Movies-TV

Kevin Smith's FIRST Fart-joke-movie!

I'm quite a fan of Kevin Smith's movies. I LOVED Clerks! It really had GREAT dialogue. Then came Mallrats...ok it was funny sometimes and I pretty much liked it(especially the upcomming Jason Lee, he kicked a**), but my thought on it was that Smith got too childish with it. It got some real bad critics and when I watched Chasing Amy, my thoughts on that one were:"Man, he learned something from the bad critics and now he's making some REAL movies! He's gonna be the next Woody Allen!". Next came Dogma. When I first saw it, I found it too trashy and maybe Smith is someone that can't handle big loads of money being available. Then I saw it a second time and...yes, it has a lot of good thoughts on religion and there really is a message in it(though it could be some more subtle).It was not as funny as the other ones, but it had a message, some good ideas and I finally found my idea of what the Kevin-Smith-style is in it. Then I REALLY waited on Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back with pleasant anticipation also because I read how many stars would be in it. The movie started pretty nice with the Randall-and-Dante-insider-jokes but then came Jay's a** and fart. I mean this is not classy, this is not funny at all and somehow it's even a little disgusting. Do you remember the chocolate-covered-bretzel-scene in Mallrats? I really hated this scene! Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back has a whole LOTTA these scenes where it is no longer talked in a funny way about those things but some of it is shown or heard and everybody in the audience is(maybe not even aware) torn between being disgusted and laughing out loudly. In my brain either both sides cancel each other off or I'm disgusted. Maybe this works different with YOUR brain... I have no problems with troma films, they are tasteless because they WANT to be tasteless, but Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back is tasteless because it doesn't know where taste ends and tastelessness begins!!! Another example for Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back crossing the line: You can't make a L.A. crack-dealer a good ol' friend of Jay! It's CRACK man, no longer weed, CRACK! This is NOT OK! You know, maybe I'm too conservative with my 20 years of age, but this movie stinks of money, of farts and of linecrossings! And there are so many intelligent people like Matt Damon, Gus Van Sant, Jason Lee in it. These are people which I thought of have taste. But none of them recognized this movie being tasteless and I have no idea why...Kevin, if you ever are reading this:Go rent some Woody Allen Movies; find back taste!

Smith is back and his strike is furious!

"Clerks" seemed like a movie connoisseur's dream; "Mall Rats" was a fresh piece of candid comedy; "Chasing Amy" was probably Jay and Bob's most memorable appearance(up until now); finally, "Dogma" was a little cheeky, a little different, but still very good.Here we are now, in front of Kevin Smith's latest "piece of cake"(as a famous director once said) and I can say wholeheartedly: "The cake is sweeet." Smith creates a comedy full of obscenities, full of sex jokes, and full of "underground" movie hints. And still, it's a COMEDY in the sense of the word created by Monty Python, Mel Brooks, and recently by the Farelli brothers. I must say I haven't enjoyed myself in such a way since i saw "Airplane!" (and that was a long time ago). The numerous appearances by "gods" in the business (George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Smith himself) make this movie even more worthwhile.However, "Jay and Silent Bob..." is an example of a comedy with an age limit: no one under 17 and no one over 27. That's what creates Smith's problem. Almost every critic that rated this comedy ranged in the ages 40-60 and those people see things in a rather different way (not necessarily bad but different). That is why you may find reviews that give that movie one star out of five. Please, don't become biased and see Smith's piece for yourself. In the age limit, it's a masterpiece, over the age limit, it's anything from "back when i was a kid" to "What the f*** is he trying to say".That's what makes Smith brilliant: his never-ending ability to make controversy.

