What are our children, if not reboots of ourselves? This is the type of question stoners may ponder deep into the night and probably the situation Kevin Smith found himself in while formulating the storyline for his new sequel/reboot/remake/satire/parody/pothead comedy, “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.” And when the holds the attention on this central theme, Smith’s latest comedy actually rises above the director’s own sophomoric, ridiculous tendencies. Though not for long.
Eighteen years after “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” the writer/director and star returns with a sequel that attempts to bridge the precarious gap between genuine glorified cash-grab and satire of Hollywood’s obsession with sequels, reboots, and remakes.
READ MORE: Kevin Smith Responds To Martin Scorsese: “Who Is Jesus If Not A Superhero?”
“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” finds the stoner duo, that debuted twenty-five years ago in “Clerks” back at it again, this time on a cross-country road trip to prevent Hollywood from making a film about their superhero alter-egos, Bluntman and Chronic. Yes, that’s the exact same premise of ‘Strike Back.’ And yes, Kevin Smith well aware of the irony, uses the ‘Reboot’ first act to gleefully wink at the audience (literally, at times) about a meta-commentary on film sequels repeating himself while also revisiting many of the actors and characters from Smith’s own cinematic universe (the callbacks and Easter Eggs are endless, fanboys).
If the entire film was comprised of these self-indulgent in-jokes (much like ‘Strike Back’), and hamfisted lame plot rehash, then ‘Reboot’ would easily be another disappointing late-era Smith write-off. However, when the film crosses the 30-minute mark, the ‘Jay and Silent Bob’ sequel actually ventures into the uncharted land of heartfelt maturity. Two-and-a-half decades of dick and fart jokes (which Smith, himself, admits is a constant feature of his films), it appears that the filmmaker has something soulful, and dare one claim, sweet to say.
Towards the beginning of their quest to Hollywood, Jay (Jason Mewes) revisits an old friend and discovers that the loudmouth stoner actually fathered a child 18 years ago (Harley Quinn Smith, the director’s own daughter). It’s that revelation that provides much of the actual laugh-out-loud moments (there are several) and touching scenes (‘Reboot’ does pull at the heartstrings) that make the film better than its admittedly dumb premise. Using this subplot, Smith is able to explore the ideas of reboots to explain how children allow for even the most immature and idiotic stoners a chance at redemption, even if it’s through their lineage. Cleverly adding metatextual layers by casting his own daughter in the role—and she gives a decent enough performance—it’s not wrong to say that ‘Reboot’ is a love-letter to Smith’s own child and a call-to-action for all immature men, to finally grow up.
Sure, it’s not a theme that is completely earth-shattering mature, but we’re talking about a Kevin Smith film, and the fact that there’s a storyline that doesn’t revolve around a sex gag or feces is a milestone.
That said, if you watch “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” looking for those aforementioned dick and fart jokes, plenty are found. So, this tension is a mixed bag and conflicted effort. The experience of ‘Reboot’ is like watching a filmmaker who finally wants to slow things down and add real emotional weight to his story, but he’s so concerned his die-hard fans will lose interest if he gets too sappy, he constantly undermines any gravitas he can muster.
Throughout the film, any emotional moment is immediately undercut by some self-deprecating joke, a crass comment, or a patented “Snoogans!” reminding you that the juvenile geek has not left the mildly wiser father who faced a brush with his mortality last year. Sure, self-deprecation is a defense mechanism against criticism, but it’s also a crutch that the filmmaker just can’t shed.
And it’s in the whole Kevin Smith-iness that ‘Reboot’ suffers. While some of the silly, slapstick jokes work, the vast majority fall flat. The same goes for the gratuitous victory-lap cameos throughout the film. Clearly, Smith cashed all of his IOUs, as virtually everyone in a View Askew movie is given a moment. Unfortunately, Smith would likely fare better if he learned restraint, because outside of Fred Armisen, Molly Shannon, and Ben Affleck, the rest of the celebrity appearances are forgettable. A Special shoutout of recognition goes to Ben Affleck. The monologue Affleck delivers to Jay about fatherhood is the best acting in the entire film, hands down, and perhaps Kevin Smith’s best writing in a film in over twenty years.
But again, the filmmaker clearly has no faith in any mature instincts he may have. Just when you think that ‘Reboot’ has something intimate and poignant to say about fatherhood, the third act delivers an absolutely dreadful twist that will have many throwing up their hands wondering why the director even bothered in the first place.
“Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” isn’t the best satire of sequels and remakes. And it’s definitely not the best buddy comedy to come out this year. But for fans of Kevin Smith’s work, there is a progression on display that shows that maybe, just maybe, if he trusts his instincts one day, and doesn’t feel the need to constantly reward his inner 14-year-old, the filmmaker might just have another good, “Chasing Amy”-like film up his sleeve. Unfortunately, Smith isn’t quite there, yet and ‘Reboot’ isn’t it. [C]
