Jay and Silent Bob
Encyclopedia
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes
and Kevin Smith
, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse
, a fictional universe
created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks
.
Jay and Silent Bob have appeared in most of Smith's films with the exceptions being Jersey Girl
, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
, Cop Out, and Red State
. In Smith's universe, the characters are shown spending most of their time selling marijuana
in front of the convenience store in the Clerks films. An exception to their drug trafficking occurred in Clerks: The Animated Series
, in which they were selling illegal fireworks instead of drugs.
The duo express a great interest in John Hughes' films such as Sixteen Candles
, the film Purple Rain
, the heavy metal musician King Diamond
, shown in Clerks II, when Silent Bob is asked to put on music and plays the song "Welcome Home" from King Diamond
's 1988 album, Them
, the funk and dance-pop ensemble Morris Day and the Time
, Canadian "melo-drama" television shows such as Degrassi The Next Generation, Buffalo Bill
's infamous nude dancing scene (to the song "Goodbye Horses
") from The Silence of the Lambs, as well as in X-Men
.
, New Jersey
in the early 1970s. They met as infants in front of Quick Stop Groceries while their mothers shopped inside RST Video as seen in the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Silent Bob's distinguishing features are his heavy smoking, long coat
, dark hair, beard, and backwards baseball cap
. He was raised Catholic
, and is a gadgetry genius
. True to his name, Silent Bob rarely speaks but when he does he often has something profound or thoughtful to say, delivering insightful monologues to the other characters only in appropriate situations. Otherwise he relies on hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Jay once mentioned that Silent Bob rarely speaks because he feels he leaves a major impact when he does speak. Silent Bob is often agitated towards Jay and whenever Silent Bob does speak, he will sometimes criticize Jay. In Clerks: The Animated Series
, Bob is called "Blutarsky", but according to Smith, it was only a joke that referenced "Animal House" and he never gave Bob a last name.
Jay is thinner and slightly taller than Bob, and has long blond hair. In several of the later View Askewniverse
films, Jay wears a black toque
. In contrast to Bob, Jay speaks quite frequently and crudely and often treats people with cruelty or disrespect, including Silent Bob. Jay's excessive cursing seems due to influence from his overbearing mother, who is shown continually using profanity in front of him. His first word was "fuck
". In Clerks, the first film to feature the duo, Jay wears a baseball cap.
. Jay and Silent Bob return to their primary business location in front of Quick Stop. Throughout the day, they are seen dancing, loitering, and harassing passersby. Silent Bob enters the store to buy powdered sugar while Jay goes inside to steal food. They also deal marijuana to various pedestrians (including Willam Black), much to the chagrin of Quick Stop clerk Dante Hicks. In addition, the duo hang out with Silent Bob's Russian cousin Olaf, who runs a heavy metal band and is looking to do a gig in New York City
.
Overhearing Dante's dilemma with Caitlin Bree and Veronica, Silent Bob says to him, "You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you."
The end credits of Clerks contains a reference to the return of Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma.
. There they are met by Brodie (Jason Lee) and T.S. (Jeremy London
), who have broken up with their girlfriends—Rene (Shannen Doherty
) and Brandi (Claire Forlani
), respectively. As fate would have it, a local game show called "Truth or Date", which is set to feature Brandi, is to be filmed at the mall that day. Brodie asks Jay and Silent Bob to make sure that the show does not happen, and Jay says they were going to destroy the stage anyway, for lack of anything better to do.
They make several attempts to destroy the stage, but ultimately fail. Later, they help Brodie and T.S. win back their girlfriends. Jay incapacitates the male contestants on "Truth or Date" by getting them stoned, which allows Brodie and T.S. to take their places. Silent Bob overrides the production's video input, allowing him to play a video tape of Rene's new boyfriend, Shannon Hamilton (Ben Affleck
), having sex with a minor. The film concludes with Brodie and T.S. each reconciling with their respective girlfriends and Jay and Silent Bob walk off into the distance with an orangutan
named Susanne.
