Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

Year of Release:  2019
Director:  Kevin Smith
Screenplay:  Kevin Smith
Starring:  Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Harley Quinn Smith
Running Time:  105 minutes
Genre:  Comedy

New Jersey dope dealers Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) are tricked into signing away the rights to their names, meaning that they can no longer call themselves "Jay and Silent Bob".  They discover that the reason is because Hollywood is rebooting the 20 year old Bluntman and Chronic movie, based on the comic book, inspired by Jay and Silent Bob.  The two decide to hit the road to Hollywood once again to sabotage the making of the film during a comic-book convention. 

In 2001, Kevin Smith released Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, which was intended to be a fond farewell to Smith's fictional "View Askewniverse" (named after his View Askew production company), and played like a virtual love-letter to his own films.  This is an unabashed remake of that film, and is almost exactly the same film, which the movie itself acknowledges.  It pokes fun at the concept of reboots and remakes, and the nostalgia that drives them, while at the same time playing into that nostalgia, complete with the strange feeling of being reminded of something that once loved, and the melancholy that those days are gone.  How you respond to the film, will really depend on how you feel about Kevin Smith.  If you are a Smith fan, have seen his movies, read his books, listen to his podcasts, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, then you will probably enjoy this film, but if you are not already a  fan than it probably won't win you over.  It's chock full of cameos, pop-culture references and in-jokes, some of which are real deep-cuts.  Kevin Smith writes, directs and stars not only as his regular character of Silent Bob, but also as himself, helming the Bluntman and Chronic reboot, meaning that there are a lot of jokes about Smith himself, and at one point Silent Bob impersonates Kevin Smith, so Kevin Smith plays a character playing Kevin Smith.  The film also stars his daughter Harley Quinn Smith, who is good in it.  The film is very uneven, the introduction of more serious elements in the otherwise goofy antics doesn't really work, and it is certainly too long and self-indulgent, but it is funny, and it's a light, enjoyable ride, there is also added warmth and heart to it.  As with Smith's last View Askewniverse film Clerks 2 (2006), the message seems to be that as good as the past was, there comes a time to move on, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.  This is not Smith's best, and definitely not the one to start with if you are new to his work, but I am a Smith fan, and I enjoyed it, and it gave me plenty of laughs.

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in Jay and Silent Bob Reboot 

Clerks

Year of Release:  1994
Director:  Kevin Smith
Screenplay:  Kevin Smith
Starring:  Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spooner, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
Running Time:  92 minutes
Genre:  Comedy, slice-of-life

The film follows a day in the life Dante Hicks (O'Halloran), a 22 year old employee of the Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey, who is forced to go into work on what is supposed to be his day off.  He finds himself having to deal with his girlfriend Veronica's (Ghigliotti) sexual confessions, the fact that the love of his life is getting married, a hockey game, a funeral and an endless stream of weird, stupid and abusive customers.  Also stuck in Dante's purgatory are his best friend (and possibly worst enemy) Randall Graves (Anderson) and drug dealers Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith).

This super low-budget film marks the debut of writer/director/actor Kevin Smith and is the first of his connected series of "View Askewniverse" films (named after Smith's View Askew production company), which are linked by recurring characters and story elements, most notably the characters of Jay and Silent Bob who would go on to appear in many other films.
The film was shot in grainy black and white in the convenience store where Smith was working at the times, at night and on the weekends.  At the beginning of the film, Dante discovers that the metal shutters of the store are gummed shut, this was partly to hide the fact that although the film is set during the day, it was mostly shot at night.  With it's, at the time, completely unknown cast, grainy look and low-budget feel it has an element of authenticity and does at times resemble a documentary, filmed on a store security camera.  Crucially, it's also very funny.  Smith's sharp, vulgar and endlessly quotable dialogue is perceptive and hilarious, although definitely not for the easily offended.  With the directionless characters, fascinated by pop-culture, working crappy jobs, dreaming of something better but unsure of how to get it, this is one of the great films about young adulthood.

Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) in Clerks