Two Guys and a Movie/Call
This unlikely film grossed $11 million in its opening weekend, coming in a close third behind American Pie 2 and Rush Hour 2. By way of comparison, two other movies that opened on the same weekend, Summer Catch (the next embarrassing Freddy Prinze Jr. installment) and John Carpenter’s Ghosts of Mars came in at a paltry $7 and $3.8 million respectively. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back has also received more media attention than supposed summer blockbusters like Jurassic Park 3. This has caused movie-goers and analysts alike to try and explain why.
I remember a few years ago when a friend suggested we rent Clerks, writer/director Kevin Smith’s first feature-length movie. It was filmed in grainy black and white and cost $27,000 to make. It was raw, unpolished and very funny. Since then, Clerks has earned more than 100 times what it cost to make, a testament to Smith’s writing/directing talent.
Jay and Silent Bob, like the rest of Smith’s films, is honest, crude, smart, crude, funny and above all, crude. It has no respect for political correctness, minorities or anyone for that matter. This lack of reverence for the sanctity of things like homosexuality, Christianity, etc., has once again caused representatives from those groups to rise up in bouts of pouting, self-righteous rage. Smith is unapologetic about his work, reminding critics that Jay and Silent Bob are idiots, not role models.
In this movie, he responds to his detractors through the film’s two main characters. After discovering they are being bashed by critics on the Internet, Jay and Silent Bob decide to fly to each of the critics’ towns, go to their homes and beat them up.
Those who are new to Kevin Smith’s films may not find this movie as funny as will his long-time disciples. The story constantly refers back to many of Smith’s other films and almost requires a working knowledge of his entire career. I suppose this is to be expected, given his long-time outsider status with the entertainment mainstream.
Despite his outsider status, Smith is remarkably connected. This film boasts some big names, many of which chose to appear in the movie as a favor to Smith. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Chris Rock all make cameo appearances, many of them poking fun at themselves.
Despite the crude humor and insider tone, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a good film with a funny story and even funnier characters. It understands its place in the world and makes no pretense about what it’s trying to do. Even those concerned with political correctness and social tolerance might find it useful – by using Jay and Silent Bob as examples of how not to be.