Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back

Snootchie bootchies! In this episode, I discuss Kevin Smith's fan-service classic, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. And on 4/20, because of course. As a kid in high school, I went through a big View Askewniverse phase, treating his movies almost like stoner-Shakespeare. I was a hopelessly uncool dork with almost no social life to speak of, but in Smith's sharply written world, I got to feel strangely adult. 

Here, we'll look into accusations of homophobia against the film and director; the story of how Jason Mewes was touched by an angel; and take a peak at the director who inspired Smith to get started in the first place. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:29

Hello everyone. Welcome back to Stupid Comedy Stuff. So this is the uh second episode, well, third episode technically, second full episode. And uh today we're gonna be talking about Jay and Silent Bob strike back. And um for this special occasion, um, if you're watching on YouTube, I you can see I'm actually wearing my Alanis Morset 20th anniversary jagged little pill to her t-shirt. So in honor of God herself. Yes, I'm wearing wearing this shirt. Um, and yes, uh, yeah, figure that was the the best way to honor honor our subject matter today. Um, I'm gonna talk about this movie and um also uh Kevin Smith's canon at large. Um, well, his canon up to this movie at least. But um I also uh want to say that I'm not gonna be doing a recap of this movie like I did with the Euro Trip. Um that was a lot. Uh it was it was a fun, it was it was a fun endeavor, but um, but it was it was a lot. It it kind of kicked my ass. And um I was what I was thinking there, and you know, I'm still finding my footing with the podcast, but you know, my thought process there was that I was trying to sort of follow in the footsteps of a podcast that I really like called True Crime Obsessed. And uh what they do is uh they recap true crime documentaries. Um, but what I didn't realize is that recapping a feature film is much different from a documentary. A uh feature film has a lot more action, a lot more scenes, a lot more plots. Well, it has a plot, you know, first of all, um, than a documentary, which has, you know, a rotating uh, you know, rotating camera crew of uh talking heads. And yeah. So plus, you know, maybe I shouldn't be trying to rip off people who are so great at what they do anyway. So um I'm just gonna um like talk a little bit about uh my history with Kevin Smith movies, um, like this movie, and um we'll talk a little bit about uh some facts uh that I found and uh we will keep this episode under an hour because yeah, I mean, who wants to talk stoner comedy for hours and hours? Um, you know, certainly not me. So um that being said, I um I uh wanted to also let you know that uh we rented this movie from the library. Here it is, if you're watching on YouTube, uh we got the DVD. And um please support your local public library, y'all. Um the library is really like the modern video store, if you think about it. And if you're really lucky, there might even be a couple of friendly local drug dealers standing outside uh ready to assist you. But um, yeah, I don't know about you, but we keep running into the problem of um like, gosh, we want to watch this movie, and why is this $3.99 on Amazon? We're paying for every single streaming service here imaginable, and and and yet, and yet, and yet. So, so yes, um, always support your local library. Uh, guess when the due date was for this one? April 20th. Yeah, yeah, that's right. This was due back on 420. And I saw that, I was just like, are you are you fucking kidding me? Like, come on. Um, but yeah, today is actually 4.20. Um, I'm you know, figured it would be a very appropriate day to record a podcast about Jay and Silent Bob. Um, I'm not high. Uh I'm yeah, I guess I'm sober because I gotta return this DVD or Blu-ray in a couple hours. But uh, but also I have ketamine therapy later tonight, uh which, yeah, like um I feel like that's like a very Jay and Silent Bob approved um, you know, activity here today. So um, but yeah, you unfortunately you cannot uh use THC right before. So um okay, well that's that's a lot of um perhaps too much information, uh TMI as we used to say. So let's let's dive into the movie.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

The real Jay and Silent Bob are breaking into your business. I hate how to fake Hollywood hard way.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

