I Finally Watched Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Way back in June 2019–only four months ago as I write this–I made a decision: I wanted to watch this movie when it was released. In order to fully appreciate Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, I would have to watch the previous twelve movies in the Kevin Smith filmography. I did and reviewed all the films. Last week, I ranked the existing twelve movies as I liked them, with a unique choice at the top. All of which serves as an introduction to the review of this, Smith’s thirteenth film.
Getting to the Theater
I bought my ticket to Reboot back in July 2019. At the time, the Houston Astros baseball team was in the middle of its best season ever. Who would have dreamed that the evening of 30 October 2019 would coincide not only with the Houston premiere of Reboot but also be the day of Game 7 of the World Series. My choice was made in the heat of the summer. A lot of other folks made the same choice, but the number of Astros jerseys in the crowd meant we were fans of both franchises.
The River Oaks theater is a landmark in Houston. Opened in 1939, it shows off that awesome art deco vibe when you walk in the door. It is small, but it doesn’t feel cramped. There’s a stage in the main theater and that’s where Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes chatted up the audience in the minutes leading up to the show. They talked up Audible, the sponsor of the Reboot Roadshow, even showing a few fun ads the two of them created.
The Premise
If you’ve seen Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, then the premise of this movie will feel very similar. In that earlier film, Jay and Silent Bob learn a movie is being made featuring their likenesses, Chronic and Bluntman. Fearing the worst, in Strike Back, the pair travel across the country to put a stop to the film.
In Reboot, Jay and Silent Bob learn there is a rebooted movie being made about those same characters. And, having been legally stripped of acknowledging themselves as Jay and Silent Bob, they set out across the country to put a stop to the film.
Yes, it comes across as the same story, but Reboot has two distinct additions to it that Strike Back lacked. One was commentary on the world. For all intents and purposes, Jay and Bob have been ignorant of the world changing around them. Why else would they have to have the concept of a reboot explained to them. What this does is that Smith, via his characters, gets to put his own viewpoint out there. No, it isn’t as sharp a take as, say, co-host Marc Benardin, but his dialogue on the current state of pop culture is played for laughs. And there are plenty of them, so much so that I actually missed some of the jokes.
The other thing Smith writes into this second odyssey is heart.
The Heart of the Story
Quite literally, Smith’s life changed after his heart attack in early 2018. He changed the way he ate, lost weight, and gained a new appreciation for life. As evident from Jersey Girl and Chasing Amy, Smith had already written scripts in which he pulls at the emotions of his viewers.
But he hasn’t done it in a movie like Reboot, one of his stoner comedies. In Reboot, one of the returning characters is Justice (Shannon Elizabeth) with whom Jay hooked up in Strike Back. Now, eighteen years later, when Jay and Bob land on Justice’s doorstep, the pair learn Jay is a father. Millie (aka Millennium Falcon) as played by Harley Quinn Smith, is a fierce, independent young woman who has understandable anger issues at her departed and never known dad. Jay gave his word to Justice he would never reveal his paternity, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of tenderness.
Having just seen Yoga Hosers the week before, I was happy to see Harley again in a movie. Frankly, I was hoping Lily-Rose Depp would make an appearance, but she didn’t. Leave that for Moose Jaws. In interviews, Smith commented that he’d like to see if he could swing the pendulum from laughter to sadness in a single scene. He does, and Harley is one that sometimes has to pull it off. She does a fine job here.
Chasing Amy Sequel
The big news coming out the Reboot filming was Ben Affleck was back. For reasons I don’t know, Smith and Affleck drifted apart. This past spring, they reconnected in time for Affleck to fly to New Orleans and participate in Reboot.
Given the opportunity, Smith did the only logical thing: he crafted a sequel to Chasing Amy. With Joey Lauren Adams along for the ride, Smith wrote and Ben delivered what will already be one of the all-time best Smith-penned monologues. For this fifty-year-old guy who only first saw the Smith films in 2019 and instantly gravitated to Jersey Girl, this sequence was perfect.
Like my comment from Cop Out where I mentioned it would be interesting to see Smith write a buddy cop movie himself, were he to draft a straight-up romantic comedy or family drama, I’m pretty certain he could nail it.
And yeah, the tears flowed here. Only time during the film, but they were so well earned. I’m already looking forward to the DVD release so I can re-watch these scenes. And all those extras that were left on the cutting room floor.
The Verdict
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a solid, enjoyable film, made even more special by his and Jay’s presence and a roomful of Smith fans. I was very happy to have had the experience.
Where does it rank in the Top 13 Kevin Smith films? Well, if you read my ranking from last week, you’ll remember I had Strike Back in the fourth spot and I predicted Reboot would come in at number three or four. My third favorite film of his is Mallrats, after Jersey Girl and Chasing Amy. I’ve only seen Mallrats once, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s a lot of “old home week” with Reboot and that’s the best thing about the film. Giving Mallrats its due, I’m going to slip Reboot in at Number 4, just ahead of Strike Back. Reboot had more heart than Strike Back and, even though I teared up in that one sequence, I’ll give Mallrats the edge.
Where you do you rank Reboot?