Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Apparently Newman and Redford were unavailable: "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"

It's not a stretch to say I feared the worst when this movie came out a few years ago. Hell, it's dead accurate: I thought this could be a bigger flop than "Cop Rock." (Sidenote: It's such a punchline, but have you ever seen "Cop Rock?" I caught an episode on that Trio channel that airs failed TV shows, and it truly was bizarre, both for the format and for including several actors who would go on to more respectable TV shows. But I digress.)

Anyhoo -- yeah, I know that's so 1998 -- I was thrilled to be proven wrong when I finally saw "J&SB" on DVD, so much that I eventually found said DVD in my possession. Which led to me watching it again in a few installments while putting in time on the treadmill lately. That's right ... a few installments. Hey, I'm not training for a marathon here, people.

Until "J&SB," Kevin Smith had become something of a wild card. I still remember the first time I saw "Clerks," but then we got "Mallrats" -- not as bad as everyone says, but not great. "Chasing Amy" offered redemption; a more spot-on look at how guys both want to know and don't want to know about their girlfriend's past is hard to find. But then we got "Dogma," which was cool for showing Matt Damon could play silly comedy but uneven in general.

Which brings us to "J&SB." The tale of two slackers first seen in "Clerks" gets off to a rocky start, and the early appearance of Ben Affleck doesn't help. But the story of Jay and Silent Bob going to Hollywood to stop a movie based on them eventually hits its stride and benefits from some pretty impressive casting and cameos. Take a look at the cast list yourself. A lot of funny people here.

My favorites? Hard to say. Seann William Scott ("Bulletproof Monk") has a brief but amusing role, and Will Ferrell ("The Ladies Man") has a larger role and some pretty hilarious lines, especially the understated ones. But the cameos -- and the writing related to them -- really are priceless. Once Jay and Silent Bob get to Hollywood, we're treated to Jason Biggs and James Van Der Beek -- their chat with our heroes is awesome -- as well as Affleck (playing himself, which is OK) and Damon, who are filming "Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season." Trust me, you just have to see it. (And Affleck was the bomb in "Phantoms.")

Sure, this may be a seemingly endless series of funny scenes vs. a legitimate plot, but so what? Unless you found the character of Jay completely unbearable in the first four Kevin Smith movies, you should be at least mildly entertained here. And those who liked the earlier movies will enjoy flagging the references to Smith's pocket change days in this big-budget effort -- $22 million vs. $27,000 for "Clerks."

Bottom line: Most of Smith's in-jokes work here, and the writing is sharp enough and the plots move along fast enough that you don't mind Jay's idiocy -- and actually find it endearing more than before. Throw in a group of nubile jewel thieves that includes Shannon Elizabeth and Eliza Dushku, and it just turns out to be good ol' movie fun. But help me out here ... what the f*ck is the Internet?

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