''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

stoner buddy

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...

, the fifth to be set in his

View Askewniverse The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent ...

, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult-favorite ''

Clerks A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store. Office holder Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court. *Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...

''. It focuses on the two eponymous characters, played respectively by

Jason Mewes Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith, Kevin Smith's films. Early lif ...

and Smith. The film features

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

s from

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

, Joey Lauren Adams and

Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty (, born April 12, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985); Kris Witherspoon in '' Our Hous ...

among many others. The title and logo for ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' are direct references to ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...

.'' Originally intended to be the last film set in the Askewniverse, or to feature Jay and Silent Bob, ''Strike Back'' features many characters from the previous Askew films, some in

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

s and reprising roles from the previous entries. The film was a minor commercial success, grossing $33.8 million worldwide from a $22 million budget, and received mixed reviews from critics. Smith announced in February 2017 that he was writing a sequel called ''

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot ''Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'' is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. Referring to his 2001 comedy ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', Smith has described the film as a rema ...

'' and started filming in February 2019 and was released on October 15 that same year. From February to June 2019, Smith additionally re-adapted the plot of the film to the character of Mindy McCready / Hit-Girl in the relaunched

Image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensio ...

comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

, titled '' Hit-Girl: The Golden Rage of Hollywood'', with Dave Lizewski filling the role of

Banky Edwards This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse. ''Clerks'' (1994) Dante Hicks Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...

Plot

Dante Hicks This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse. ''Clerks'' (1994) Dante Hicks Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works a ...

and

Randal Graves This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse. ''Clerks'' (1994) Dante Hicks Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...

(''

'') put a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protecti ...

Jay and Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and pro ...

, finally fed up with their

drug dealing The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

antics outside the Quick Stop and RST Video. Not allowed within 100 feet of either stores for at least a year, Jay and Silent Bob visit Brodie Bruce ('' Mallrats'') where they learn that that

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, also known as Miramax Films, is an American film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. It was initially a lead ...

is adapting '' Bluntman and Chronic'', the comic book based on their likenesses. The pair visit Holden McNeil (''

Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woman ...

''), co-writer of ''Bluntman and Chronic'', and demand royalties from the film, but Holden explains he sold his share of the rights to co-creator Banky Edwards. Seeing the film's negative reception online, the pair set out for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

to prevent the film from tainting their image, or at least to receive the royalties owed to them. En route, they befriend an animal liberation group: Justice, Sissy, Missy, Chrissy, and Brent. The organization is a front; Brent is a patsy, who will free animals from a laboratory as a diversion while the girls rob a diamond depository. Jay throws Brent out of the van to get closer to Justice, to whom he is attracted. Justice is fond of the pair, but reluctantly accepts them as new patsies. While the girls steal the diamonds, Jay and Silent Bob free the animals, stealing an

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

named Suzanne. They escape as the police arrive and the van explodes, believing the girls have perished. Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly (whose name is taken from ''Land of the Lost'' characters ) arrives; oblivious to the diamond heist, he claims jurisdiction due to the escaped animals, all of which have been recovered but the orangutan. The officers find footage of a video Sissy recorded of Jay claiming to be "the clit commander", with accompanying literature that "Clit" is an acronym for ''Coalition for the Liberation of Itinerant Tree-Dwellers''. Willenholly declares the crime an act of

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

and calls for backup to hunt "the two most dangerous men on the planet." Hiding inside a diner, the pair dress Suzanne as their child. Willenholly, facing the political repercussions of "arresting a gay couple", lets them leave but quickly resumes pursuit. The fugitives jump into a sewer system, and Willenholly is tricked into jumping off a dam. Suzanne is abducted by a Hollywood animal acting agency, and Jay and Silent Bob arrive in Hollywood and find themselves in the background of an ''

E! News ''E! News'', previously known as ''E! News Daily'' and ''E! News Live'', is the infotainment, entertainment news operation for the cable network E! in the United States. Its former on-air weekday newscast debuted on September 1, 1991, and prima ...

