Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the latest film in Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse series, has made its way around the US on a road trip and is currently being shown in the UK. The latest installment is a parody of Hollywood’s obsession with remakes and reboots while being all of that itself.
This tongue in cheek look at popular culture is indicative of Kevin Smith’s familiar style of storytelling, his first film Clerks satirizing the customer service industry, and the lives of its workers. Smith’s movies have held many great messages and themes,but there are definitely some that have not aged as well. Here are 5 moments that aged well, and 5 that haven’t.
Did Age Well - “I’m not even supposed to be here today!”
Clerks kicked off the ViewAskewniverse in 1994. The film was written and directed by Kevin Smith, with the main character Dante Hicks modeled after Smith himself. The film is based on Smith’s experience working at his local QuickStop and his interactions with the customers and friends that would come through the door.
In the film, Dante was called into work by his boss, although as he says numerous times throughout, he’s not even supposed to be there today. Through the eyes of Dante, Kevin Smith perfectly captures what all customer service people feel and the crushing dreariness of the industry.
Didn’t Age Well - The Alyssa/McNeil Relationship
Chasing Amy was Kevin Smith’s third film and was, at the time, incredibly successful, grossing $12 million on a $250,000 budget. However, as positively Chasing Amy was received, one of the plot points does not hold up to today’s scrutiny. The film tells the story of a comic book illustrator, Holden McNeil, who meets another artist Alyssa Jones, who happens to be a lesbian.
Holden falls in love with Alyssa, which itself isn’t an issue, however, when he suggests she should be able to turn off her lesbianism to be with him because he can’t take the pain of having a crush on her, it does become a bit problematic.
Did Age Well - Stan Lee’s Speech In Mallrats
Mallrats, the second in the View Askewniverse series, follows the characters Brodie and TS as they navigate the turbulent waters of love, heartbreak, and shopping malls. At the beginning of the film, both young men have altercations with their respective girlfriends, which leads to them breaking up.
At one point in the film, Brodie, who is lamenting his relationship, encounters comic book legend Stan Lee, who offers up some words of advice. “Look, do yourself a favor, Brodie. Don’t wait. Because all the money, all the women, even all the comic books in the world, they can’t substitute for that one person.”
Didn’t Age Well - Jay’s “Terms Of Endearment”
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was the first film to focus solely on Kevin Smith’s Silent Bob character and his long-time friend Jason Mewes’ Jay, both of which had been in Smith’s films since Clerks. The film follows the two characters who learn Hollywood is planning on making a movie based on the comic they are the basis for, so they hitchhike from the east coast to the west in order to stop the film.
Along the way, they meet four women, one of whom Jay falls head over heels in love with. It becomes evident that no one ever taught Jay how to speak with women, as he is completely derogatory toward her, although that isn’t his intention.
Did Age Well - Dante Learns To Dance
Clerks 2 continued the story of Dante Hicks and his best friend Randal Graves, which sees the QuickStop burn to the ground and the two friends finding work at a local fast-food restaurant. They are joined by a new character Becky Scott, who manages the restaurant and also happens to be close with Dante.
As the story progresses, viewers discover that Dante is engaged and will be moving away and leaving his life behind, though he isn’t all that happy about it. He later confesses to Becky that he is terrified of dancing at the wedding, so she takes him up to the roof and teaches him some moves. This evolves into a dance number that Jay and Silent Bob join in, with hilarious results.
Didn’t Age Well - Angelic Violence
Dogma was incredibly controversial when it was released, due to its irreverent and satirical view of the Catholic Church and Christian religion. The Catholic Church itself deemed the film blasphemous, while others stated the freedom of religion allows disagreements, and blasphemy is not a crime.
The film itself focuses, in part, on two angels trying to get back into heaven, as they had been previously kicked out. While attempting to get back into heaven, the two angels set out to deliver divine punishment on humans they deem sinners. This leads to graphic and violent public killings, that in today’s age is tough to watch.
Did Age Well - Randal’s Hard Truths
During Clerks, the character of Dante partakes in wallowing in self-pity and engages in self-sabotage regularly. At one point, he is particularly depressive when Randal decides to speak through the miserable talk. Although Dante continuously tells him to leave him alone, Randal persists in trying to pull his friend out of his funk.
He points out that Dante can absolutely change his outlook on life and his circumstance if he really wants to, he just needs to take a chance. It’s a great moment in the film which most people can relate to and shows that the rough Randal, is actually a pretty great friend.
Didn’t Age Well - That scene in Clerks 2
Although Clerks 2 had some great moments and dialogue, there is one scene that is particularly rough. Towards the end of the film, Becky leaves Mooby’s after Dante confesses his love to her, and Randal encourages him to go after her.
While he is away, Randal sets up a surprise going away party for his friend, which in and of itself isn’t that bad; however, it’s that entertainment that he unwittingly books, that is very tough to watch. It’s a scene that those that have watched the film will know exactly what it is, and those that haven’t should enjoy blissful ignorance.
Did Age Well - Silent Bob’s nuggets of truth
Throughout the View Askewniverse films, Kevin Smith’s Silent Bob character is known for being exactly that, silent. However, when needed, he can lend some excellent perspective to otherwise confusing or troubling situations.
In Clerks, he points out that Dante’s girlfriend is pretty special, in Chasing Amy he tells a story to illustrate Holden McNeil’s foolishness in his treatment of Alyssa. What makes each moment special is that these speeches are the only times Silent Bob speaks and are often the most poignant pieces of dialogue.
Didn’t Age Well - Demonic Excrement
As already stated, Dogma was pretty controversial, and by today’s standards would not have been accepted all that well. Among the elements that audiences would find a bit much, is the excrement demon, who is summoned by the main villain. This particular scene occurs while the heroes meet Serendipity, the muse of creative inspiration, and are tracked down by Azrael.
During the ensuing fight, the demon, who is made of human excrement, is summoned to defeat the heroes. It’s a particularly gross scene that wouldn’t go down well with today’s audiences and, by all cases, should be flushed.
