Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: The BRWC Spoiler Review. SPOILERS AHEAD.

It’s fantastic to see Kevin Smith back in the writer/director chair after his heart attack last year and what a way to return to the film industry than to reintroduce fans to his iconic characters Jay and Silent Bob (played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith).

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is the sequel (and, yes, reboot) of the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. After learning that a ‘Bluntman and Chronic’ film reboot is being made, stoners Jay and Silent Bob return to Hollywood to stop it from being made.

While it was nice to see the mischievous pair back on the big screen, Reboot was, unfortunately, in need of a script rewrite.

The film is very familiar and does feel like a continuation into the lives of two friends who have not grown up much at all. Because of this, the slapstick humour returns and works beautifully, along with the Looney Tunes-style music, which works most of the time. However, some of the music was a little out of place and too loud in some scenes. 

The first act was a little messy, especially the scene revolving around Jason Lee’s character Brodie Bruce (from Smith’s 1995 film ‘Mallrats’). While I understand that Kevin Smith’s films are dialogue films, this scene, where Brodie explained to Jay and Silent Bob what a reboot and remake were was slow and painful to watch. Considering that it occurred 10-15 minutes into the film, it already slowed the pacing down.

The jokes revolving around the dialogue was also written too late, timewise. While I understand that a similar scene took place in Strike Back, where Ben Affleck was explaining what the internet was to the lead characters, the internet as we know it was still a relatively new product whereas remakes and reboots have been ongoing in the film industry for decades. While I understand what Kevin Smith was going for, this should’ve been removed, or dialogue should’ve been cut to make the pacing tighter.

Some other aspects of the films that should’ve been removed was a plot involving a Russian spy and a scene where the characters get kidnapped by the KKK. Even now, I’m still not sure what Smith was going for in these segments as they went nowhere. While the latter scene was probably a commentary on the group, the Russian spy plotline had no reason to be there other than for Silent Bob to get his shining moment in an Iron Man-style suit.

However, the whole third act at Chronic Con in Hollywood was delightful and the strongest part of the whole film. Cameos from Kevin Smith’s filmography and TV work were all here, including the cast of the show Comic Book Men, his film Chasing Amy and even the cast of his debut film Clerks! Speaking of cameos: THERE WERE SO MANY! From Chris Hemsworth (Thor) to Justin Long (Tusk) to Ben Affleck (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) to Matt Damon (Dogma).

Kevin Smith has worked with a lot of great (and now very famous) actors over the years and it’s incredible to see them altogether in one movie, even if the cameos are only a few seconds long. There’s also a lot of references and mentions to his previous films sprinkled throughout this, and it seems like Smith has used Reboot to look back on his career and comment on it, for better or worse (mostly better).

Overall, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was fine. While it was nice to see the pair back on screen and watch them grow up into more responsible(ish) adults, it was a little messy and there were a few uncomfortable scenes. By the time it got to the third act, it felt more comfortable with its narrative but, by then, it was a little too late. While I can’t say this was a bad film (I did enjoy my time watching this), it wasn’t great. 

3/5

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