'' newscast about their online threat against Miramax. Watching the news, Justice takes the diamonds to Hollywood to fix things, with Willenholly close behind. Chased by studio security guard Gordon and reclaiming Suzanne from the set of ''Scream 4'', Jay and Silent Bob end up in the dressing room of

Jason Biggs Jason Matthew Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Jim Levenstein in the '' American Pie'' comedy film series and Larry Bloom in the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black''. He als ...

and

James Van Der Beek James William Van Der Beek (; born March 8, 1977) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in the WB series ''Dawson's Creek'' and Johnny "Mox" Moxon in '' Varsity Blues'' (1999). He played a fictionalized version of h ...

, the actors playing Bluntman and Chronic. Suzanne beats up the actors, and Jay and Silent Bob assume the roles. Meeting the film's

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

director Chaka Luther King, who mistakes them for stunt doubles, Jay and Silent Bob are forced to fight

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...

, playing the supervillain Cocknocker (a combination of Hamill's roles as

The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book '' Batman'' on April 25, 1 ...

, The Trickster, and

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The E ...

) in a

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

-esque battle. Willenholly arrives to capture the pair, but Justice protects them, admitting the CLIT organization was only a diversion. The other thieves arrive and a climactic final battle ensues. Jay and Silent Bob get their royalties from Banky after Silent Bob informs him he violated their original likeness rights contract by not getting their permission before selling the film rights to Miramax, and could face serious legal troubles, and Justice turns herself and her former team in to Willenholly in exchange for a shorter sentence and freeing Jay and Silent Bob. Jay and Silent Bob spend their royalty money locating everyone who expressed negative opinions on the internet about the movie and their characters, including children and clergy, and travel to assault them. The scene cuts to the audience leaving the theater, having just watched the Bluntman and Chronic movie, to poor reception. Jay and Silent Bob, with Justice and Willenholly, go across the street to enjoy the after party, featuring a performance from

Morris Day Morris E. Day (born December 13, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer of The Time. Music career Morris Day is best known as the lead singer of The Time, a group associated with Prince. Day and Pri ...

and The Time. After the credits, God closes the

book.

Cast

as Jay/Chronic *

as Silent Bob/Bluntman *

as himself/Holden McNeil/ Chuckie Sullivan *

Jeff Anderson Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in ''Clerks,'' ''Clerks II,'' and ''Clerks III''. In between, he has appeared in other Kev ...

as Randal Graves *

Brian O'Halloran Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film '' Clerks'' and its 2006 and 2022 sequels '' Clerks II'' and '' Clerks III' ...

as Dante Hicks *

Shannon Elizabeth Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films '' A ...

as Justice *

Eliza Dushku Eliza Patricia Dushku (; born December 30, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Faith in the supernatural drama series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003) and its spin-off series ''Angel'' (2000–2003). She als ...

as Sissy * Ali Larter as Chrissy *

Jennifer Schwalbach Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''. Career While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...

as Missy *

Will Ferrell John William Ferrell (; born July 16, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. He first established himself in the mid-1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show '' Saturday Night Live'', where he performed from 1995 to 2 ...

as Federal Wildlife Marshal Willenholly *

as Brodie Bruce/Banky Edwards *

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Ameri ...

as himself/

Will Hunting ''Good Will Hunting'' is a 1997 American psychological drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It stars Robin Williams, Damon, Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård and Minnie Driver. The film received positive re ...

* Judd Nelson as Sheriff *

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercul ...

as Hitchhiker * Carrie Fisher as Nun *

Seann William Scott Seann William Scott (born October 3, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Steve Stifler in the '' American Pie'' franchise, and also for his role as Doug Glatt in both '' Goon'' and '' Goon: Last of the Enforcers''. He has al ...

as Brent *

Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted '' The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts '' ...

as Reg Hartner * Jules Asner as herself *

Steve Kmetko Stephen James Kmetko (born February 16, 1953) is an American broadcast and entertainment journalist. First working as a news anchor and reporter in the US midwest, Kmetko moved to Los Angeles, California and embarked on a 30-year career as an ente ...

as himself * Tracy Morgan as Pumpkin Escobar *

Gus Van Sant Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultu ...

as himself *

Chris Rock Christopher Julius Rock (born February 7, 1965) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and filmmaker. Known for his work in comic film, television and stage, he has received multiple accolades, including three Grammy Awards for best come ...

as Chaka Luther King *

Jamie Kennedy James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the '' Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in ''The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His ot ...

as Chaka's production assistant *

Wes Craven Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...

as himself *

as herself *

as Cocknocker/voice of

Scooby-Doo ''Scooby-Doo'' is an American animated media franchise based on an animated television series launched in 1969 and continued through several derivative media. Writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears created the original series, ''Scooby-Doo, Where Are ...

