Good afternoon, I have to come out and say this at the outset – I’ve been a fanboy for Kevin Smith’s work since I saw a rental VHS of Mallrats back in 1996 (confession time: I never returned it. Sorry, Hollywood Video).

The writer-director had a great run with Clerks and its sequel, Clerks II, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. I even appreciated Jersey Girl for what it was.

Then, Smith lost his mojo.

After the disappointing commercial performance of his intended “breakout” movie Zack And Miri Make a Porno, ol’ Lunchbox seemed to stop believing in himself. Add in a daily regimen of marijuana and the loss of producer Scott Mosier (the Gary Kurtz to Smith’s George Lucas), and Kev put out a baffling series of misfires: Cop Out, Red State, Tusk, and Yoga Hosers.

I have to give the man credit for trying to move outside of his comfort zone, but all four of those were hard to watch. I still haven’t finished Hosers.

Kevin Smith as a Hitler-brauten.
Yeah, no thanks. Er, nein danke.

Kevin Smith: Redemption?

So when Kevin and star Jason Mewes announced last year that he was rebooting Jay And Silent Bob with a new entry into the Askewniverse saga, I was a bit torn; Would he regain his writing/directing mojo and pull off a Rocky Balboa-esque comeback? Or would we be forced to endure another sad, cynical, Last Jedi-style rehash?

As food for thought, here’s the first taste of Jay And Silent Bob Reboot:

It looks… fine? It doesn’t look as cheap as I feared, I laughed a couple of times, and it’s nice to see all the old faces (and in Mewes’ case, new ones).

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Lee, and Brian O’Halloran are all back, and Shannon Elizabeth returns as Jay’s T.L.F. Justice, who has a surprise for Jay in the form of a daughter, played by Smith’s daughter, Harley Quinn… or is she Silent Bob’s sire? Hmm… getting Dumb And Dumber To vibes.

There! The underrated, but still not quite as good, sequel to Dumb And Dumber. That’s about where my expectations for this movie currently lie. I hope to have them exceeded come… this fall, when Kevin Smith is releasing Jay And Silent Bob Reboot in a… (checks notes) roadshow?!? Whole fuckin’ world’s against us, dude, I swear to God.

Have a good day.