Jay and Silent Bob embark on a cross-country mission to stop Hollywood from rebooting the film based on their comic book counterparts Bluntman and Chronic.
I’m one of Kevin Smith‘s biggest fans, but “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” is a colossal disappointment. What could’ve been a dream film for fans of these two stoner characters instead is nothing but a string of cameos and callbacks in a plot-less bore. Sure, it’s fun to see old favorites reappear (Joey Lauren Adams, Justin Long, Jason Biggs, and Ben Affleck, to name a few), but the longer this story drags on, the worse it becomes.
The two losers and “hetero lifemates” Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) first hit the screen 25 years ago (yes, we are old!) in Smith’s first (and iconic) film “Clerks.” This reboot is a companion piece to the 2001 film “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” and it helps if you’re well-versed in the director’s entire repertoire.
When Jay and Silent Bob discover that Hollywood is rebooting an old movie based on them, the clueless duo embark on another cross-country mission to stop it all over again. The final destination is Chronic Con, where they can find director Kevin Smith (playing an over-exaggerated, funny version of himself) and beat him up so the movie won’t get made. Along the way, the two bros encounter a series of misadventures along with new and old friends.
Let me stress this again, and even louder for those in the back: this movie is only for Smith’s diehard, faithful fan base.
This is not a movie for those who don’t already know and love the duo, as inside jokes make up the majority of the scenes. Newbies will get close to nothing out of this, and it’s not good enough to recruit the uninitiated.
Even worse, Smith has once again made the unwise decision to cast his daughter Harley Quinn Smith in a major role. This young woman does not have a future in the industry. She’s just not talented enough. I hate to pick on Harley, but she is such a distraction — and this is a movie with plenty of pathetic performances.
In what could’ve been a wacky road trip adventure, Smith sucks all the life and fun out of his already watered-down story. The jokes are awkward and forced, and the majority of the movie is painfully unfunny. Depending on your tolerance of Jason Lee (reprising his “Mallrats” character Brody), the movie starts off with a quick barrage of chuckles, but those brief moments die out too soon. Pile fuel on the fire with an uninspired, overly sentimental story about being older and wiser, and this one’s an unfortunate stinker.
