Writer / editor / director / co-star Kevin Smith gave his infamous title slacker characters this big feature vehicle, in which Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself) learn that a big screen adaptation of "Bluntman and Chronic" is happening. Since these comic book characters were based on Jay and Silent Bob, they realize that they SHOULD get a piece of the pie. They then set off on a cross-country odyssey from Jersey to Hollywood, to either get their share of the dough, or else stop the movie from being made.

I will grant that this whole thing does play like one giant in-joke, with an impressive roster of cameo appearances (Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, George Carlin, Wes Craven, etc.) as well as encore appearances from characters from previous Smith films. It starts out extremely funny, with some hilarious and on-point dialogue, then starts to go flat as the story takes over and Smith works to get the movie to a substantial feature length. (It might have worked even better as a short.) That said, there are a reasonable amount of laughs to be had, especially as Jay and Silent Bob react to other individuals, or others react to them. Smiths' dialogue is amusingly profane, then begins falling back on the vulgarities a bit much, before calming down again.

There are some funny vignettes, particularly when Jay and Silent Bob are convinced to liberate an orang-utan (people keep referring to it as a "monkey") from an experimental lab, and the cute ape becomes a constant companion. The simian actor playing the role is quite endearing.

Some of the brightest moments involve either the process of acting and filmmaking, or the breaking of the fourth wall. Characters don't necessarily *address* the audience, but they *do* acknowledge them.

Mewes is likeable, but Smith is generally funnier in this viewers' opinion due to never speaking unless he absolutely has to. Smiths' pantomime can be a real hoot. Shannon Elizabeth is adorable as the traveller who becomes the apple of Jays' eye. Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, and Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (the directors' wife) are sexy and sultry fun as Elizabeths' conniving associates.

Overall, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is fun stuff, especially for Smith devotees, finishing with a vibrant musical performance by Morris Day and The Time.

Seven out of 10.

Kevin Smith's previous movies always seemed to be something of a mixed bag. Whether ambitious thematically, ("Dogma", "Chasing Amy"), or outright comedy, ("Mallrats"), the movies as a whole were less satisfactory than their many very funny parts. The sporadic appearances of the second string character duo of Jay and Silent Bob were always a welcome event.

The big question was whether this 2001 styled Laurel and Hardy, when promoted to center stage, could carry a movie. The answer much to my surprise was a resounding yes. Smith outdoes himself, producing an exceptional comedy. It's consistently inventive, with surprises, in jokes and many cameos from Smith regulars, all who seem to be genuinely having a ball. Never has irreverence and bad language been done with so much charm.

Those who disliked Smith's previous works would do well to stay away, they are unlikely to be converted. But for fans, Smith really does deliver the goods, in a big way.

I was totally baffled by reading that certain gay groups took offence to this movie. It would seem to me a total misreading as well as a great deficiency in the humor department. Apart from the fact that Smith lampoons all and sundry, it actually struck me as a particularly gay friendly movie. The fact that a gay character sums the movie up as one big gay joke should be taken as a compliment more than anything else.

It's clear that this brings Smith's cycle to a close. He couldn't have wished for a better ending.

Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith) are two drug dealers first seen in 'Clerks'. They find out that a comic book based on their lives are being made into a movie. After discovering the internet, they see that they are being ridiculed by trolls. Instead of wanting money, they set off to Hollywood to stop the movie. Then the duo hitch a ride with 4 hot girls (Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith).

The story is a little random. There's a lot of funny inside jokes about Hollywood. It's cute but the childish jokes don't all work. It's cool to see all the Hollywood big names taking on their own previous work. This is definitely a movie for Kevin Smith fans only. At the heart of it is the friendship between Jay and Silent Bob. That part works quite well. However the production isn't as expertly made as Kevin Smith may want. There is a lot going on in this movie. He throwing every style and endless movie references at this.