Posted by WCityMike at 24-148-69-217.na.21stcentury.net on August 16, 2001 at 23:43:01:
(Warning: this post may contain some slight spoilers. Personally, I
don't think anything within here would spoil things for people if they
haven't seen the film yet, and indeed, may help you catch some
things you might otherwise miss. But proceed at your own risk.)
This summer both critics and audiences have been bemoaning the
lack of a true standout summer blockbuster. Want to look incredibly
prescient to your friends and family? Start recommending "Jay and
Silent Bob Strike Back" *now*. For I have seen the future, and it is
fantastic.
This evening, I had the fortune to go to the Pipers Alley theatre
complex here in Chicago (home to the famous Second City, start of
many an SNL actor -- but not Ferrell or Morgan) and see an advance
screening of "Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back."
It's going to be a monster hit, yet still fully enjoyable for longstanding
View Askew fans, because the in-jokes are situated in such a way
that the plot isn't slowed down an iota for those not in the know. Not
only will it be popular among audiences, but I imagine critics will be
lauding Kevin for his skillful blending of traditional comic formulas
and how well his intelligent dialogue and ear for comedy shines in
this film.
In this film, Smith manages to pull together several comic formulas to
create its blockbuster status. By now, we all at least know that Jay
and Silent Bob are en route to Hollywood to stop the "Bluntman &
Chronic" movie from being made. So, of course, we have the road
trip. We also have the good fortune of movie parodies (and plenty of
movie references), as well as self-parody, self-deprecating humor,
and tons of no-holds-barred grossout humor. In addition, the fourth
wall is repeatedly broken to hilarious effect, and Mark Hamill's
entrance (and, indeed, his entire performance) stands out as the
most hilarious of the many cameos.
That's not to say that the film is disappointment-free. View Askew
fans who have read the "Jay & Silent Bob" miniseries will see an
entire subplot, right down to the dialogue, plunked right into the
movie. It'll thus be very familiar material to those who've already read
the trade paperback. You've still got the novelty of seeing it in film
form, and that's not to say that it's executed poorly or drags the movie
down, but it is nevertheless a bit of a disappointment. (This is, of
course, a problem only View Askew fans will have.) And while I found
the on-set moments leading up to it hilarious, I found the actual
"Good Will Hunting 2" parody was rather flat. Perhaps if I had recently
watched the original, the humor would have made better sense to
me.
Longtime fans of Kevin will love this film. As I said, we have in-jokes
galore incorporated throughout the movie, and, as is traditional,
Silent Bob does speak within the movie. The problem is that he
speaks twice, which, correct me if I'm wrong, is a bit of a break with
tradition. The first time is so well-executed that it'll bring down the
house every time. The second was humorous, but just wasn't as
funny as his first line, and thus felt anticlimactic.
This advice probably need not even be given to any TRUE View
Askew fan, but of course, stay through to the very end. Those who
stay until the end credits (expect a small surprise amidst his 'thank
you's) will be treated to a very sweet coda closing the View
Askewiverse, featuring a character and cameo you really might not
have expected to see. (Speaking of cameos, we have NOT been told
everyone who was in it. You still have some surprises left, I imagine.)
And let's just say Kevin gave his own personal touch to the warning
GLAAD requested. :)
By the way, yes, his daughter Harley *is* in the movie ... and let's say
she was, genetically, perfectly suited for her role. ;)
All in all, as I said above, I believe summer audiences are still
looking for the summer's standout hit, especially given the failure of
other blockbusters the studios thought were going to hit big. My
prediction is that Kevin's movie is going to fill that niche ... it's going to
score, and score HUGE. We've got a definite critical and commercial
success on our hands.
Mike
P.S. Kev, you had asked us to keep an eye out for audience reaction
for the trailers. Would it please you to know that pretty much everyone
in the theatre here in Chicago loved it as much as I did? :-)