So uh this movie came out in 2001. I um I I'm pretty confident I haven't seen it since I was literally in high school. Um, you know, when we watched it a few nights ago, I'm pretty sure the last time I saw it, I was like, you know, an actual like child. Um and um the main reason I wanted to watch it when I was a kid was because of Jon Stewart. Uh he's in this movie not for very long, but um, but enough, you know, for me and my huge high school crush on him to go uh trot my cute little butt down a blockbuster and uh pick it up. So um, and I'm pretty sure like when I first saw it, I had already seen the other four movies in the the View Eskew universe, as as uh Mr. Smith likes to call it. Um his production company is View Askew. So um so that's what he calls uh the you know kind of like his little world that he's created for all his characters. Um I um I so as a kid, like here's how I remember feeling about his movies. I I have this weird memory of like being perhaps in ninth or tenth grade, and I was in gym class, we were outside, uh, someone there was a girl named Amy in my class, and somebody was running after her, and there were these other kids who were cool, like they were they were too cool for me, you know. I would not have deigned to come over and try and talk to them because I know this this may come as a shock, but I was not cool in high school, like you know, try not to spit out your drinks. Um but yeah, so I and I I heard uh one of them say, uh what'd he say? Like, oh, like she's chasing Amy, she's chasing Amy, like oh, and you know, they all started laughing. Um and and I I feel like I kind of knew what they were talking about, but but you know, not exactly right. So, and there's like there's this thing uh within me that um whenever I hear people making ref like pop culture references, I will I will like, you know, I'm like, oh I well, I can't ask them what they're talking about because then they're gonna, you know, find out that I'm stupid. So I um I will like kind of like catalog it in the back of my head and be like, okay, I'm gonna do everything I can to learn about this and uh, you know, find out so so that I can so that I maybe can actually at some point talk to them. So um, so I don't know if like maybe that was the moment that I uh went on a mission to learn about Kevin Smith movies. It could have been. But um I uh like I'm whenever I saw clerks for the first time, like I to me it was high art. And you know, I'm sure that a lot of that had to do with just you know, like the black and white aspect, you know, just like the fact that it was yeah, like that it was shot that way, which you know, like it wasn't on purpose, like it was a financial uh restriction. But um, you know, as a kid, I was it just it impressed me, right? Like it just it seemed like a like a very atour kind of um you know choice, I guess. And um, and then you know, when I did finally get around to seeing chasing Amy, uh I I did think it was very sophisticated, um, you know, as like a again, as like someone who was still in high school. Like um, I you know, I thought that uh Joey Lauren Adams was amazing in it, and um like the dynamics of her relationship with Ben Affleck, where like we're or Holden as his character, but whatever. Um like I thought that they're you know, it it just seemed very adult to me, I guess. Um, you know, as like a young a a you know blossoming young person. Um and and um so uh so like um when I uh when Jay and Silent Bob came out, um, you know, and then it had Jon Stewart in it, I I guess I I didn't really know what to expect. Um I don't remember it being like like my favorite favorite of the Kevin Smith movies. I think I probably uh liked, you know, chasing Amy or Dogma a lot more just because you know I I was like, oh, you know, these are like like the thinkers and and this one is like the stinker. I just no not really, but you know, um for whatever it's worth, the New York Times calls it a or I read the New York Times review of it from when it came out, and they say it's like it's basically like a slideshow with uh with sound and and they're kind of right. I mean um it is really almost like like a PowerPoint presentation that um like if you had asked me to make a PowerPoint presentation on, like what do you think Jay and Silent Bob are doing with their lives off camera, like when they're not in these other movies, like that, yeah. Could be like, oh yeah, they're they're trying to they're in a movie and um it's a movie about them, but they're not making any money from it and they're trying to stop it. Yeah, and and also they're trying to get laid, so yeah, that's I can see it. Um so um, but uh, you know, I mean, it it's packed with star power, you know. I mean, like Carrie Fisher's in it, Mark Hamill is in it, uh George Carlin is in it, um, you know, God bless George Carlin. I mean, um, you know, he's someone that I was way too young to appreciate when I saw this movie. Um, but I actually ended up taking my high school, uh my senior pictures. Um my mom had a a copy of the seven words you can't say on television. She had it on LP, and um that was like when I took my senior pictures, I had a bunch of records, like my parents for my parents' record collection, that was one of the records that I took my pictures with. So there you go. Pretty cool. So um I um I mean, you know, I I can't really I don't know. I mean, like my husband really likes this movie, and um he has the DVD, although uh over time um the movie he has the the double DVD, it has the movie and um a second disc with bonus features. The over time he has lost the um the movie