Kevin Smith's loving tribute to... Kevin Smith

There's a running gag in Kevin Smith's new film in which the director pokes fun at people who go on the internet and criticize his movies. At first, it's funny, but then, as Smith returns to the bit over and over, he seems to reveal himself as a tad obsessive. It's as if he has a problem with anyone using this new medium of free expression to do anything but praise his movies. So, Kevin, I hope you're reading this...Ever since his first ultra low-budget breakthrough, Clerks, I've recognized a great filmmaker inside Kevin Smith, a great filmmaker who's constantly being stifled by his own immature tendency toward self-indulgence. It's a fault that is best personified in each of his films by the recurring characters of Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and -- speaking of self-indulgence -- Smith himself.These two stoners, never have much to offer and each of their appearances have generally detracted from Smith's efforts. In Dogma, for example, the pair's vaguely Wayne-and-Garthish act largely took away from what was otherwise a clever, interesting take on a serious subject. When that movie came out, I complained the duo were a habit Smith needed to grow out of. Instead of growing beyond the characters, he's now gone and devoted an entire film to them.The movie is Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Smith claims it's the last of his "Askewniverse" movies -- the "Askewniverse" being the ever-growing cadre of New Jersey-based characters around whom all of his films have revolved. But in fact, let's hope it's the last we see of Smith's aforementioned self-absorbtion. If it is the end, then it's only because he's overdosed this time.The tagline on the poster may suggest this is a comedy about Hollywood, but it's really a movie about Smith himself. The plot sends our weed enthusiasts west to Tinsletown in order to sabotage production of a movie based on a comic book that's based on them (for which they're not getting paid). But it's really just an excuse to make references to movies Smith has made, movies that Smith's friends have made, or, on a couple of rare ocassions, movies that Smith simply likes. And I say references, because that's all he really does -- reference his past films. He doesn't joke about the films or do anything clever. He expects us to be thrilled by the mere mention of past projects. It's like he keeps winking and nudging us in the ribs as he plunges deeper and deeper into the center of his own personal galaxy.Simply being self-referential isn't interesting anymore. Been there, done that. Seeing Ben Affleck's character acknowledge the existence of an actor named Ben Affleck as he stares knowingly into the camera just isn't enough of a punchline.As the movie goes on, Smith continues to make increasingly obscure references to his own movies. These jokes may reward his large cult of fans, but those fans would probably be better rewarded if he gave them a decent film instead.There are some funny madcap bits as Jay and Bob traverse the nation, and Smith for once actually shows some visual flair, but it's usually not long until the next lame film reference. One of the few times he manages to do something clever with these allusions is when Affleck and Matt Damon pop-up in an funny riff on Good Will Hunting. But too often, Smith is merely reveling in the work of others without contributing anything worthy of his own. I'm sure it's always been Kevin Smith's dream to get in a light saber duel with Mark Hamill, but that does not mean anyone but Kevin Smith will be entertained by it. If someone ever gives me a budget to make a movie, I won't use it to subject other people to my own personal fantasies.When we're not being subjected to tepid film parodies, we have to listen to Jay's incessantly annoying "catch phrases". As a film tandem, Jay and Silent Bob have never really worked, mainly because Bob is, well, silent. Smith actually does a lot with pantomime and facial expressions, but it's hard to contribute to the comedy when you can't say anything. There's also very little original about them. Cheech and Chong did the drug thing better, Beavis and Butthead did the dumb thing better, and Penn and Teller did the silent-partner thing better. Worse, they're just not likable. Jay isn't just a doofus -- he's a creep. Smith asks us to believe that a hottie like Shannon Elizabeth would fall for Jay because she can see that deep down, he's innocent and well-meaning. But Smith offers no evidence to support her contention.Much of Jay and Bob's banter, as it were, consists of fart jokes and gay jokes. When I heard that GLAAD was protesting the film, I figured they were overreacting. But, having seen the movie, I can see why they're upset. It's not that any of the gay jokes are particularly heinous, it's just the sheer quantity of gay jokes that's disturbing (count on one at least every five minutes).Aside from all the homophobia and self-glorification, Smith does contribute one original element to his Askewniverse in the form of Will Ferrell, who does his usual blithering idiot routine as a Federal Wildlife Marshall. Ferrell provides the same schtick you see every week on SNL, but the sad thing is, he's the funniest thing in the whole movie.I guess the joke is on me for bashing Jay and Bob in the past, then paying to see a movie about them. But maybe I'm just optimistic. I keep hoping Kevin Smith will fulfill his potential and make a great movie. This isn't it.

Gimme some more of that low-brow stuff!

JSBSB is the kind of movie that will satisfy all the people that used to giggle at hearing bad words when they were kids. All right - full confession here - I still do. There's something fascinating about a person that communicates with profanity, especially when it seems to take on a certain hypnotic rhythm of its own. The success of 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' is mostly due to the performance of Jason Mewes as Jay, who throws bad words around like confetti while giving the impression that he doesn't really know what they mean. Sound familiar? It's like you're thrown back to those grade school days when the class clown would toss out the f-word and then roll on the ground in devastated laughter.Kevin Smith is a very smart guy, but he has a weakness for the crude stuff, and God bless him. There are dick jokes and fart jokes and gay jokes and sexist jokes and all those other kinds of jokes that you never hear on 'Frasier'. Humor is humor, whether it's sophisticated or low-brow, but you know the low-brow material is what gets those belly-laughs.The cleanest jokes are the ones making fun of Hollywood and its relentless self-obsession. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ragging on each others' career choices, for example. The only place the movie steps wrong is with the character Chris Rock plays, a virulent white-hating movie director. Chris, buddy, you've done this. We get it. White people are bad. Move on.It helps to be a Kevin Smith fan, because there are tons of in-jokes about previous Smith movies, but it's not necessary. Being an internet hound will help, though. Basically, if you want to bust a gut laughing, and you're one of those kids that thought the words 'fart' and 'dick' were hilarious back in the day, this is the movie for you.

