Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

I'll open with the simple fact that if you're not familiar with Kevin Smith's body of work, don't bother with this one. Every joke and reference will fly over your head. Having said that...

I actually went to a roadshow screening of this with Smith and Jason Mewes in attendance. Even with seeing those two live and getting a sweet intro, the movie just didn't do it for me. At the same time when it points a finger at the reboot model of Hollywood and mocks it, this movie falls into the same traps as bad reboots. If it were a clever take on the reboot model (22 Jump Street), that would be a different story altogether but instead it's just the same plot all over again with the same jokes all over again. That might be the most disappointing thing about this movie, the comedy. While there were moments I was laughing, so many of the intended jokes were either references to old jokes from Smith's previous films or line for line repeated jokes. This movie isn't Smith saying, "hey! I came up with some new jokes for these old characters" more than it's him saying, "remember all these jokes that were funny 20 years ago? Well....here they are again!" I will call out one scene where I thought to myself, "I wish the movie was as good as this scene" and that's the scene with Ben Affleck reprising his role of Holden McNeil. That scene was funny, heartfelt and concise. Flashes of the Kevin Smith of old with dialogue. While there is more heart in this story than the first Jay and Silent Bob movie, it's handled with the same subtlety as the comedy, beating you over the head with it. Overall, I will say that if you love Kevin Smith's filmography and cherish every one of those films, go see this movie and laugh your ass off. If you're hoping that this movie is Smith's return to form, you'll be greatly disappointed. It's a Kevin Smith's Greatest Hits Tour, the question is, "how much do you like his music?"

The positives:

Lots of callbacks for diehard fans Some excellent cameos Some decent jokes Nerdy references

The negatives:

Harley Quinn Smith Jokes that don't land Jason Mewes' distracting mouth The acting The wafer thin plot The writing in the 3rd act

Its okay to put the dope down. Kev must have thought this was funnier than it was. The ending is better than the whole movie so stay for the credits.

When they learn that their alter egos are the subject of a reboot the eponymous Jay and Silent Bob head off to Hollywood to prevent the film from being made. Along the way they encounter some unexpected cargo and learn some home truths/unexpected life lessons whilst undertaking this journey...

Whilst I found the Jay and silent Bob reboot to be fairly enjoyable it did not really get the belly laughs from me that the original film got; although I am prepared to accept that I watched the original film at the cinema and haven't watched it since. Therefore, perhaps as I'm now quite a bit older (and believe me it's depressing for me to hear teenagers refer to people born before the 1990's as being old - like dude wtf??). However, there is a slight issue in watching 2 men who are in their late 40's still trying to behave like they are in their 20's. In fairness, the film offsets this slightly with Jay's character being forced to grow up a bit, but somehow it just doesn't work quite as well here or come off as convincingly.

The story in itself is quite flimsy and silly and in some ways it's hard to overlook the fact that this film may have merely acted as a very cheap way for a lot of cast members from Kevin Smith's previous films just to have something of a reunion. I can imagine that they all had fun making this film, but the feeling is that it was probably more fun for them than it was for the audience.

Not wishing to be too mean I have to admit that the film still has its funny moments and as director Kevin Smith deserves some credit for the self-deprecating approach that he brought to the material (which is arguably one of the film's biggest strengths).

It doesn't touch the original film and the sheer number of cameos shoehorned into the film does make the film reek of desperation, but the film still had some funny moments, but the film itself will probably appeal more to Kevin Smith and his peers rather than a mainstream audience.

If you've found yourself at a moment in time where you're about to sit down and partake in the newest entry into Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, the extremely meta and self-parody heavy Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, you're doing so for a very particular reason and set of expectations, that Smith's ode to the good old days of his independent career will most certainly deliver on.

Reboot, to be clear, is not a great movie in itself, it's hastily put together, has a painfully long in the tooth finale and features a bare bones story that is not worth much discussion but with a new, more sentimental life view driving star, writer and director Smith, Reboot is somehow still highly likable in a way in which only this well established brand and set of characters can do.

After recovering from a very serious and near fatal heart attack, you can sense throughout that Reboot has come from a place of good intentions as Smith throws his famous stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob into a Hollywood defacing and musing on parenthood and love tale that sees the well-liked filmmaker in the best state his been in over the last decade after such debacles as Yoga Hosiers and the horrific Tusk.

With so much baggage and background, seeing Jay and Silent Bob back together is like spending time with old friends as Jason Mewes and Smith prove, that despite being now to old for this type of thing, they've still got it, as the duo find themselves on a cross country journey that is pretty much an excuse for Smith to get the gang back together again in what's a star-stuffed affair that is going to have Smith die-hards salivating at the very anticipation of whose coming up next.

From old time Smith creations like Ben Affleck's Holden McNeil, Matt Damon's Loki, Shannon Elizabeth's Justice, Jason Lee's Brodie Bruce and Brian O'Halloran's Dante Hicks, Reboot is absolutely loaded with throwbacks, character beats and even story conclusions as Smith and his leading collection of players set about ensuring Hollywood doesn't go ahead with further adventures of Bluntman and Chronic.

With so much reference and homage present across the entire run-time of Reboot, it makes itself a must-watch for long time Smith fans and while it's by no means as good as Smith's most accomplished and memorable cult hits, there's something about the fact Reboot isn't trying to be anything that it's not in a movie making climate that often tries it's hardest to float downstream, even if it would be wise from here on out for Smith to retire these characters from future solo outings.

Final Say -

Far from cinematic greatness, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a film for the fans, giving them exactly what they expect in a refreshingly uncompromising manner, making this film a winner for all those that matter.

3 tater tots out of 5