disc and only has the bonus features now, which we should have watched. We we just it's in our storage unit somewhere. But um uh yeah, so yeah, he really likes this movie a lot. Um he could do um a killer J rap impression for you right now, you know. Um he's working though, so I'm not gonna drag him away from capitalism to come do that for you. But um I mean to me it wasn't it I guess I don't know, like it it kind of like I to my memory when I saw it, it like wasn't wasn't really my favorite. And you know, as a kid, I also didn't know that like the entire subplot of Will Farrell like chasing them, you know, after they uh broke into um the the lab to rescue Suzanne, the chimp. I had no idea that that was a parody of the fugitive. Um and so I mean, not just I mean, may okay, well let's just say it means maybe this movie is actually smarter than I realized, and that's that happens a lot as you know to kids and also you know to me as a kid, like you know, you some things are lost on you. Like it's ostensibly marketed to you as a kid, but then like when you're watching it, there's like certain elements that aren't necessarily like um, you know, like don't gel really, or you're like, oh, I I wanted to enjoy this more, but I didn't. And that's not not because like the aspects of it are such that like it's it's just gonna be over your head because you know, um, and yeah, I I hadn't seen the fugitive then. And and guess what? I still haven't seen it. I know. I it what's that sound I hear? Um, I mean it's it's my cat's on mat cat feeder, but also I I think it's the sound of 10,000 male Cenophile heart attacks happening at once. Um so I yes, I I I I sincerely apologize. I will, it's it's on my list. It it'll happen. It'll happen. Don't worry, don't worry, I'll watch it. Um anyway. So um Jay and Silent Bob got a lot of criticism for how homophobic it is, and it is a very homophobic movie. Um I mean, okay, so like when we watched it a few days ago, like yeah, there like that definitely stuck out to me, you know, as someone who's now living in 2026 and you know, as a pretty progressive person. Um it's it's hard not to like see that um, you know, those elements from a movie that came out in 2001 um and just sort of like cringe at it. Um now I mean, do I do you want examples like no? I don't, I'm not giving you examples, just like just look it up. Um, but anyway, uh I the gay, you know, the gay and lesbian alliance, uh the GLAD, um, they they had a a problem with this movie. Um, and uh they ended up um like uh doing a little bit of a protest, and um Kevin Smith actually donated $10,000 to the Matthew Shepard Foundation in response. Although, um, like this was kind of interesting. Um, the uh entertainment director of GLAD, his name is Scott uh uh Sealman, um, what he said at the time was he said, I know Kevin Smith is not a homophobe, but we feel the movie he wrote and directed is overwhelmingly homophobic, and there's huge potential for a negative impact on gay people, particularly gay youth. And so um Kevin Smith responded, uh, he said, Neither uh Jay and Silent Bob strike back nor myself are homophobic. If anything, we are overtly gay friendly. I swear I caught it from the right wing on dogma and not catching it from the left wing on this flick, uh, which like one of my people, a bleeding heart liberal or a Bible thumping conservative. And when in the hell do I get to make a movie in which I don't have to explain myself afterwards? When you have two main characters who both at one point or another hinted at or flat out copped a homoerotic escapades, how on earth can that be considered gay bashing? It's more that you more than you get in most buddy flicks. And like I okay, I I will say I'm I I not to like sound like I'm kind of you know like taking the easy way out here, but I I think that they're both right, to be completely honest. Um, Roger Ebert, who I you know really admire and um have done so my whole life, um, he uh what he said about this was that um he said uh the GLAD has chosen the wrong target in attacking Jay and Silent Bob for alleged anti-gay material. They should give audiences credit for enough intelligence to know the difference between satire and bigotry. Um and you know, like I I agree with him in theory. Um and like perhaps 25 years ago, I think there was a stronger argument to be made there, like particularly when this movie came out. I I worry increasingly that that's less and less so the case. And you know, kind of interestingly, like um when we were kids in my household, we were not allowed to watch South Park, um, which, yeah, that's true for a lot of kids. Um, and there was like a moment where where my younger brother ended up, I like I remember this so clearly, like he like it suddenly clicked for him what satire was. Because he was like making an argument for my mom. Like he wanted to convince our mom to let us watch South Park. And and like I could see like the wheels turning, and it it kind of like clicked for him. It was like, oh, like when when Eric Hartman says, you know, like these horribly bigoted things, like they're not they're not saying like those things are the joke. The joke is that he's a horrible person, and like you would not want to be like him. And you know, my brother's two years younger than me, and so it was kind of it was almost like a like we both sort of got there at the same time. And um, so so yeah, like um there is that, um, but also I mean, there is like a long and storied history of um of you know, like just people getting the wrong message from from things. And and you know, I can I I mean, you know, Smith