JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK
Dimension Home Video, $29.99
“OVER FIVE HOURS of special features!” shouts the package of Kevin Smith’s latest effort. No doubt his die-hard fans can’t wait to sing along with the fart jokes and those wacky curse words—then discover how such brilliance is so carefully crafted. The rest of us may agree with Smith’s own assessment of DVD bonus material: “Bullshit that wasn’t good enough to get in a movie that wasn’t good enough to be in theaters to begin with.” It’s a perfect, if self-conscious, summary of this entire two-disc package (released Feb. 26).
For those who aren’t in the know, Jay and Silent Bob are two New Jersey stoners who head for Hollywood to stop the production of a movie unlawfully based on their characters. The duo has played a part in every film directed by Smith, who notes on the commentary track that Back is “the most inside [joke] movie ever made.” Both inside and outside jokes fall flat, however, and most of us will wonder what the point is in the wealth of extras: 42 deleted scenes, still photos, storyboards, outtakes, trailers, and a laughable video titled Morris Day and the Time—Learnin’ the Moves.
Music videos from the soundtrack are also featured, and a Comedy Central special makes Smith out to be a visionary, but all the extra features in the DVD world can’t hide a lack of talent or new ideas. Even his commentary mentions an actor who thought a major studio funding this project was endlessly laughable. Memo to Smith: Work the film, not the DVD.
Rob Andrews
MEMO TO SHOPPERS: Fox is bringing out a slew of old Shirley Temple movies, if you go for that kind of thing. Robert Redford may be receiving a lifetime-achievement Oscar next month, but no awards are due The Last Castle (March 5). The same date sees a double-disc special-edition A.I. (reviewed next week), which earned Oscar nominations for visual effects and score and landed on a few significant critics’ top-10 lists. The temp office worker comedy Haiku Tunnel (Feb. 26) didn’t make any such lists, but the commentary of Josh and Jacob Kornbluth should be funny.
Eds.
