You have to hand it to directors when they bite from the hand that feeds, especially when they do it in such a blunt way. Case in point: Robert Altman (The Player). And now avant-garde writer/director Kevin Smith does so with delightful relish. `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back' is by far the funniest, though not the best, film I've seen in a while. The main characters- Jay & Silent Bob- have featured in all of Smith's movies to date. But the question is, can they carry the film by themselves? The answer is an enthusiastic yes.
While it is rib-ticklingly funny, `'Strike Back' is just laughing gas. In past efforts such as `Chasing Amy' and the ingenious `Dogma', there was a tremendous number of crude jokes, but also an emotional core that made it all worthwhile. On the contrary, this movie is done strictly for laughs which makes it good in some respects (no tedious love side plots) but overall doesn't make it match up to previous outings.
In fairness, the title is very misleading. With a name like `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back', this sounds like some grotesque teen sex comedy starring Tara Reid. Instead, this is a very funny, though totally unrealistic, indulge on Hollywood. In order to view the film, you must have seen at least one of Kevin Smith's other movies in order to know what to expect. Plenty of racist/sexist jokes lurk within so this is not one for the easily offended. While some of the jokes are completely over-the-top, films don't come less serious than this.
Performances are all okay from a big cast, but the most memorable parts come from the range of cameos. The funniest is Chris Rock's notoriously racist director- Chaka Luther King. Other funny parts go to Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Van Der Beek, Wes Craven, Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott (going against type, but nonetheless hilarious) and of course Ben Affleck and Matt Damon superbly bickering about their career on the set of `Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season'. Several others seem out of place, the best example being Judd Nelson's unfunny police sheriff.
This certainly wouldn't win any awards (unless there's a trophy for bravery), but this is crude, rude and blunt entertainment at its best. If you're expecting an epic of cinematic proportions, then look the other way. But if you want some good pointless, superficial fun, then `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back' is an inauspicious laugh riot. My IMDb rating: 6.6/10.
While it is rib-ticklingly funny, `'Strike Back' is just laughing gas. In past efforts such as `Chasing Amy' and the ingenious `Dogma', there was a tremendous number of crude jokes, but also an emotional core that made it all worthwhile. On the contrary, this movie is done strictly for laughs which makes it good in some respects (no tedious love side plots) but overall doesn't make it match up to previous outings.
In fairness, the title is very misleading. With a name like `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back', this sounds like some grotesque teen sex comedy starring Tara Reid. Instead, this is a very funny, though totally unrealistic, indulge on Hollywood. In order to view the film, you must have seen at least one of Kevin Smith's other movies in order to know what to expect. Plenty of racist/sexist jokes lurk within so this is not one for the easily offended. While some of the jokes are completely over-the-top, films don't come less serious than this.
Performances are all okay from a big cast, but the most memorable parts come from the range of cameos. The funniest is Chris Rock's notoriously racist director- Chaka Luther King. Other funny parts go to Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, James Van Der Beek, Wes Craven, Jason Biggs, Sean William Scott (going against type, but nonetheless hilarious) and of course Ben Affleck and Matt Damon superbly bickering about their career on the set of `Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season'. Several others seem out of place, the best example being Judd Nelson's unfunny police sheriff.
This certainly wouldn't win any awards (unless there's a trophy for bravery), but this is crude, rude and blunt entertainment at its best. If you're expecting an epic of cinematic proportions, then look the other way. But if you want some good pointless, superficial fun, then `Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back' is an inauspicious laugh riot. My IMDb rating: 6.6/10.