is saying here, he's like, well, you know, these characters are like um they're they're probably cla closeted or maybe like struggling with their sexuality a little bit, um, which is like, oh, how is this gay bashing? Like, I mean, and I feel like that's kind of maybe willfully ignoring how like closeted people can be homophobic and have in fact contributed to homophobic policy and gay bashing in this country. Um, you know, hello, Lindsay Graham. Just don't sue me. Um, but uh yeah, so um, but you know, so it's nice of him to I'm glad he donated the $10,000. Um, you know, this was around the same time of you know, Eminem's his albums coming out, um, and of course, you know, just a few years after Matthew Shepard's terrible murder. So like I I I I I understand where Glad is coming from. And like, yeah, I mean, uh like a younger version of movie would have been very much like a like free speech, free speech, you know, art for the sake of art, always. But um, but like I do I don't know. I I don't totally agree with Roger Eber, because I I wish I could. Like I I want to. I really do. I want to. I want to give audiences the mouth of the doubt, but I don't know. Are we are we the you know, do we like you know, it's like the whole do we have a government as good as the people now? Like I don't know. Um does, you know, does art have a responsibility to its audience, or does the audience have the responsibility to to the art? Like, yeah. Good question. I don't know. Good question. I I just told myself of my own question. Yeah. Um I um I like when I was uh in high school, I really thought like Kevin Smith's movies were very sophisticated. Um and and you know, he um I read a interview with him from the Austin Chronicle where he uh was screening Jane Silent Bob here at the Paramount Theater in uh when it was first released. And uh they said, You're uh you're often accused of being a wonderful uh dialoguist but a terrible director. And that's yeah, that's probably why I liked the movies so much, just because they're so well written. I mean, um, you know, like there's like it was true back then, and it's is certainly true now. There's just an incredible dearth of of well-written um, you know, material out there. So like truthfully, I guess I'm just not not a enough of a cinephile to like understand what like yeah, I guess I read um I think it was a variety review, but yeah, something else said that like, oh, he he's guilty of incompetent staging and like I feel like I would you know, excuse me, but I feel like I'd really only be able to like you know, spot something like that, like if I had gone to film school, truly. So yeah, I don't know. Just that doesn't really bother me as an audience member for a film. You know, but um, I mean, with with Jay and Silabob, it's I guess what you'd call like a fan service movie. It's just very much like a, you know, we're like we're winking at the camera. Um, you know, like the inside jokes are like flying off off the wall, um, you know, off the fourth wall, really. Um, you know, the the I mean, Jay literally at one point like breaks the fourth wall and winks at the camera. Um so uh and you know, it really kind of like ties everything together with like the whole view of Ski Universe, which is you know the whole point really. Um and and I I guess that's like what I what connected uh me to that as a kid was because I think when like when you're a young person and um and like you're you're kind of between pop culture interests, you know, like I was I was starting to get like too old for the Backstreet Boys, but you know, I was like too young for um, I don't know, like um I don't know what would have been an appropriate uh I don't know, like like adult concert. Yeah, like like a smashing pumpkins concert or whatever. I don't know, that's not a good comparison, but like yeah, whatever. I was like just like in between um like interests. Like watching movies like this, it just it kind of makes you feel like you're part of a community, like you're part of like a grown-up, like a young adult community that just seems like like very sophisticated and and sort of like cosmopolitan. Well, as far as like Leonard, New Jersey, it can be cosmopolitan, but um you know, but but like yeah, like these, I mean, you know, now that I'm 41, I'm like, oh, like they don't have very enviable lives. But you know, like the characters in these movies, they like they go to the mall and they they smoke weed and and they hang out at the video store and and they have sex and like you know, I that's all I would have ever wanted when I was 16, right? So um just to hang out with cool people and and and say cool words and and do cool things and and just just kind of beyond bothered by life. So um yeah, I I mean, like just it really, I don't know, it's kind of making me feel nostalgic for like nostalgia for a past where I was dreaming about the future. Isn't that kind of weird? Like, yeah. Um, and I mean, you know, I I do want to also kind of share this. This is sort of funny. Um, speaking of like the past where we were dreaming about the future, uh back during the first Trump administration, uh, when Trump was being investigated by Robert Mueller, yeah, who R.I.P. just passed away and and then Trump danced on his grave because you know that's what he does. Um, but uh back during those days, um, I remember my dad texted me one time and and he was like, Yeah, that that Bob Mueller, he's he's a really good attorney. Yeah, like he's really good. Um, you know, he plays it really close to the vest. Like he's just like that one guy. Uh, what was his name? What was that