Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

[Dan]

(R) at the Circus

1.5 stars

Headline: Silence is not golden

Movie review by Brent Northup

The latest entry in the “Dumb and Dumber” lookalike contest is: “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.” This is yet another entry in the “dumb buddies” genre – except Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes aren’t nearly as amusing as Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. My personal “dumb buddy” favorite featured John Candy and Steve Martin in “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.” I still chuckle when I think of some scenes from that silly tale.

The bumbling buddy genre is as old as film. Laurel and Hardy were a variation of dumb buddies. Martin and Lewis might qualify as well. I’d welcome readers’ favorites.

Unfortunately, “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” is neither well written nor well acted. And who’s responsible? Kevin Smith wrote the script. Oh, yes, and Kevin Smith is also the star.

Although a few jokes hit home, there are long dry spells between the belly laughs.

The story finds dumb Jay and his silent partner Bob being duped by four Charlie’s Angels clones. The female diamond thieves use Jay and Bob as decoys while they steal diamonds. The ploy works and soon our heroes are on the run while the thieves enjoy the luxury of the perfect crime.

Kevin Smith movies are not really coherent stories. Instead, the movies are incessant in-jokes about Hollywood. Dozens of movies are parodied and numerous big name actors have bit parts allowing them to poke fun at themselves. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, for example, are seen shooting a “sequel” to “Good Will Hunting” in which the hunting comes with less good will.

A tipsy movie buff might well find the stream of movie humor hilarious. But sober cinemaphiles know that better directors can make better satires. Mel Brooks, for example, has shot crooked arrows into Robin Hood and numerous other movie legends.

Somewhere about mid-film my mind drifted to the Big Question: Why am I sitting through this film while other Montana cities have more intriguing offerings? A quick check of Great Falls theaters finds these films playing: “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”, “The Others” and “Bubble Boy.”

Just out of curiosity, I checked the “Entertainment Weekly” list of top-grossing films. Of the top 20 films, 13 have reached our town. The most prominent missing movies? “The Others”, which ranks third, and “Legally Blonde,” which ranks ninth.

The Myrna Loy is a godsend, of course, but it would be nice if we had a multiplex that would allow us to see popular films on time. Then the Myrna Loy could focus on alternative films and foreign films. Maybe next year.

Brent Northup Carroll College Helena, MT. 59625 (406) 447-5400 (406) 442-3134 bnorthup@carroll.edu (school) bnorthup@mt.net (home)

[Loaf Dealer]

Kevin Smith movies are not really coherent stories. Instead, the movies are incessant in-jokes about Hollywood. Dozens of movies are parodied and numerous big name actors have bit parts allowing them to poke fun at themselves.

As a Kevin Smith devotee, I'd like to comment here. First of all, the comment quoted above leads me to question whether you've ever even seen a Kevin Smith movie besides this one. As far as writing, dialog, acting, all those things that traditionally make a movie good, this movie does indeed suck. HOWEVER, Kevin Smith himself has stated that he was actually setting out to make a bad movie this time. That warrants a little background.

All of Smith's films to date take place in what is known as the 'View Askewniverse' -- named after Smith's production company, View Askew -- and contain an array of characters all originating in Red Bank, NJ, Smith's hometown. First there was Smith's indie debut Clerks, which was filmed in black and white and financed entirely by credit cards (cost: roughly $30,000), and which became a critical and cult hit for its sharp dialogue and memorable characters, among other things. Next came Mallrats, Smith's college-aged homage to '80s teen-comedy director John Hughes, and it also became a cult hit, although it was panned by critics.

Then came Chasing Amy -- the film which launched Smith's career into the big time -- about a comic artist (played by Smith's pal Ben Affleck) in love with a woman who turns out to be a lesbian (played by Smith's pal Joey Lauren Adams). The film was almost universally praised by critics. It dealt with some incredibly complex issues with tact and humor, and it was renowned, like Smith's previous films, for its incredible use of dialogue and characterization.

After that, Smith went on to tackle another set of complicated issues in Dogma, his controversial, comedic commentary on hypocrisy in the in the Church. The film inspired a boycott and almost non-stop protesting from the Christian Coalition, who called it blasphemous and inflammatory. If they had ever actually seen the film, they might change their tone, for Dogma was actually pro-religion, pro-faith, and it painted God in a good light. Starred Affleck (of course), Matt Damon, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, Linda Fiorentino. One of my absolute favorite movies, ever.

All of these movies included Jay and Silent Bob as minor characters (although they had pivotal roles in Dogma), and they acted as the fools, the stooges, the guys in the background who were always there. They tied the films together. Kevin Smith was obviously fond of his characters (a reason why they were so well-done), but as a director he wanted to branch out, and so he needed to do a final film to wrap up his 'Jersey Saga', say farewell to his characters, and get it all out of his system. He needed to cleanse his pallate before moving on to more ambitious projects. So he chose his fall-guys J&SB as the main characters, and all of the major players of his previous films showed up at some point. This movie was for Smith's fans, and on that level, it delivered. I honestly haven't laughed so hard at a movie in years. Think of it as a wrap party for all his fans, one last round of fun before saying goodbye.

[Houdini]

Dear Mr. Critic,

If you don't like the movies here, either:

1. Move to a different city (or a different state); or

2. Quit trying to critique shows you have no taste for.

Thanks to Loaf Dealer for a short, but very accurate history of Kevin Smith's films. In the area of 'cult' films he could be considered a genius. While his movies don't gross the most money (who really cares about that anyway), they do provide two hours of very, very strange humor that I find immensely appealing.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is the passing of a cultural treasure.

[Squirrel]

Now, now. We must be fair. While our elite movie critic may not like the movie, we have to give him the benifit of a doubt. Some movies don't apply to all people. Being a movie critic is a personal thing.:rolleyes:

[lucky]

I haven't had the chance to see "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" yet, but I plan to. I must say that I agree with Loaf Dealer in that there doesn't have to be some deep plot or amazing acting in order to be a great movie. I confess that Dogma is one of my favorite movies to date. I watch it all the time and still laugh through -out at the same jokes over and over. Most of that comedy comes from Jay and Silent Bob.
I think that it's Brent has given us numerous movie critiques, and I admit that I do read them from time to time, although I don't think I have actually agree with any of them to date. I guess it's a good thing that we don't go see them together.