Jay and Silent Bob Reboot sees writer-director Kevin Smith returning to the View Askewniverse for the first time since 2006's Clerks II, a prospect that is worth celebrating after the filmmaker's mostly awful creative output over the last decade. Reuniting with many of his long-time cast and crew and recruiting a genuinely impressive collection of celebrities in cameo roles, Smith crafts a satirical follow-up to 2001's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that skewers Hollywood's current obsession with remakes and reboots while affectionately continuing the View Askewniverse with oodles of fan service, bringing back as many recognisable characters as possible. The flick intentionally and satirically rehashes the plot of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, but Smith is incapable of fully realising the project's immense potential. Although intermittently funny, it lacks the uniqueness and edginess of Smith's earlier films, with the director endeavouring to retain long-time fans while ill-advisably trying to broaden the picture's appeal to a new generation of film-goers. The resulting dissonance is jarring, and the movie falls apart under the clumsiness of its heavily meta narrative during the third act.
While in court following their arrest for growing marijuana, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) unwittingly sign away the rights to their names, with lawyer Brandon St. Randy (Justin Long) explaining they can no longer call themselves Jay and Silent Bob. Additionally, the pair learn that Saban Films are planning a big-budget Bluntman and Chronic reboot directed by Kevin Smith (playing himself), provoking further ire. Furious, the two set off for Hollywood to stop the production, aiming to disrupt the filming of a big action scene at the annual Chronic-Con convention, in turn preventing the movie's completion and winning back their identities. During their travels, Jay reunites with his ex-girlfriend, Justice (Shannon Elizabeth), who reveals that he has a daughter in Millennium "Milly" Faulken (Harley Quinn Smith), though the teenager is not allowed to know who her father is. Milly forces Jay to take her to Hollywood, also bringing along three more culturally diverse friends in Sopapilla (Treshelle Edmond), Jihad (Aparna Brielle), and Shan Yu (Alice Wen).
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot hardly sets a foot wrong during its first act, as Smith gets ample comedic mileage from his meta-commentary on the current Hollywood trend of reboots/remakes/sequels. Checking back in with the two titular stoners is irresistible fun after over a decade, while visits to the Quick Stop and Brodie Bruce's (Jason Lee) comic book store are positively joyous. The energy is infectious, the pace is quick, and the jokes consistently land for the first half-hour, but the film subsequently loses focus before petering out with a whimper. Laughs are scarce once the picture becomes an episodic road movie, and the decision to concentrate more on four dull, irritating teenagers than the titular duo is another critical problem. Additionally, although the choice to include Kevin Smith himself as a character is initially a cute notion, he takes things a step too far in the climax, and the result is weird and awkward instead of entertaining. Indeed, by the end, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot feels clunky and tiresome instead of rewarding.
Those unfamiliar with Smith's podcasts, personal life, stand-up comedy and previous films will find themselves hopelessly lost amid the endless in-jokes and references (including confusing Kevin Smith for Kevin James), which is a tremendous problem. Clerks and Chasing Amy are accessible to virtually anybody, but Reboot demands excessive homework for maximum gratification. The other issue is that, although the movie celebrates all things Kevin Smith, the filmmaker tries to target newcomers with discussions about veganism and other woke topics - hell, extra footage during the end credits even references the hideous Bechdel Test. In other words, Smith tries to expand the movie's appeal and attempt something more mature with the daughter subplot, but Jay and Silent Bob Reboot lacks a firm screenplay foundation and emotional complexity to make it all work since it is still full of immature, profanity-laced stoner humour. Smith tries to please everybody, but it is hard to imagine anybody being entirely happy with Reboot.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot's meagre $10 million budget is obvious, as it is not a visually inviting movie. Yaron Levy's digital cinematography is alarmingly flat and uninteresting, with the visuals lacking the vibrancy of Smith's earlier pictures that were shot on 35mm film. Compared to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (which had a more generous $22 million budget), this sequel also lacks filmmaking ambition, as Smith continues to stage stagnant scenes of characters talking while standing still or sitting down, captured in static two-shots or single shots. Particularly after his work on the CW Network's superhero shows, it is disappointing that Smith's directorial approach still lacks dynamism. The technical presentation is mostly competent, but the green-screen work is hit-and-miss, and it is obvious that many of the actors were filmed separately. However, one aspect of the production that does work is the score by Kevin Smith regular James L. Venable, who was also responsible for the music in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.
Smith stuffs Jay and Silent Bob Reboot with cameos, bringing back popular View Askewniverse characters (including Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Matt Damon as Loki) and many other familiar performers, from rappers (Method Man, Redman) and comedians (Kate Micucci, Donnell Rawlings, Diedrich Bader) to podcast co-hosts (Marc Bernardin, Ralph Garman) and high-profile actors (Chris Hemsworth, Val Kilmer, Joe Manganiello). Most of the notable cameos are worthwhile (the Bluntman v Chronic clip with Kilmer, Melissa Benoist and Tommy Chong is highly amusing), giving the picture its highlights, making it a shame that the rest of the feature fails to properly serve them. Smith foregrounding his daughter, Harley Quinn, is a huge flaw, with the actress perpetually coming across as obnoxious and unlikeable, making it difficult to care about the story. Meanwhile, Smith and Jason Mewes enthusiastically slip back into their titular roles, with Reboot marking twenty-five years since they first played the iconic characters in 1994's Clerks. Silent Bob now expresses himself through emoticons, which is a clever idea, but the shtick grows exhausting and irritating since he does a lot of tapping to type a single emoji.
Smith had something to prove when he wrote and directed Clerks, and his future in the industry was never guaranteed after the commercial failure of Mallrats, compelling him to put genuine effort into the likes of Chasing Amy and Dogma. However, no such effort or passion is evident in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, with Smith fully complacent in the fact that he is not a great filmmaker. After a strong opening act, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot devolves into a monotonous string of hit-and-miss road-trip vignettes, and although the flick has its moments (Affleck's scene is one of the strongest of Smith's career), it is not consistent enough, and it never coalesces into anything substantial. Nevertheless, View Askewniverse fans might enjoy the familiar sights and returning characters after such a long hiatus.
5.3/10