Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

It took me a couple of films to finally get Kevin Smith. This one is essential Smith (loads of vulgarity and pop-culture references, jokes straddling the boundaries of cringe and geniality), so perhaps it’s good that I watched it now, after having become acquainted with his other important films. I had a lot of fun, the ratio between funny and stupid jokes I reckon is about 80: 20. Malrats is the only one I liked more. (14/07/2011)

Kevin Smith is the embodiment of American independent film, with his loyal community of fans and his staunch enemies. I have a problem reviewing this movie: without knowledge of the context, Jay and Silent Bob is difficult to consume, or at least the ability to enjoy all the ingredients that Smith mixed into this movie will be diminished in a penetrating way. The director made the film primarily for himself and his loyal fans, as many jokes only work for a good connoisseur of Smith's work and some are not even jokes in the true sense of the word. They are simply reminders of certain movie characters or situations from previous films. Some theater scenes operate on a similar principle, after all, and have their dedicated fan clubs. At the same time, Smith was experimenting a bit with how far he could go in his style of humor and working with pop culture references. Some jokes and references are on the edge of awkwardness and taste. If evangelicals and members of the American religious right had a popularity ranking for their activities, which went as follows: 1. Attacks on abortion clinics, 2. Attacks on homosexuals, 3. Attacks on Kevin Smith, then it is quite likely that after the premiere, Kevin has moved up to first place for many. The problem with the film is its unevenness, as outstanding moments alternate with parts that are rather too far-fetched. The film is certainly not for everyone and every society. Overall impression: 80%. (23/05/2007)

A stylistically polished blend of (self-)parody references to both the entire previous works of Kevin Smith and the entire retroactive decade of contemporary Hollywood. His distinctive take on pop culture (movies, music, comics) is entertaining to the extent that the viewer is willing to accept the torrent of vulgarities that most viewers seem to condemn out of hand, to be enjoyed by those who find the term "my pussy" both romantic and amusing. (25/12/2006)

"I have a feeling that this was the first film by Kevin Smith that I saw. It captivated me right away. After all these years, nothing has changed and those two stoners are still my favorite characters, and I look forward to seeing them appear again. Not that it happens very often. A brilliantly twisted story, but above all, the genius characters with amazing acting cast." (30/03/2015)

Brilliant gags are interspersed with utterly lame and cheap ones. Unfortunately, the lame ones prevail. Film geeks will appreciate the many subtle references to famous movies of the past, but these alone are not enough to make me give this flick a higher rating. (20/07/2002)