Can you say terrible?

This movie really belongs 0 stars....it wasnt funny at all. Jay is a complete jackass.

Weak, and only mildly funny

This movie needed some serious re-writes. Some of the comedy works, but much falls flat. The Will Ferrel character is just lame. The Jay and Silent Bob characters work best as supporting characters, not the leads.
Having enjoyed Smith's previous 4 films, I went into this movie with a lot of enthusiasm, but came away very disappointed.

not as good as expected.

SPOILERS---there is one problem with all the great reviews this film seems to be getting, it raises the bar when its your turn to view it. i was expecting nothing less than comedy gold and i what i got was an OK movie that lost its direction. i too am a fan of the View Askew world. Clerks and Mallrats are fun and funny movies that stick with you. Strikes Back had all the makings for another classic but falls just short. there were moments where i couldnt stop laughing and there were moments where i was just staring blank at the screen. seems after the first 30 minutes the movie lost some steam but picked up again for the ending. ill start with the good. There were some damn funny one-liners in this movie. "What The F#*k Is The Internet?" still has me rolling, as does the small part when Will Ferrell attempts to jump over his car. Jason Biggs is great and so is Mark Hammil. problem is there are too many cameos that dont make the cut. George Carlin is the funniest man ever put on this earth, or any other planet, but that doesnt mean you get pure comedy. his part may have looked funny on paper but failed to get one chuckle from the crowed. Shannon Elizibeth may be Jay's dream but her nerdy ways envoked deep R.E.M. sleep for me. the jewel hiest seemed forced and only worked to muddy up story, this movie didnt need a bigger plot. trying to stop Bluntman and Chronic was enough, what came after that wasnt needed and is where i find fault with this movie. while the other Askew flicks were direct and to the point, this one trailed off at times. with that said, i did enjoy this, i look forward to seeing it again when blockbuster gets it. im sure it will be enjoyed in my house for years to come, but too much buildup and just a tad disappointment makes me give this movie 6 stars out of 10. could and should have been better. but works because Jason Lea is too funny!

This Movie Sucks Bad!!! And The Language Used Is Disgusting

At the start of this movie we find Jay and Silent Bob hanging around the Quik Stop Convenience Store and bothering potential customers. They they discover that Hollywood is making a film based loosely on them and they then head off to LA to stop the movie being made. One the way there Jay hooks up with Justice played wonderfully by Shannon Elizabeth. The rest of the story is pretty silly and boring. What I really want to know is how come a fine looking lady like Justice is attracted to a pothead stoner like Jay? I give this movie 5 stars because Ms. Elizabeth is so good in it.

GOOD AND DUMB

This movie was stupid but funny at the same time. i saw this when it came out in theaters. And it was funny stuff. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith did a good performance.. They picked out good women also.. But see this movie if you like Cheech and Chong. Funny drug humor too..

I would expect more from Kevin Smith

Let me start by saying that I really loved this movie and found myself laughing uncontrollably more than once. But I think I would have enjoyed it much much more if I had seen it before any of the other Kevin Smith movies. Clerks and Mallrats were so much better in terms of intellectual humor. I didn't expect much from this movie, but I feel like a little more could have gone into it. I thought that Smith went for way too many cheap laughs. Maybe this is what happens when independent films go mainstream. Dante's repeated "I wasn't supposed to be here today." Got old very fast. It looked as though all the repeat characters except Brodie (who I would have liked to have seen more of) became caricatures of their former selves. Dante and Randall really p***ed me off in this one. There were many points such as the "We're walking talking bad-girl cliches" bit were pure crap. But I loved the "Clit master" bit. It's sad though, that Jay who even hinted once that he may be a bit on the gay side, would become so homophobic. It also seems as though Jay is always working against Silent Bob rather than working with him. And the references to how much this movie sucked didn't help. All in all, it's best enjoyed by someone who hasn't seen the others and likes cheap gay jokes. Still, I think it was better than most of the Hollywood trash out there.8 of 10 starsSnoochie Poochie Noochies

