This is perhaps the very definition of a niche movie – if you’re not a fan of Kevin Smith’s “View-Askewniverse” this will probably be completely impenetrable to you, but if you’ve followed his characters for the last 25 years, this is a nostalgic delight.

Premise: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) learn that Hollywood is making a reboot of the Bluntman & Chronic movie from 2001, and so set off to disrupt the filming of a pivotal scene at this year’s Chronic-Con convention. But during their cross-country journey, Jay learns that he has a teenage daughter that he’s never met (Harley Quinn Smith).

Review:

First things first – know your audience. Writer/director Kevin Smith certainly does, and this film is unapologetically intended as a ‘thank you’ from him to his long-time fans. But more than that, it’s a ‘thank you’ to his family, friends, co-workers, collaborators and the universe in general, after the 49-year-old writer/director famously suffered a near-fatal heart-attack in 2018. That experience, understandably, gave him a new outlook on life, and led him to make Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, which comes from such an honest and joyful place, it’s hard to say a bad word against it. If it’s not your cup of tea, no problem, and I’m sure Kevin Smith would be the first to say more people will hate it than love it – but if it spreads any joy and laughter into the world, I’m also sure that he’ll feel he accomplished what he set out to do.

Personally, I am a massive fan of Kevin Smith’s View-Askewniverse, which covers Clerks (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), the satirical masterpiece Dogma (1999), Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Clerks II (2006), and so to revisit these characters for the first time in 13 years was an absolute joy for me. And not only is the film great fun if you are a long-time fan, but it’s also hard not to get caught up in the ‘real-life’ heart-warming stories behind the film’s creation, such as the fact that Kevin Smith gets to write a father/daughter relationship that’s brought to life onscreen by his real-life daughter (Harley Quinn Smith) and best friend (Jason Mewes), or that the film led to a real-life reconciliation between childhood friends Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck, who hadn’t spoken in years.

“…the film’s central emotional theme is redemption through parental love…”

Kevin Smith has openly joked that he used the emotional blackmail of his heart-attack to get as many cameos into this film as possible. Some cameos are from new collaborators, like Chris Hemsworth, David Dastmalchian, Adam Brody, Dan Fogler, Joe Manganiello and several other comedic actors that you’ll instantly recognise even if you can’t name them, while many, many more cameos come from beloved characters from the previous View-Askewniverse films, including Jason Lee, Shannon Elizabeth, Brian O'Halloran, Joey Lauren Adams, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Previous Kevin Smith collaborators Craig Robinson and Rosario Dawson also cameo as new characters, and interestingly, Justin Long reprises his role as Brandon St. Randy from Zach & Miri Make a Porno (2008) even though that film is not part of the View-Askewniverse.

Of all the cameos, Matt Damon’s and Ben Affleck’s are probably the most affecting, which is only fitting given that they are both childhood friends of Kevin Smith’s. Matt Damon’s cameo is perhaps the funniest, and finally answers some plot-related questions that have been outstanding for 20 years, but it’s Ben Affleck’s cameo that is arguably the emotional core of the entire film. Affleck reprises his role as Holden McNeil from 1997’s Chasing Amy, in a scene which not only works as an emotionally satisfying mini-sequel to that film, but which also addresses the film’s central emotional theme of redemption through parental love. In a film where Kevin Smith’s real-life daughter (Harley Quinn Smith) and Jason Mewes’ real-life daughter both appear, it’s hard not to be moved by the film’s emotional honesty.

“…Jason Mewes & Harley Quinn Smith do a great job making the emotional moments feel real…”

That’s not to suggest for a moment that this is a “highbrow” indie drama – the crude sex and drug based jokes that the characters are known for are still very much front and centre. But arguably what’s always set Kevin Smith’s films apart from other such comedies is the emotional truths that are buried underneath the crude humour, and they are still very much present in Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. The relationship between Jay and his daughter is the central pillar around which the whole film is built, and Jason Mewes and Harley Quinn Smith both do a great job making the emotional moments feel real amid all of the comedy.

Kevin Smith is happy to laugh at everything in this film, from the concept of reboots (he’s joked that this is basically the same movie as Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), to comic-book movies (which he clearly loves), to himself and his own reputation for (a) making poorly received films and (b) casting his friends and family in everything he makes. But all the humour comes from a place of love, not spite, and it’s all the more infectious because of it.

“…gives long-time fans the perfect blend of humour, nostalgia & heart…”

All in all, this film is only likely to appeal to existing fans of Kevin Smith’s work – but there’s nothing wrong with that, when it does such a great job of giving long-time fans the perfect blend of humour, nostalgia and heart.

Oh, and make sure you stay for a final post-credits gag…