Madness in the Method

As long as he is remembered at all, Jason Mewes will be known as Jay of Jay and Silent Bob. In that cycle of movies from Clerks through to Clerks 2 (and soon Jay and Silent Bob Reboot) , two things were clear, the guy was genuinely funny and not a professional actor. This wholly fictional movie kind of takes that and runs with it.

Mewes is desperate to break out as a serious actor and gets hold of a legendary book on method acting that will change his life. Yes, this entire movie hinges on a paperback book with a forgettable title. And that book literally drives Jason Mewes insane.

The shocking thing is that Mewes is a literal sociopath in this movie as he rather violently rampages through Hollywood trying to get a coveted role in a buzz filled drama being directed by his frequent costar Brian O' Halloran (of Clerks, Mallrats, etc.).

First off, in true Kevin Smith fashion, every name actor in this movie is a cameo, including, oddly Kevin Smith. I actually thought based on the advertising that this movie was going to be an interesting, fictionalized retelling of their long time friendship and working relationship. It's not. This is strictly a vehicle for Mewes and, as an actor, the guy actually shows surprising range and ability. But as a director he falls flat.

This movie is slapstick as hell sometimes but gets oddly dark in other places and Mewes cannot handle the tonal shifts at all. Honestly, by the end, I was more than ready for the thing to be over and a little surprised by how real the movie gets in some places, (Smith and Mewes get into a screaming match over the latter's well publicized struggles with addiction) followed by something really silly like Mewes going to murder a professional rival with a nail.

Along the way. one of the guys who wrote the movie keeps popping up as an annoying and unfunny idiot detective determined to bring Mewes down. Tough guy character actor Vinnie Jones (The Midnight Meat Train, Snatch) gets blamed for his crimes at one point, and the late Stan Lee wonders into one scene for a title drop moment.

I laughed a few times but the flick just isn't that good. I think with better writing and direction Jason Mewes actually could turn in a really solid performance but this isn't the movie that will break him through. Although he may get more work off it in the future.

If you are a fan of the Kevin Smith universe, you can expect to enjoy this film tremendously. A little shakey, but never uninteresting, there are 4 or 5 laugh out loud moments for Jay and Silent Bob fans and enough chuckles to make you feel like watching it again. I give this a 6 overall, but a solid 9 for View Askew folks!!! Congrats Jason Mewes, you made a real movie.

I've enjoyed Jason Mewes' body work since I first saw him in Clerks; I've laughed at his antics, his catchphrases and his overall screen persona. I firmly believe that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back would have been nothing without him, he is one of the main reasons it's one of my favourite comedies of all time. Naturally, I'm impressed at how much he has grown through the ups and downs in his life, and how his friendship with Kevin Smith and being part of his cinematic universe has shaped him up into this person now ready to break through with his own art in order to make a name for himself. Of course, he had help to be able to craft his creation, which instinctively deals with his own persona, a mixture of his artistic and real self, trying to be taken seriously as an actor in Hollywood. His film deals heavily with aspects of his very own life, like his addiction to drugs, his silly catchphrases and his long-time friendship with Kevin Smith, whom as expected, performs in this film as himself, having two or three scenes, one of which has an apparently enormous closeness to reality when he and Jason find themselves arguing over hidden bitter resentments.

Following advice from Fernando (Jaime Camil), whom lends him a book on method acting, Jason decides to pursue this business so that he can be believable as a serious actor, but in ends up driving him insane. Acting-wise, Jason is quite solid in his rendition; it's obvious he's dealing with a fictionalized version of himself, but is a good one, considering he is not a professional actor. His debut as a director, however, is not met without flaws, but as someone without any filmic experience it's not a bad production, it's quite decent as a resulting product.

When it comes to the plot, there's some sillyness to it, but it's a sillyness I can understand, it's not even goofiness related to Jason's character in Kevin Smith movies, but one that it's fitting with the comedy/crime tone that Mewes tried to conduct. So overall, if you're a Jason fan, and understand where he's coming from, you'll sure get a kick out of this.

First, this is te best performance and appearnce that Kevin Smith has had since Jay and Silent Bob struck back. Maybe Jason Mewes should be directing Kevin Smith Fikms. THen again, maybe Kevin should stop writing garbage that isn't even good enough for VOD.

If you are a fan of these two, then this movie will entertain you. Truth be told, with better casting, this film could have been as good as JASBSB, I think they tried to pad the cast with names like Danny Trejo, Dean Caine, Vinnie Jones and Terry Hatcher, but none of them are anchors and together, they come off as eclectic. Gina isn't girlfriend material. I don't buy her in movies unless she's acting tough. She's got the beauty and body, but appears to not want to show it.

After Jay and Bob reboot, I official gave up on Kevin, but JM showed promise here. He also is no leading man, but again, this movie was the best thing I have seen either of these two in in almost two decades.

I wouldn't add this to my collection, but it's a solid watch as long as it's free on Prime.

I'm not really sure the film's central premise about the star turning to method acting gets explored very much. It's more of a traditional murder mystery. I think if the method acting premise got more of a look-in the film would have been more interesting but because of that the film doesn't have much of a plot, if any. There are some cult classics that manage to pull this off but I don't think this has enough substance to be considered a classic. It's funny at times, it did make me laugh, which is something, although I don't really know a lot of the references as the films referenced are not really my bag. Sone of it is also shot in Derby, where I work, the plot could have made more of a play on that, like maybe he had to come to Derby to get acting work. There are a few cameos from well-known stars like Dean Cain, Vinnie Jones, Terri Hatcher, even Stan Lee and Danny Trejo steals the show in a bit of a departure from his normal roles but it feels like they could have got more from all that acting talent. Ultimately it feels like a good idea not fully realised.