Marc Blucas Marcus Paul Blucas (born January 11, 1972) is an American actor. Prior to his acting career, he played college basketball with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. He had his first starring role as soldier and love interest Riley Finn on the WB super ...

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...

lookalike * Matthew James as

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

lookalike * Jane Silvia as Velma lookalike *

Carmen Llywelyn Carmen Llywelyn, also known as Carmen Lee, is an American actress and photographer. Career She starred in the 1996 film '' Drawing Flies'', a View Askew production directed by Matthew Gissing and Malcolm Ingram, and produced by Kevin Smith. S ...

as Daphne lookalike *

Diedrich Bader Karl Diedrich Bader (born December 24, 1966) is an American actor and comedian who is best known for his comedy roles. He has appeared as a series regular in television sitcoms ''The Drew Carey Show'', '' American Housewife'', and '' Outsourced' ...

as Gordon, the Miramax security guard *

as himself *

as himself * Bryan Johnson as Steve-Dave * Walter Flanagan as Walter * Renee Humphrey as Tricia Jones * Joey Lauren Adams as Alyssa Jones * Dwight Ewell as Hooper LaMont/Hooper X * Scott William Winters as himself/Clark *

William B. Davis William Bruce Davis (born January 13, 1938) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as the Cigarette Smoking Man on ''The X-Files''. Besides appearing in many TV programs and movies, he founded his own acting school, the William Davis Ce ...

(''uncredited cameo'') as The Smoking Man *

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, Morissette began her career in Canada in the early 1990s with two ...

(''cameo'') as

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

Adam Carolla Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American radio personality, comedian, actor and podcaster. He hosts '' The Adam Carolla Show'', a talk show distributed as a podcast which set the record as the "most downloaded podcast" as judged by ''Guin ...

(Deleted scene, uncredited) as FBI Agent Sid *

Jimmy Palmiotti James Palmiotti (born August 14, 1961) is an American writer and inker of comic books, who also does writing for games, television and film. Early life Palmiotti attended the High School of Art and Design in New York City. Career Palmiotti sta ...

(''uncredited cameo'') as Pizza Delivery Man

Production

The film's plot was heavily inspired by ''

Chasing Dogma ''Chasing Dogma'' is a comic book mini-series that chronicles the events of the two fictional stoners Jay and Silent Bob between two of their films: ''Chasing Amy'' and ''Dogma''. Elements of the plot, such as the stealing of a monkey, were canib ...

'', a comic miniseries that Smith wrote in 1998 and 1999 to explore events that happened in the Askewniverse between ''

'' and ''

Dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...

''. The film was originally titled ''View Askew 5'' and the title was changed to ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''. Filming began on January 14, 2001, and ended on April 19, 2001. Filming took in place in New Jersey, and mostly in California. On his podcast ''

Jay & Silent Bob Get Old ''Jay & Silent Bob Get Old'' is a podcast featuring filmmaker Kevin Smith and actor Jason Mewes. The podcast features Jason Mewes talking about his past drug addictions and sexual encounters. The podcast has toured across the United States and in ...

'',

explained at length about how much of a "headache" the film was to make, mostly owing to

's drug and alcohol abuse turning him into a "ticking time bomb", which threatened to shut the project down at any moment. During pre-production, Mewes would have constant mood swings due to heroin withdrawal, to the point that Smith actually threw him out of his car on their way to the set one day. Mewes would compensate for his lack of drugs by drinking heavily after every day of shooting and nearly got into a fist fight with Scott Mosier when he had to come back one night for a re-shoot while drunk. When the shoot wrapped, Smith told Mewes point-blank to get sober or he would never speak to him again.

Release

Box office

''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' grossed $30.1 million in the United States and Canada and $3.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $33.8 million, against a production budget of $22 million. The film grossed $11 million in its opening weekend, finishing third at the box office behind two other comedy sequels, ''

American Pie 2 ''American Pie 2'' is a 2001 American sex comedy film directed by James B. Rogers and written by Adam Herz and David H. Steinberg from a story by Herz. A sequel to the 1999 comedy film '' American Pie'', it is the second film in the ''American ...