one guy's name? Um, oh yeah, Silent Bob. That's right. Jay and Silent Bob. Am I that's right. That was a guy, right? I was like, I thought that was so fucking funny. I um back when I still used Twitter, yeah, that's how long this was. I um I posted that on Twitter and and Kevin Smith liked it, which was awesome, right? We are all connected, but but yeah, that was that was you know in the past when we were dreaming about the future of Trump being thrown in jail, which oh dreams, oh beautiful dreams. Um but yes. So um I guess uh to wrap up, I don't know what else, um, what else do I want to share? I um oh, okay, I'll share this. Um when I read this interview with Kevin Smith in um, I read this in the Austin Chronicle. Uh he he came to Austin in um in 2001 to present uh the film at the Paramount Theater. And um he said, I'm excited to go because Austin is to a large degree kind of like the create the cradle of my career. If it wasn't for Slacker, I doubt I'd be doing what I'm doing today. Richard Linkletter's style and my style are two completely different things, but it was seeing Slacker that kind of opened me up to the possibilities. I've always said that watching Slacker, and I've watched it with a mixture of awe and arrogance. I was awed by the fact that, like, oh my god, this is a totally engrossing, it has no plot, we won't stand any character for more than five minutes, and here I am so wrapped with attention that this is an incredibly new kind of film for me. But arrogance, because at the same time, I'm like, if this counts as a movie, I think I can make a movie too. So, and you know, isn't that just just the definition of of DIY art? Right? I mean, like you know, like if Joe Rogan's out there fucking doing comedy, I can do comedy, right? You know, like seriously, like if that guy can be a podcaster, I can be a podcaster too, you know. And I'm not I'm not crushing it right now, you know, but like, but but neither is he, well, I guess he is because he's got millions of dollars in views, but but maybe I can get that too. Um and yeah, I mean, you know, like it's just so much went into making just this silly stoner comedy. I mean, like Jason Mews, the Jay, um he was struggling with so much heroin and oxycontin addiction during the filming of this this movie. I mean, he woke up to a couch on fire uh you know at one point. And um, I mean, that guy is lucky to be alive. Um, I think his, you know, his struggles with addiction are fairly well known, and you know, you probably don't need me to rehash it. Um, but um, I did read that when he was filming Dogma, um, Alan Rickman, I guess, like gave him a very stern talking to and said, you know, look, you've got to be here, you gotta be on time, you gotta be professional. I expect you to know your lines, and and that like really resonated with him. And oh, God bless Alan Rickman. We, you know, the world is is a much, much sadder place for having lost him. But and also on that sad note, I will say it was I did get a little a little teary-eyed uh when James Vanderbeek waltzed out here on the screen uh in this movie. He um he his character in this, I mean, you know, he's like the um like the the movie version of uh of Jay. Or I'm sorry, um Blunt Man. But um, but yeah, just um, man, I I that was such a hard loss this year, uh, James. I mean, he was too young, he's 48, and and like, and I guess just from by all accounts, just like a really, really upstanding guy. I mean, you know, Kevin Smith wrote a very um very warm-hearted tribute to him on his Instagram. And like, you know, he made it sound like, you know, look, this guy, he already had fame and notoriety from Dawson's Creek and and uh varsity blues, and he really didn't have to appear in my movie, which you know was kind of like a um, you know, like a kind of like a an it wasn't well let's just say it wasn't like a step forward for his career, but but he did it anyway. He he was there to like like parody himself. It sounded like it just seems like he had like a really good sense of humor about himself. Um and God, like he should I I say this about anyone who I think was a really good person to whose life was cut too short. He should still be here. He should still be here, god damn it. What what a sham. Um, you know who shouldn't still be here is the producer of this movie, Harvey Weinstein. What the hell? Why why haven't they taken his name off the credits yet? Um yeah, well, I guess yeah, what how about we just blame him for all the misogyny? Like we'll we'll just say that like it's it's all on him and you know, not not Kevin or or Jason or or anyone else, even Ben Affleck, like we'll yeah, we'll say that's fine. Um okay, yeah. Well, this is good. Um, is there anything else I want to go over? Um I don't know. Uh Carrie Fisher has the Buddy Christ, she's a nun and she has Buddy Christ on her dashboard. That's pretty cool. Um yeah, that's good. Um, all right, well, um this was really fun. Uh you know what? I've I've never I haven't seen Clark's 3 or or uh the Jay and Silent Bob reboot. Um maybe one day I'll watch them, but um, you know, I I just nostalgia's good. Like it people like to dog on nostalgia, but hey, you know what? Like it's 2026, okay? Like maybe living in the past is okay, right? Um bye everyone. Like questions, comments, leave them, leave them where you leave them down below. You know where to leave them. And um thank you so much. Appreciate you guys. Y'all are the best. Bye-bye. Have a great day, happy 420. Uh snoochie boochies.

unknown 31:27

Bye.

SPEAKER_02 31:31

And I know why. Because I got hot. Because I got hot. Because I got hot.