Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult-favorite Clerks. It focuses on the two eponymous characters, played respectively by Jason Mewes and Smith. The film features cameo appearances from Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams and Shannen Doherty among many others. The title and logo for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are direct references to The Empire Strikes Back.

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 roles 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 but positive from audiences

Plot
A tale of adventure on the open road. When Dante and Randal (of Clerks fame) get a restraining order to keep the punchy Jay and his hetero life-mate, Silent Bob, from selling drugs in front of the Quick Stop convenience store, their lives are suddenly empty. They find new purpose when their friend, Brodie, informs them a movie is being made featuring two infamous characters based on their likenesses. After visiting one of the creators of the Bluntman and Chronic, Holden McNeil, they set out to get what fat movie cash they deserve and hopefully put an end to people slandering them on the Internet. Along the way, they learn the rules of the road from a hitchhiking George Carlin, ride with a group of gorgeous jewel thieves, and incur the wrath of a hapless wildlife marshal for liberating an orangutan named Suzanne. The quest takes them from New Jersey to Hollywood where a showdown involving the police, the jewel thieves, and the Bluntman and Chronic filmmakers will decide the fate of Suzanne, Jay, Silent Bob, and their good names.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The humor is clever and hilarious, as expected from Kevin Smith movies.
 * 2) The acting is incredibly well done, with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes being highlighted standards.
 * 3) This is the first mainstream comedy in the View Askewniverse. It's all the more impressive and satisfying when you consider that Smith started as a low-buget indie filmmaker when he made Clerks.
 * 4) Jay and Silent Bob are still an amazing duo with fantastic chemistry. Arguably, this movie has them at their best.
 * 5) The montage nearby the end when Jay and Silent Bob use the money they get from the movie rights to hunt down and beat up every Internet troll that bashed their movie.
 * 6) * Having to wait for the businessman on the phone to finish his call, only to just give up and start kicking his ass.
 * 7) Lots of memorable and awesome cameos from celebrities of the time; including Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Jamie Kennedy, Will Ferrell, Jon Stewart, Ali Larter, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Seann William Scott, George Carlin, Carrie Fisher, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, and even Mark Hamill!
 * 8) * Not to mention Hamill's complaint later in the scene about Jay's pre-ass-kicking one liner not being in the script. Mainly because it implies everything leading up to that point was in the script.
 * 9) *Smith says in the commentary that the caption was added because he was genuinely worried that people wouldn't recognize Hamill under the mask.
 * 10) It has plenty of callbacks and easter eggs of past Kevin Smith films.
 * 11) * Well more like two-scene wonder: The Sheriff. He has no problem making the Federal Wildlife Marshal look stupid by correcting him about the difference between monkeys and apes. Later on he is the only one that doesn't fall for Jay's ruse of sneaking the monkey out as their adopted kid. He also leaves the Marshal to deal with Jay and Silent Bob without any assistance. Finally he mocks the Marshal's compliment during the scene with the rules. Why is he able to do that? Because he's Judd Nelson AKA John "Fucking" Bender, that's why (and also Rodimus Prime).
 * 12) It further expands the View Askewniverse.
 * 13) Jay and Silent Bob running through the Hollywood back lot trying to escape some guards. They turn and run down one street and WHAM! Crash and fall over thanks to a background piece painted exactly like the real street behind it.
 * 14) "See? If you were funnier than that, ABC wouldn't have cancelled us"

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) Chris Rock is one of the top-billed actors, despite not appearing until the movie's climax, through it was justified since he was in the cameo appearances.

Reception
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back received mixed reviews from critics, but was mostly positive reviews from audiences alike. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 53% based on 152 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 the film has a score of 51 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.