Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Director/Writer: | Kevin Smith |
Dimension Films; R; 99 minutes | |
Release: | 8/01 |
Cast: | Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck |
Kevin Smith's latest film, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back finds itself in the awkward position of attempting to spoof Hollywood with cameo appearances by marquee stars and the self-satisfied laziness that can only come from a well-paid director whose urgency has ebbed. This is dangerous water indeed: remember Woody Allen's Celebrity?
The road movie plot sees convenience store clerks Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (writer-director Smith) rush across the country in an eleventh-hour attempt to stop the cult cartoon based on them from being developed into a full-length feature. Appearances by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, Carrie Fisher, and others do not rescue this from becoming an underachieving high-schooler flick with Jay offering foul-mouthed commentary while Bob remains, well, silent. Against Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the freshness of Chasing Amy and Dogma seem distant indeed.