JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK - REVIEW


The spin-off to end all spin-offs, Jay and Silent Bob finally got their own film to play with after effortlessly stealing the show in pretty much every movie they were in and with the likes of Will Ferrell, Mark Hamill and an all-star View Askew cast supporting everyone's favourite stoners, this was set to be one truly goofy and entertaining little adventure.

And, indeed, it was!

After finding out that their name is being used in Hollywood without their permission and that people are bad-mouthing them online, Jay and Silent Bob set off on an epic road trip which will take them all the way from the almighty Quik Stop to L.A.. On the way, they meet colourful characters to say the least, including a hitch-hiking George Carlin, an orangutan, a dorky Sean William Scott, and hundreds of cameos, some of which a tad confusing with both Jason Lee and Ben Affleck playing dual roles. Oh, they also party with Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and the rest of the Mystery Machine gang, as you do. 

Meanwhile, they are framed by a group of catsuit-wearing bank robbers led by Eliza Dushku and being hunted down by Will Ferrell's inept cop. The latter steals every scene he's in and is one of the film's best surprises. The girls are much less necessary and frankly not all that likeable, but they provide some entertaining action sequences so they do serve some sort of purpose I suppose.

The film itself is essentially a cartoon: it goes for colourful, silly and fun, never taking itself seriously and that really works for it. Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith have a ball and bring most of the laughs in what is a loving, very amusing homage to the universe they created. The film really is for the fans, though, and although newcomers will still have fun watching it, they won't get a lot of the references unless they are somewhat familiar with the likes of Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma. 

Highlights include a hysterical bong-saber fight between the titular duo and Mark Hamill's Cockknocker (don't ask), a Pee-Wee's Big Adventure-style chase through Hollywood studio back-lots and a sneak peak into the sequel everyone is still waiting for: Good Will Hunting 2. It's dumb, it's all over the place but if you like these guys, you'll have tons of fun. It may not be as substantial or as good as Dogma but, for what it is, it achieves exactly what it sets out to achieve.

Overall, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back is definitely one for the fans but regardless, it's still a very entertaining flick with some really funny moments. The top cast and Jay's genius Planet Of The Apes speech alone are worth the ticket of admission.

Um... snootch?

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