Funny for some

There are essentially two types of Kevin Smith fans. Those who enjoy dick and fart jokes and those who appreciate his true wit and talent. The former think that Mallrats was genius and think that J&SBSB is right up there. The latter feel that Smith hit his creative peek with Chasing Amy and followed up with Dogma. I am one of the latter. Chasing Amy had some of the best dialogue ever written and acted with some of the most brilliant performances. Kevin Smith made a love story that trancends all love stories because it was honest and real. Any other love story would have had the boy get the girl, but not Chasing Amy. Dogma had some more of his effective dialogue and equally great performances. Then we get a movie like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. This movie hurts Kevin Smith more than it helps him because it drops him back down to the lowbrow level that he achieved with Mallrats (a movie that has been blasted by critics till this day). I like Kevin Smith, he's a genius. But I would have liked a better send off than this movie. At least now Smith can go to greener pastures and not be restricted to the crutch that is Jay and Silent Bob.

Hilarious!

I saw "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" Thursday night in Washington D.C. and before the movie started, we were forewarned that this was not the final print, the soundtrack had not been finalized and the credits (beginning and end) were temporary. This was nothing new for me, when I saw American Pie 2 last week, the credits were not on that one either. I will try and not spoil this too much, but the movie starts with Jay and Silent Bob as kids outside their favorite convenience store. One of their mothers starts cussing like crazy because a guy gives her a hard time for leaving her kids by themselves for a few minutes. "Kid" Jay starts to cuss as soon as the mom walks away. Then we jump to the present, again, in front of the convenience store and Jay and Silent Bob are hanging out and eventually get kicked off the property and arrested. They find out that a movie is being made about their very successful comic, Bluntman and Chronic, and they have to find a way to get from New Jersey to Hollywood to stop the movie from being made. Along the way of hitchhiking, we meet Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) and her gang of girls. They turn out not to be who we think they really are. When they end up in Colorado, Justice talks the guys into breaking into a place to steal a monkey. The girls have another agenda which I won't spoil. The guys make their way to Hollywood and the cops are out to find them because of this monkey they took. They work their way into the set of their movie, and get themselves in the movie. The funny part is they are shooting this movie without a script. This leads to a fairly predicable ending but it was still hilarious.There are so many cameo's in this movie, I won't list them all because it would spoil it. Silent Bob does speak a few lines. There were times I was laughing so hard I almost cried. The movie is 1 hr. 41 minutes long but it didn't seem like it. This was the 3rd time it was screened in Washington D.C. but the other two screenings were daytime screenings. When it does come out August 22nd, it will be well worth the wait. The reasoning for the R rating is a lot of profanity.

Rude and Crude...Just the way we like it!

I have to say--I have *never* laughed harder in my life! NOT a movie for the kiddies or people who get "easily offended" (get a sense of humor already, would ya?). The best thing about this movie is that it is funny without trying to hard---it isn't forced. The scenes between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck ("It's HUNTING TIME!) had me rolling. The special features are equally funny and well worth watching. A must have for crude, rude comedy lovers.

go home celebs

Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) are a pair of stoned New Jersey slackers who have long been used as the templates for a pair of popular comic book heroes, Bluntman and Chronic. When they learn that their alter egos are to be turned into a major motion picture without their consent or compensation, the pair sets off for Hollywood to sabotage the production. Along the way, they encounter an ape, a nun (Carrie Fisher), the cast of Scooby Doo, a Charlie's Angels style band of sexy women who use them as stool pigeons in a diamond heist, and an unhinged wildlife ranger (Will Ferrell). They also meet up with some regulars from the Smith canon, including Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks, Jason Lee as Banky Edwards, Alanis Morissette as God, and actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in dual roles as themselves and two other familiar characters. I didnn't mind this movie too much, I just didn't like all the appearances by big names. Kevin Smith still put a fun movie together, just keep the regular cast of characters the main focus and no more cameos etc. please.

A Very Fun Film...

I really enjoyed this film, however, this is not the movie that you can just go see. I went with two friends who had not seen any other Kevin Smith movies, and I feel that they did not get all the jokes. I highly recommend this film, but do yourself a favor and rent Chasing Amy and Clerks before you see it. I haven't seen Mallrats, but I don't think that there was too many Mallrats jokes in the film and as far as I could tell, there weren't any Dogman jokes. Additionally, I don't recall seeing Alanis Morissette anywhere.

