My Review of "Jay and Silent Bob Reboot"

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot came out in 2019. We haven't seen the likes of this dynamic duo for quite some time. They've been in a number of movies in the Kevin Smith movie universe and it seemed as if it would go on forever. This movie feels like a swansong for the duo or maybe a new direction for another generation to take over.

The movie starts out with Jay and Silent Bob getting into a bit of legal trouble for having an underground weed shop disguised as a restaurant. Obviously it had a very clever name to it. If you're not used to the Kevin Smith universe they have a ton of references and puns thrown at you a mile a minute. This movie is no different.

They conveniently hire a lawyer that gets them out of this trouble but the same lawyer gets them into copyright trouble with the names Jay and Silent Bob. In a looney toons-esque manner the duo signed the rights to their name to a famous film company. The whole movie is about the two of them trying to stop the film company from rebooting a movie they did years ago so they can keep their names.

That's the thinly veiled plot of the movie. The real goal of this movie is for Jay to meet his recently discovered daughter and gain a relationship with her. It's funny because we know Jay is the most immature man-child out of all the characters in the movie. He has to grow up to understand the real priorities in his life.

This movie is of course very self aware. It has a ton of cameos throughout the film and they even make fun of these cameos. Some people may get lost watching this film though. If you haven't kept up with a lot of the Kevin Smith movies from the past a ton of references will fly over your head. In particular; Dogma, Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Clerks and of course the many exploits of Jay and Silent Bob. You'll also have to have a pretty good knowledge of pop culture to be in on some of the jokes as well.

Some of the special cameos play characters but reference their own movie history. Luckily I knew a ton of the references that they were making but I can see how some people would not be able to keep up. This movie was made for fans of the Kevin Smith movie universe. They all know all of the recurring characters in the universe and the cast members. This extensive knowledge also extends to the cast member's film history. Not everyone will be able to keep up with all this information. That's why I don't think you should watch this before you watch the rest of his movies.

Still of the jokes that come in they are pretty funny. There are layers upon layers with some of these jokes. For example the duo is trying to cancel a reboot of a show called Bluntman and Chronic. Bluntman is supposed to be based off silent Bob and is mirrored after Batman. In the fake reboot of this movie Bluntman is played by the actor Val Kilmer. It works perfectly because Val Kilmer can't talk but there's an extra layer to this joke because Val Kilmer played Batman in the movie Batman Forever. Such a nuanced and multilayered appearance and this movie is filled with them.

Overall, I had a good time with this movie even though a lot of it was quite juvenile. It's a throwback to olden times but they even mention this in the beginning of the movie when they explain the difference between a reboot and a remake. I think anyone that has enjoyed Kevin Smith's movies in the past will be able to have a great time watching this one. That's why I have to give this movie a 6.5 out of 10. It does feel like the end of the Jay and Silent Bob era but I hope Kevin Smith will be able to continue to make new movies.