"Studios have given up on new ideas entirely in favor of building multi-movie universes that breed brand-loyal customers from cradle to grave. So if you like Harry Potter,...you're getting ten fucking more! You like the Fast and Furious flicks? We're gonna drive the franchise into the ground, bitch!"
In Jay and Silent Bob Robot, the titular duo return to Hollywood after 18 years to stop a reboot of 'Bluntman and Chronic' The Movie from getting made. Additionally, Jay must come to terms with the revelation he has a long lost daughter he's never met.
While it wouldn’t be fair to say that if you’ve seen one Kevin Smith film you’ve seen them all, there is certainly room for argument that there are definitely two halves to his filmography. His early View-Askewniverse, and then around the early 2000‘s the next decade breaks off into a whole other chapter of his career. I’m happy to say that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was a return to form for him. Also, due to the pending success, it looks like we’re going to get Clerks Three after all these years, finally. To say this film was meta would be an understatement. At some points, the layers and self awareness gets so jumbled, its hard to keep up with everything being thrown at you. Fortunately, the characters in the film are right there with you to express all the frustration you may be feeling with burst like "Fuck, this movie's confusing!". It's almost a movie too clever for its own good. It would be wise to go back and rewatch all all of his earlier work to get yourself reacquainted and prepared for all the references that are bound to come your way. It’s worth a mention that perhaps there was too much time spent acknowledging and referencing other films that this one kind of lost its own identity, but if we're being perfectly honest, you don’t go to see a Kevin Smith film for it's 5-star quality. In my youth, he easily established himself as one of my favorite directors ever, but it’s also fair to say that he isn’t much of a director at all. Never an Oscar contender...a fact that Smith himself has gone on record saying.
Ultimately, Jay and silent Bob rebuilt serves as a metaphorical middle finger to the audience and it’s fans but not in a bad way. Not only are we treated to the returning faces of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, but we’re also introduced to Harley Quinn Smith in another starring role in her burgeoning actress Career. Not to mention all the return cameos and roles filled by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Hemsworth, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Shannon Elizabeth, Justin Long, Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams, Chris Jericho and more. From a technical standpoint the biggest thing that stands out is probably the writing, but that isn't saying too much. I’m actually surprised to see that it currently stands at a 7.3 on IMDb, which I think is more than generous. It’s not a perfect movie by any stretch, and it barely passes as a decent film. We all know what we’re getting with Kevin Smith at this point. This is an overall fun movie that you go to laugh at. Some of the most fun was listening to at various actors who have had prominent roles and big franchises take down those very same franchises with their words. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot serves as a nostalgia-driven love letter to the better entries into Smith filmography, while offering up plenty of scathing commentary on the state of the modern film industry of the past 20 years, written in a way only Kevin Smith can. It makes no hesitation to retread already covered ground in a new and exiting way, while providing plenty of heart as well.
See it for the universe, the names that you all know and love, and the fun you know you're bound to have. It is a Ricky Nixx film.
Year: 2019
Director: Kevin Smith
Writer: Kevin Smith
Stars: Kevin Smith, Jay Mewes, Harley Quinn Smith