Utah Law Enforcement

This movie contains the best depiction of Utah law enforcement officers that I've ever seen! The episodes with these guys in them are hilarious and the outtakes featuring these characters are even better! The movie in general is a lot of fun, but I'd really like to see a spinoff movie featuring the Utah Law Enforcement Officer characters depicted in this movie! I usually don't enjoy movies with primates in them, but the scene at the restaurant where Jay and Bob are "mistaken" for a gay couple and the orangatan is "mistaken" for their son is just plain ridiculously funny. Also this DVD comes with the most amazing collection of deleted scenes that I've ever seen. Some of the deleted scenes are better than some of the stuff that wound up staying in the movie. (The actors playing Jay and Silent Bob explain that they had to delete many scenes to keep an R rating. I know it's been said before, but I just don't see why movies can contain incredible amounts of graphic violence, but a few crude jokes can't be tolerated. So much for free speech!)

I hope Smith meant it as a symbol of our own misogyny and homophobia

I think I may be one of the few people who hated it. The theatre (near UCLA, and college men) was erupting with laughter at every fart joke, bimbo with big titties, titty joke, pot joke, penis joke, superhero posturing, gay bashing... and it's Kevin Smith so I took it to stride at first cause I know he's cool. But it just didn't stop and just didn't explain itself. No moral.Some parts were definitely funny, and you have to have watched the other 4 Smith films to understand them. Lots great guest appearances... But I've just lost my sense of humor for juvenile $%&#, and I (may be the only one who) thought this movie was full of it.It really isn't just Jay doing all the tits and fart/gay jokes- all the characters do. The only redemption occurs in a moment where James Van Der Beek accuses Jason Biggs of being a homophobe cause he always says "that's so gay"- but the scene ends with them both laughing about "come on you know he likes his salami smoked" or something. That's seriously the only moment in the movie a character is called on gay jokes.And women-objectifying- only once a character (Shannon Elizabeth) says (to Jay) "you know women don't like to be called that, call them something more respectful" and he says "what, like Boo boo kitty f**k?" and she smiles and goes "that's a start!" and for the rest of the movie that's her name.I think all Smith's movies were well-written, but he gives his voice to more or less every character (besides Jay, they have the same manner of speaking, adding SAT vocab words here and there).I wouldn't see it again, I can't say the same for Smith's dick and fart joke-loving fans.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

I saw this movie when it was new in a theater, and I though that it was good. I saw all of Smith's 4 other films and the cartoon a couple of months before I went to see this. It was so much more funny after seeing his other movies because of all the references, even the ones from "Clerks,the animated series". The cameoes were all pretty funny.

The DVD special features are all good. The deleted scenes and the introductions to the deleted scences were all funny and good. It has everything that they cut out.(It was orginnally rated NC-17.)There is so much extra stuff on this that it does deserve an extra disc.(I am referring to the "Clerks, the animated series" Double Disc. I just didn't think it had enough extra stuff to have the 2nd disc.) The only hidden secret thing I found was an extra preview on the second disc.(Find it yourself, you dependent people. I won't supply you with it. If you care so much about a 30 second preview, take 15 minutes searching for it.)The special features overall are really good.

Kevin Smith's other movies are: Clerks(1994), Mallrats(1995), Chasing Amy(1997), and Dogma(1999). He also had "Clerks, the animated series" in 2000.

Overall this is a good buy, and you should buy it if you want to laugh for exactly 104 minutes and have a good time.

the funniest movie you will see this year

After seeing the sneak preview of this the week before it opened I am throughly convinced it's the funniest film of the year. Jay and silent bob strike back is about when the two main characters find there is a movie being made about them without their consent they must stop it from getting made. Though the plot isn't much, the comedy is. You'll be laughing so much that you will forget there was a plot. This is the type of funny that after you see it you want to get all your friends to see it. Though there is a lot of cursing and some people may be offended by some things said, if you are willing to forget your morals for 90 minutes, you shall be greatly rewarded.

stop over rating this movie!!!!

ya all praise the movie like it is god`s own work...it`s not!ive heard so much about this movie so i wanted to see it...i got to say i got disapointed. its a ok movie - *not EXTREMLY FUNNY* just a little funny.this is a dumb -as* movie made for people to laugh..and hey..thats ok by me (see my scary movie 2 review) like scary movie 1+2 it has a stupid plot, and it has a lot of stupid\funny episodes.but belive me SCARY MOVIE 1+2 IS SO MUCH FUNNIER. if you are standing over the dillema between renting scary movie 1+2 or jay and sil... go for scary movie - and if you have seen it before, see it again 10 times funnier:)i give this movie 3*3*3* 3 stars out of 10