaks loose.

For me, the best parts of a Kevin Smith film are the numerous pop culture references and the incessant swearing. The swearing is not meant to be harsh or derogatory, but a tool for generating laughs. If you're not averse to foul language, then the creative lines that Smith pens for his characters will have you laughing out loud more than once. The numerous jokes regarding gay people and oral sex do become tiring after a while, but they only detract slightly from the experience.

Funnier still are the pop culture send-ups. To this end Smith has recruited buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Shannon Doherty, and even directors like Wes Craven and Gus Van Sant to take a poke at themselves and their work. Especially funny are the references to Jason Biggs' role in American Pie, and Affleck and Damon's many misfires since Good Will Hunting. Of course, there is also the obligatory nod to the Star Wars universe (a Smith favourite), with Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill, popping in to say hello.

While it sounds like the film is a laugh a minute, the first half is actually a hit-and-miss affair. It's cool to see a segment with Carrie Fisher playing a nun, followed by a spot-on, live parody of Scooby Doo (perhaps one-upping the upcoming movie adaptation with Sarah Michelle Gellar?), but many of Jay and Silent Bob's antics and slapstick fall flat. The subplot involving Will Ferrell's bumbling character was also painful to watch at times. Only when Smith reverts to his pop culture riffs does the story (and humour) get back on track again.

One disappointing aspect of the film (can a Kevin Smith film actually be disappointing in some way?) was the minimal focus on some of the earlier film's characters. This last entry in the Jersey trilogy was supposed to bring all those characters back together. While this is still true to some extent, I had thought there would be more integration. An intriguing part of Mallrats and Chasing Amy was that stars like Ben Affleck, Jason Lee and Joey Lauren Adams played different characters in them, and I was hoping to see how these characters would be brought back in Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. Most of them, however, just have cameos. Affleck's Holden McNeil from Chasing Amy does show up at the beginning (and Affleck returns to play himself later on), and Jason Lee's two characters, Brodie (from Mallrats) and Banky Edwards (Chasing Amy), both have some decent screen time, but significant players like Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall Graves (Jeff Anderson) from Clerks, and Chasing Amy's Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams) are relegated to bit parts. This is a pity, but I suppose a road movie like Jay And Silent Bob can't really have all of them tagging along for the ride.

A Kevin Smith film is not meant to be a showcase for brilliant acting, though his excellent dialogue often draws out the best in his actors. And when you have two stoned-out dudes like Jay and Silent Bob as the leads, everyone has to take a back seat. Both Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith himself have more to do than in any of their previous outings, and they make the most of it. Special mention must be made, however, of Shannon Elizabeth, who plays one of the alluring jewel thieves. Though mostly known for her role in American Pie, here she displays charm, sensitivity, and beauty, even when her part could easily have turned into another silly sexpot caricature. More kudos to her. Frequent Smith collaborator Jason Lee, who stole the show in both Mallrats and Chasing Amy, is less effective this time around, but that's to be expected with the limited amount of time he has on screen.

And so there you have it. The final instalment in Kevin Smith's cult series. It's not the best film Smith's written or directed, but for his fans, it won't matter anyway. They'll gorge themselves on his trademark, irreverent humour and laugh themselves silly. Some of the comedy will definitely be meaningless ten or twenty years from now, but who's thinking that far ahead? Go ahead and enjoy Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back now.

(c) Joe Wong (22 August 2001)