Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) have become staples in the world of Hollywood thanks to Smith’s writing and directing prowess. He’s back at it again with the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, a film intentionally too similar to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. When the two stoners accidentally sign away the rights to their names, they travel back to Hollywood in order to stop the production of the fictional Jay and Silent Bob reboot. The obstacles they face are predictable, and the film as a whole is like everything you’ve seen before; welcome to the Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
Smith has transitioned from films with no plot but tons of meaning to films that revolve entirely around a particular story but have lost meaning during the transition. From his first film, Clerks, to his most recent, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, so much has changed, and not for the better. Viewers have fallen in love with Smith’s characters, particularly Jay and Silent Bob. These characters were instant hits, but, over time, they have developed into multidimensional characters that appeal to the masses. The thing about Jay and Silent Bob, however, is that there is a particular look that fans of the Askewniverse now associate with the characters. Viewers expect long hair on both characters, a full-faced Jay, and a somewhat pudgy Bob. While these characteristics can certainly change, after six films, viewers have created a set of standards in their minds that are, to many, non-negotiable. In terms of these expectations, the worst has happened...both Jay and Silent Bob look immensely different.
Smith, as a result of his health woes, lost more than fifty pounds and Mewes, due to a series of other events, lost weight and multiple aspects of his physical aesthetic changed greatly. The reality is that their look shouldn’t change things for the characters and should have no bearing on whether or not their comedy lands as effectively as it has in the past. Sadly, given the drastic change in physical appearance, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot feels as if it’s introducing new characters. As their looks and Smith’s writing change drastically since their last appearance (Clerks II), viewers find it difficult to accept them this time around, and this makes it incredibly challenging to appreciate the film as a whole.
Furthermore, the story is repetitive, uninteresting, and completely void of feeling. All that I had fallen in love with throughout the course of the Askewniverse was thrown to the wayside, never to show itself in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. I’m so disappointed in the direction Smith takes this film, as it lacks the heart and soul that fans of his had come to know and expect. Nothing disappoints more than a film with so much potential, led by a man with so much to offer, only to lack everything it promised its viewers--and that’s exactly what Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is, a dud.
It’s clear throughout Jay and Silent Bob Reboot that Smith wants to make this film more heartwarming than his other films. However, with the drastic changes made to viewers’ expectations of the Askewniverse, the film fails to truly entertain and Smith’s attempted moments of love and warmth seriously miss the mark. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot does what everyone worries will happen with reboots, they fail to live up to the hype and ultimately serve to do nothing but disappoint. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot fails in nearly every way and viewers struggle to appreciate anything other than the callbacks to the previous films. So much is sacrificed for this film, and it appears that Smith hopes that adding an exorbitant number of celebrities to the film will suffice and make up for the series of shortcomings. Smith harnesses true genius, but he fails to deliver on what viewers have come to expect from him. It’s important to understand two things: Jay and Silent Bob Reboot does not define Smith’s career, and there is no reason for anyone to watch this film.
Written & Directed by Kevin Smith. Starring Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith, Treshelle Edmond, Aparna Brielle, Alice Wen, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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