Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Kevin Smith

USA

Although this most recent installment in the Jersey Trilogy (which by now consists of five films) is not Smith's worst film to date (DOGMA is), JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK does not rank nearly as high as the original el cheapo entry CLERKS. That one was irreverent, hilarious, and had the sarcastic wit of a disgruntled convenience store clerk. It was followed by MALLRATS, which poked fun at things that aren't that funny and are mostly pathetic, like comic book authors. The third, CHASING AMY, was about falling for a lesbian, and it was not either original or funny. The fourth was the abysmal DOGMA, which should not have been made, for under the guise of making a controversial picture, Smith delivered religious schlock that made Sunday school seem like fun. With JASBSB, Smith returns to the roots, except this time the two junkie losers acquire the leading roles.

In the familiar territory of Smith's universe, the two rank about as low as one can think and the puzzle in the film about who would ever want to make a film about them strikes me as appropriate. Of course, the answer is provided by me and the rest of the idiots that paid $7.50 to see it. Miramax is not a studio that would pass on a chance to rake in the cash, and it has never let trifles, like artistic values, stand in the way of the ever popular fart, dick, pussy, and gay jokes. This film would have been much funnier had it not drowned the audience in a veritable tsunami of this lowbrow humor. I am not a prude, to say the least, but the torrential downpour of grammar school humor was off-putting. I can fucking take about five fucking minutes of fucking shit and piss jokes, but then this shit really starts fucking bothering me because it is sooooo fucking repetitive, it can fucking drive me fucking mad. Yep, that's about the level of the dialogue you get.

To add insult to injury, some of the funnier moments are repeated ad nauseum and so become less engaging to devolve into sort of a filling where the director does not know what to do with the actors. Take the idea of looking at the audience with some question. It was done at least three times. Or poking fun at people who play themselves (Affleck, Doherty, Van Der Beek, Biggs, Damon, to name a few). Some are funny, most are not. I am referring here specifically to Damon and Affleck, whose scene with the fake sequel to GOOD WILL HUNTING called HUNTING SEASON was, well, not funny. They should have shot the two of them instead. Maybe Jason "The Pie Fucker" Biggs and James "WB Drama Queen" Van Der Beek could have had a decent scene --- getting beat up does count for something --- but the irony was wasted. While the WB drama takes itself seriously and therefore is prime target for sarcasm, AMERICAN PIE is hardly the movie that can be satirized. I could not believe Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill would show up in a stinker like that, although I have to admit Carrie's nun was funny.

Not only is the "insider" humor so-so, but parts of the plot, like the whole ape thing, were just stupid. I did dig the CHARLIE'S ANGLES spoof and I must say that Shannon Elizabeth, Ali Larter, and Eliza Dushku look awesome in leather. This alone was worth the price of admission. Of course, Smith had to go and ruin it by making Ali and Eliza man-hating lesbians. I could have stomached this but he just went for broke and had Ali --- of all fucking people --- fart. This was too much. Finally, Chris Rock is an embarrassment to all blacks. He, and his copy Chris Tucker (whose performance in RUSH HOUR 2 I've already discussed), should never be given roles. They are both obnoxious, racist, loud, and moronic. And it is not funny, it is offensive. I wanted to go and just kick his black ass. And I am not a racist either! It just bothers me that someone can think that "I've got dozens of white bitches waiting in my trailer" is funny.

Did I laugh? Sure, idiocy is contagious. Would I see it again? Not on my life. In the end, JASBSB is harmless enough if fart-fuck humor is your cup of tea. Family fare it ain't. Funny it ain't because while I can go back to CLERKS and enjoy the witty dialogue, I can't imagine that the self-indulgent JASBSB would hold my attention again. It would be interesting to see what Kevin Smith does next. The Jersey idea has been milked to death, and his directing skills, well, who knows if they even exist.

Now I am waiting for the duo to show up at my doorstep. Of course, being 6 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 260 pounds, I think I can handle their frustrations pretty well.