'' ($12.5 million) and '' Rush Hour 2'' ($11.6 million).

Critical reception

''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' received mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

the film has an approval rating of 52% based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Fans can expect a good laugh as the cast from Smith's previous films reunite for Jay and Silent Bob's last bow. The loose plotting and crude language may be too much for others though." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

the film has a score of 51 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by

CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...

gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, writing that " ether you will like 'Jay and Silent Bob' depends on who you are ... Kevin Smith's movies are either made specifically for you, or specifically not made for you". Adam Smith of ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' gave the film 3/5 stars, writing that " en it's good it's very, very good, but when it's bad it's offensive", and noting that "the gag hit/miss ratio is really only about 50/50". Scott Tobias of '' The A.V. Club'' wrote that " en at a slim 95 minutes, ''Jay And Silent Bob'' lets initially funny scenes trail off into long-winded monologues and silly digressions", and Elvis Mitchell of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the film " aye the greatest picture ever made for 14-year-old boys. Mr. Smith may have hit his target, but he aimed very low." In August 2001, Mike Schulz of ''

River Cities' Reader The ''River Cities' Reader'' is an independently owned alternative newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa. The newspaper was founded in 1993 and is circulated throughout the Quad-Cities metropolitan area and outlying communities. ''The Readers form ...

'' wrote that, "for sheer laughs, both mindless and incredibly smart, nothing since 1997's ''

Waiting for Guffman ''Waiting for Guffman'' is a 1996 American mockumentary comedy film written by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy, and directed by Guest. The film's ensemble cast includes Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard, and Parker Posey. The film' ...

'' has even compared."

Home media

''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' was released on VHS and Dimension Collector's Series two-disc DVD on February 26, 2002. A

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

version of the film was released on September 19, 2006.

Soundtrack

''Music from the Dimension Motion Picture: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', the soundtrack to the film, was released on August 14, 2001, by

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

released the original score by James L. Venable. It alternates film dialogue with songs of various genres that appear in the film. It features the 2001

Afroman Joseph Edgar Foreman (born July 28, 1974), better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and musician. He is best known for his songs " Because I Got High", released in 2000, and " Crazy Rap", which ...

hit, "

Because I Got High "Because I Got High" is a song by American rapper Afroman from his eponymous album. The lyrics of the song humorously describe how cannabis use is degrading the narrator's quality of life. The song, which was written in only a few minutes, rose ...

", whose

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

featured the characters Jay and Silent Bob. 'Tube Of Wonderful' was previously used as the theme song from Smith's 1997 film

. # ''Interlude: Cue Music'' by Jason Lee (as Brodie Bruce) – 0:03 # "Jay's Rap 2001" by

(as Jay) – 0:32 # " Kick Some Ass" by

Stroke 9 Stroke 9 is an American alternative rock band formed in Marin County, California, in 1989. History The band formed due to a "Rock Band" class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, California. In 1990, as a project, students Luke Esterkyn, Greg Gueldn ...

– 4:05 # ''Holden on Affleck'' by

as Holden McNeil – 0:28 # "Tube of Wonderful" by Dave Pirner – 1:45 # ''Cyber Savvy'' by Ben Affleck and Jason Mewes (as Holden and Jay) – 0:07 # "Choked Up" by Minibar – 2:58 # ''Doobie Snacks'' by Jason Mewes (as Jay) – 0:08 # " Magic Carpet Ride" by Steppenwolf – 2:43 # ''Jay & Justice'' by Shannon Elizabeth and Jason Mewes (as Justice and Jay) – 0:11 # " Bad Medicine" by

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. Original bassist Alec John such qu ...

– 3:55 # ''Stealing Monkeys'' – 0:08 # " This Is Love" by

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...

– 3:45 # ''Advice from Above'' – 0:23 # "The Devil's Song" by

Marcy Playground Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit " Sex and Candy". History Early ...

– 2:52 # ''Idiots vs. The Internet'' – 0:06 # "Tougher Than Leather" by

Run-D.M.C. Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

– 4:23 # ''Willenholly's Woe'' by Will Ferrell (as Willenholly) – 0:09 # "Bullets" by

Bob Schneider Bob Schneider (born October 12, 1965) is an Austin, Texas–based musician and former lead singer of the rock band Ugly Americans. He has released around a dozen albums, mostly on his own Shockorama label. ''Lonelyland'' (2001) was licens ...

