Review from Arizona Daily Star (Tucson)

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: Hilarity in 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' offensively clever : By Phil Villarreal : ARIZONA DAILY STAR : Sex, pot and fornicating movie stars - that's comedy, Kevin Smith style. : Humor is in the ears and eyes of the laugher, and bets are on that there are plenty of sensory receptors out there that'll find Smith's "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," the funniest comedy of the summer. : Granted, some find Smith, who wrote and direct "Jay and Silent Bob," more offensive than funny. : Those people should steer clear of this film, because Smith does nothing to appease his detractors, and might even do more to offend them. Gone is the intelligence from films he wrote and directed like "Dogma" and "Chasing Amy." : With clever wit, stinging satire and Smith's usual blue-collar sarcasm, this one puts all its effort into making you fall out of your chair laughing. : Smith delivers his usual sharp dialogue and pumps up the volume on genital and flatulence jokes, stomping all over political correctness and general decency. : Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), the New Jersey drug-dealing duo that's played a sideshow in Smith's other films, are now given center stage. Angered when they discover there's a movie being made about them without their consent, Jay and Silent Bob head to Hollywood to trip up the production. : Smith's star-studded cast delivers so many rapid-fire jokes, the preview-screening audience often laughed so hard that they didn't catch the next one. : Smith has a brilliant comic mind, but he's not perfect. A couple of characters (played by Will Ferrell and Chris Rock) aren't funny, and a few jokes in the movie miss, but most of the material makes you laugh out loud and begs to be repeated to your friends the next morning. : The usual "Star Wars" and "Smokey and the Bandit" references are good for laughs, and Smith even makes fun of himself for using the same characters in so many movies. : It's amazing how far he's come, considering just seven years ago Smith was a 23-year-old unknown who had to sell his comic book collection and max out his credit cards to fund his black-and-white debut, "Clerks," one of the comic gems of the '90s. : Now he's called out big-name stars and has them make fun of themselves for his audience's benefit. : In one fall-down funny scene, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck rib each other over their recent cinematic failures while on the set of a fictional sequel to "Good Will Hunting." Meanwhile, director Gus Van Sant sits behind the camera, still counting the money he made from that film. : Knowledge of Smith's previous films isn't necessary to have a good time at this flick, but familiarity definitely ups the appreciation level. He sneaks in references to all four of his previous films, and he ties up some loose ends. : Smith has declared that this is the last time he will use characters from his first four films, and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" is a fabulous send-off for those characters. : The film won't appeal to everybody, but it will serve as a treasured capstone for his fans. : * Contact Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or prv@azstarnet.com. : : QUICK TAKE : Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back : Rated: R for nonstop crude and sexual humor, pervasive strong language and drug content : Cast: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck : Writer/director: Kevin Smith : Family call: Leave the kids and Grandma at home. : Running time: 98 minutes : How is it? Outstanding : Playing at: Park Place, El Con, Century Park, Foothills, DeAnza, Desert Sky, Cinemark/Sierra Vista

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