Admittedly, when it comes to my own personal appreciation and enjoyment of the films by Kevin Smith, it has been one of the few things that I have found to experience diminishing returns as I got older. Though, I cannot ignore the fact that his work has been among the films that have served to help form my own tastes and sensibilities at a young age. So, while I haven’t gotten a great deal of entertainment from his recent outings, there is a part of me that will always have a soft spot for him. And like Rob Zombie, taking a less traditional route to bring his films to his devoted audience with the Fathom Events release of 3 From Hell, Smith is now doing the same approach with his new project, Jay And Silent Bob Reboot.
The premise of the film is pretty straightforward, and that’s because it’s more or less the same premise as Smith’s first spinoff with these title characters, 2001’s Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) learn that they have lost the rights to their names, which is now being used for an upcoming Bluntman and Chronic reboot, so they go on a road trip to Hollywood in order to stop the reboot from being made. You know…cause reboots are basically the same movie slightly repackaged and thrown at the audience. Don’t worry, they’ll explain it in the movie in case the gag wasn’t obvious. Also, Jay suddenly finds out he has a daughter from a former fling, who comes in the form of the mischievous Millennium “Milly” Faulken (Harley Quinn Smith).
When it comes to Kevin Smith, you generally know what to expect, especially with one of his View Askewniverse movies. It’s always been the one place where Smith seemed the most comfortable, creatively speaking, and for what it’s worth, I do like all the films he’s done in this particular realm (and I do have a modest affection for Jersey Girl). As far as his new film goes, it’s easily the first Smith film I’ve enjoyed in just over a decade. I’m sure a part of it is some reptilian brain responding well to characters that I’m familiar with, and have grown up watching, but it fortunately doesn’t come across as desperate and sad as something like Dumb and Dumber To, which came to mind in a couple moments, mostly involving all the father-daughter stuff.
Thankfully, the film is just funny. It’s not as consistent as I would like, there are moments that did not work for me at all, and other gags that felt very, very dated. But I did laugh enough times to say that my overall experience was positive, and there were a solid two or three gags and line deliveries that made me laugh really hard. Mewes is a genuinely gifted comic actor, and his ability to make Smith’s rambly, word salad dialogue come off natural is fun to watch. There are also some fun surprises here and there that fans of this world Smith has created will get a huge kick out of. Even Harley Quinn Smith, who I think is a promising performer, does a good job at handling the strange wavelength that the film rides on.
I do think you have to be – at least to some degree – a fan of Smith to connect with this on any level because so much of the humor is derived from his work in the past, both good and bad. To call the film meta would only scratch the surface. It’s a film that seems to be made up completely out of in-jokes, cameos, and references to films by Smith and the films he loves. It’s actually quite exhausting how extensive the layers of references and in-jokes are stacked upon one another, but weirdly mesmerizing at the same time. It feels at least a tad more artfully done than other comedies that rely on references for humor.
There’s really not a whole lot to say about Jay And Silent Bob reboot. It is exactly the film that you think it is, and if that appeals to you, then you’re probably gonna love it. I wouldn’t call this a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy it more than I anticipated. Plus, it’s so relentlessly self indulgent that I can’t help but respect it. Sure, the film isn’t the most impeccably crafted, and Smith’s tonal jumps from lewd gags to earnest sentimentality is as clumsy as ever, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t some charm to be found, and more so if you already have an attachment to these actors and characters. Smith can be called a lot of things as a filmmaker, but I don’t think I’d ever call him cynical, especially with these characters, and I think there’s some value in that, which often goes underappreciated.