As I’m still new to the Comic Booked universe, I decided to throw my ring into the Kevin Smith month hat. The movie that I’m looking back on is Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the follow-up to Dogma. Note: this about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, while Dogma is more of a dark comedy, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back doesn’t take itself seriously at all.
I swear Kevin Smith just saw Dogma and had to unwind, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is his way of doing that. Up to this point, I’d seen every Kevin Smith film to date, I’d read the Clerks comics, so at this point in my life, I was a huge Kevin Smith fan. Anything he did, I would watch or read it. I saw Smith’s name on the cover of a comic or as part of a film and it was on. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is thought of as one of the weaker of the Kevin Smith films, as the film still has mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. Similar enough to the idea of moviepoopshoot.com, Smith knew there were going to be many thoughts on this movie. Join me as we take a trip back in time, and head back into the jungle we love, with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. 
The plot of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is simple, Jay and Silent Bob learn that they’re having crap said about them on the internet. Why perhaps? Because their likenesses are being used in the upcoming “Bluntman and Chronic” movie, so they want to stop the film so they can stop having stuff said about them on the internet.
Eventually said simple idea involves other complications along the way, a lot of late 90’s to early 00’s guest stars, and that’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back in a nutshell. A film made to be a crazy comedy that was supposed to be, at least at the time, the end of the View Askew series of films.
While I liked the movie when I initially saw it in theaters, I had to wonder would early 30’s Wesley like the film as much as early 20’s Wesley? A mixed answer there as you’ll learn throughout this review. We’ll start off with this little tidbit, I made a point to watch Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back again for this review, it had been a long time since I saw the film, so I wanted to refresh my memory on a few things. First time I saw this was on opening weekend back in 2001, hilariously enough my Dad actually went with me.
My Dad was a fan of Cheech and Chong back in the day, so he was curious. Turns out, probably one of the strangest films to ever take your father too. I’ll give Kevin Smith credit, he did a good job of introducing a new viewer to the whole idea of his View Askew universe. All you really to needed to know going into Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is simple, they’re pot dealers in front of the Quick Stop Convenience store and you’re good to go. Which was great considering that it was the first time my Dad had any experience with Jay and Silent Bob, and anything Kevin Smith period.
It’s weird to watch this film again as early 30’s Wesley. In my early 20’s I thought this film was hilarious, like I said, early 20’s. Now while parts of the film make me laugh, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is more of a fun piece of early 21st century culture for me than anything else.
It goes to show you just how much has changed from then till now. The cameos alone in the film are a piece of history in their own right. Steve Kmetko from E! News was one that made me do a wicked double take to remember.A neat piece of history to look at is the major comic connections here, Joe Quesada as a pizza boy, and Paul Dini as one of the clappers on set. Think of this film as part Kevin Smith comedy and part how many people could Kevin Smith get into a film in one fell swoop.
Yes, there are also the famous folk of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jason Lee, who were some of his regulars at the time. Then let’s not forget Will Ferrell, Jon Stewart, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, and of course, the Great George Carlin. I know I’m missing a few people, but there are a ton of a cameos in this film. Like I said, this was meant to tie all of the loose ends of Kevin Smith’s View Askew universe in a neat and tidy bow, so he just threw everything he could think of in here. He even got, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, his wife Jennifer Schwalbach, and Shannon Elizabeth as jewel thieves. Did I mention this movie was packed with people?
I would be remiss in one part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that if I don’t mention, I’ll be depriving you all of one aspect of the film that’s lasted from when I first saw the movie till now. My first experience listening to Morris Day and The Time. My early 20’s were when I started to branch out more musically, so at the end of the film you hear, “Jungle Love” by Morris Day and The Time. It was amazing, and to this day, I still can’t help but dance. Because if you’ve ever heard “Jungle Love” at least once and you don’t want to have a party on the spot, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s not a unique phenomenon, I’d hear the song, get excited and start dancing. Trying to do my best impersonation of Jay and Silent Bob’s dancing and try to be as smooth as Morris Day and The Time. Note, I’m not the best dancer in the world either way, but I have passion and thanks to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, a song that has become a lasting piece of fun in my life.
The film itself, which is why you see a lot of detailed looks as to the cameos, there isn’t that much for me to get into for the most part. I will say I wasn’t totally enamored by the film as much seeing it again, but I laughed in more than a few places in the movie. What really caught my eye was the late 90’s early 00’s internet and comedy ideas in the movie.
Moviepoopshoot.com alone was a flashback for me, seeing early internet message boards and forums again brought back many memories. Even just the memories of taking my Dad to see this movie and us getting to chat about it was amazing. I will say what writing this review has done for me is more brought back a lot of fond memories. While the film doesn’t hold up as well in a long-span of time, I still can’t say that it was a bad experience at all watching Jack and Silent Bob Strike Back again. It always goes to show you that, while sometimes you can’t go home again, you can at least get some good memories. If doing this Rewind Review of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back gave me those memories back then that’s more precious than anything else.