– 4:22 # ''Touching a Brother's Heart'' by Jason Mewes and Tracy Morgan (as Jay and Pumpkin Escobar) – 0:23 # "Hiphopper" by

Thomas Rusiak Thomas Rusiak (; born Erik Thomas Sihlberg 8 November 1976) is a Swedish Rapping, rapper, Hip hop production, hip hop producer, musician and singer. Rusiak's father was the rather prominent Polish jazz saxophonist, Alfred Banasiak. Rusiak was init ...

featuring Teddybears STHLM – 4:46 # ''Two Thumbs Up'' by

(as Chaka Luther King) – 0:07 # "Jackass" by

Bloodhound Gang The Bloodhound Gang was an American rap rock band from Collegeville, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1988 by rappers Jimmy Pop and Daddy Long Legs (now in Wolfpac) as a hip-hop group, before branching out into other genres as their career prog ...

– 2:26 # ''A Smooth Pimp and a Man Servant'' by Jason Mewes (as Jay) – 0:16 # " Jungle Love" (Live) by Morris Day and The Time – 3:03 # ''NWP'' by Chris Rock (as Chaka Luther King) – 0:14 # "

" by

– 3:18

MPAA rating and GLAAD controversy

In August 2001, three weeks prior to release, the film came under fire from the

Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...

(GLAAD), for its "overwhelmingly homophobic tone", which included an abundance of gay jokes and characters excessively using the term "gay" to mean something derogatory. The scenes deemed particularly offensive included Jay's vehement refusal of giving oral sex to a male driver when hitchhiking, and Jay chastising Silent Bob for being willing to perform fellatio on him to get the security guard to let them go. Following an advance screening of the film, former GLAAD media director Scott Seomin asked Smith to make a $10,000 donation to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, as well as to include a reference to GLAAD's cause in the ending credits. On the bonus DVD (176 minutes), Smith explains in the on-camera intros of the deleted scenes that several scenes had to be cut from the theatrical release, due to the film initially receiving an

NC-17 The Motion Picture Association film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a motion picture's suitability for certain audiences based on its content. The system and the ratings applied to individual motion pictures ...

rating from the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distrib ...

. He also mentions in the audio commentary of the feature film that it took three submissions to the MPAA for the film to earn an R rating.

Notes

According to Ethan Alter of ''

Film Journal International ''Film Journal International'' was a motion-picture industry trade magazine published by the American company Prometheus Global Media. It was a sister publication of ''Adweek'', ''Billboard'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', and other periodicals. H ...

'', Smith did not intend to make another View Askewniverse film upon completion of ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'', but only decided to do so several years later, following the unsuccessful release of '' Jersey Girl''. Will Ferrell would later star in the 2009 film adaptation of ''Land of the Lost'' as Dr. Rick Marshall alongside

Danny McBride Daniel Richard McBride (born December 29, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter and producer. He starred in the HBO television series ''Eastbound & Down'', '' Vice Principals'', and ''The Righteous Gemstones'', also co-creating th ...

as Will Stanton and

Anna Friel Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, she has been acting professionally since age 13. Friel achieved fame with her portrayal of Beth Jordache on the British soap opera '' Brookside'' ...

as Holly Cantrell.

References

External links

* * *
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Filming Locations
at Movie Locations Guide
''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' movie stills
at Virtual History Film {{DEFAULTSORT:Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back 2000s buddy comedy films 2000s comedy road movies 2001 comedy films 2001 films American comedy films American buddy comedy films Films directed by Kevin Smith American films about cannabis Comedy crossover films Crossover films LGBT-related controversies in film Rating controversies in film Films about filmmaking Films scored by James L. Venable Films set in studio lots Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in New Jersey Films with screenplays by Kevin Smith Red Bank, New Jersey in fiction Films set in New Jersey American comedy road movies View Askew Productions films View Askewniverse films Dimension Films films Stoner films Films produced by Scott Mosier 2000s English-language films 2000s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

Release

Box office

Critical reception

Home media

Soundtrack

MPAA rating and GLAAD controversy

See also

Notes

References

External links