It’s been twenty-five years since, Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse debuted with Clerks. After the first six movies we find ourself at the conclusion much like the MCU, earlier this year as Smith provides us with the seventh film Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, into his universe and in the process concluding a franchise that also brings in moments from the other pockets of films he has done. It’s a love letter to the View Askewniverse and Smiths film legacy, yet it gives him a chance to correct some mistakes of the past while bringing a new found sense of maturity and wisdom. Now I’m not saying this film doesn’t have sophomoric humor because it does but it’s toned down and it’s clear that Reboot is focused on celebrating the past while being aware of the future.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot picks up in the present, as our iconic duo (Jason Mewes and Smith) are arrested for operating a marijuana business in the old video shop next to Quick Stop Groceries. The court-appointed lawyer (Justin Long) has little trouble clearing them but is able to trick them into signing away their names to Saban Films. It appears, Saban is developing a reboot of the old movie they where the basis of. In order to reclaim their names and stop the reboot, Jay and Silent Bob once again set out on a road trip to Hollywood. Sounds like the first film? That’s because it is. Reboot is clever in that it is a sequel, reboot, reboot-quel or whatever Hollywood is calling them these days. It’s a commentary on the current state of Hollywood movies and how they are focused more on rebooting your favorite franchises. Jason Lee returns in a wonderful sequence that also feels like a sequel for Mallrats, that explains this even better. Lee isn’t also the only former player that returns as many of Smiths former collaborators return. Matt Damon, Rosario Dawson, and Ben Affleck are just some of the familiar faces but we even get new members of the universe like Chris Hemsworth (in maybe one of the funniest scenes of the film), Chris Jericho, and Melissa Benoist.
This is a very sincere film, you could tell that Smith took everything he has learned over his career and put it into this one movie. While also skewering the ideas of “reboot-quels” like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it recognizes how these films can serve as a way to address a franchise’s previous shortcomings. For example, the homophobia of films past is gone. Instead Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, see’s Smith tell the dirty jokes in other ways. Another example is that Smith is able to handle certain criticism his film, Chasing Amy, has received over the years and address it, while giving fans a mini-sequel they deserve in the process. The film and characters show major growth in this film without losing their comedic stylings and the lesson to be learned from this adventure.
Since this film has a weird release, Smith is taking the film on a road show in which he will watch it with a live audience and do a Q&A session, so chances are you did like myself and seeked this film out. If you do seek it out you will be rewarded with a return trip to the View Askewniverse that’s as meta and absurd as one could hope, while updating Smiths legacy into the current times and becoming one of Smith’s most sincere offerings to the audience post his very publicized heart attack in 2018. This is an extremely highly entertaining return and in 2019 who thought I’d be saying I really loved Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.
(No grade for this film. If you are a fan os Smiths work then this is 100% for you)