In this film, we also find out that Silent Bob is an electronics genius and won a science fair in 8th grade by turning his mother's vibrator
into a CD player by using "chicken wire
and shit".
After the credits roll, we are told that Jay and Silent Bob will return in Chasing Amy.
artists Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck
) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee
) created a popular independent comic book series entitled Bluntman and Chronic
which stars the duo.
This film centers around Holden's romantic relationship with Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams
), a self-identified lesbian
. Though their love is initially strong, the relationship begins to deteriorate when Holden discovers Alyssa's past. Towards the end of the film, Jay and Silent Bob meet Holden to accept their likeness rights payment, and during this meeting Silent Bob tells Holden the story of his former girlfriend, Amy.
Silent Bob explains, in his longest speech to date, that he once dated a girl named Amy, and much like in Holden's relationship with Alyssa, he became disturbed at the revelation of Amy's sexual past, specifically that she engaged in a threesome
. Upon discovering this, he broke up with her only to realize, much later, that he was wrong. He was not angry at her; rather, he felt small and insecure, as if he would never be enough given his lack of experience. But by the time he realized this it was too late, and she had moved on. He has since spent his life "Chasing Amy", so to speak.
Inspired by Silent Bob's story, Holden devises a plan to fix his relationship with Alyssa, but like Silent Bob's past relationship it is too late. Holden passes the reins of power over the Bluntman and Chronic comic and thereafter creates a new comic named Chasing Amy, based on the relationship.
The end credits of Chasing Amy again contain a reference to the return of Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma.
(the events of which are chronicled in the comic book story "Chasing Dogma
"). Jay and Silent Bob decide to go back home to New Jersey
. Before they leave, they meet Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino
), a Roman Catholic abortion
clinic worker who has lost her faith in God.
Though she herself is unaware of the fact, Bethany is the last living relative of Jesus
. She has been charged with the holy quest of stopping two fallen angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck
) and Loki (Matt Damon
), from entering a church in New Jersey
. The two angels were expelled from the Heaven after Loki got extremely drunk, quit his position as the Angel of Death, and gave God the finger; they realize that they can exploit a doctrinal loophole and get back into heaven if they lose their wings and then die by some means other than suicide. Bartleby reasons that entering the church in New Jersey will automatically forgive all of their sins as total remission of sins had been granted to whoever visited that specific church on a specific date, thus allowing them to return to Heaven. Though they do not know it, if the two were to return to heaven this way, they would overturn God's decision, thus "proving God wrong" and unmaking all of existence. The Metatron
(Alan Rickman
) tells Bethany that she is to follow two people who refer to themselves as "prophet
s". This turns out to be Jay and Silent Bob, who rescue Bethany from her attackers. She believes they are the prophets by Jay's statement that he "could have stayed in Jersey and at least made himself a profit". Though initially only interested in sex, Jay and Silent Bob agree to let her come with them.
Jay and Silent Bob fill out their roles as prophets: they predict the arrival of Rufus (Chris Rock
), the thirteenth apostle, who was left out of the Bible
because he was black; they lead the others to former muse Serendipity (Salma Hayek
); they procure the divine instrument that will stop Azrael; Jay reveals the location of God ("John Doe Jersey"); and ultimately, though inadvertently, they provide Bethany with the solution to preventing Armageddon. The Apostle Rufus reveals that Jay entertains homosexual fantasies when masturbating; Jay attempts to reassure a disturbed Silent Bob by explaining that he does not always think about men. During the journey, they also encounter the two angels, and a host of demons who (in rebellion against Hell) are trying to help the angels cause the end of the world. Silent Bob also speaks, a comical line after throwing the rebel angels off a moving train, then being awkwardly stared at by a shocked and confused passenger. ("No ticket", a reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
).
Once at the church, Jay and Silent Bob, along with the others, try to stop the angels from entering. Loki has a change of heart and tries to help them out, but gets killed in the process by Bartleby. Though their efforts to fight Bartleby are unsuccessful (in fact, Jay accidentally helps Bartleby out by shooting his wings off with a MAC-10
, turning him to a mortal), God
(Alanis Morissette
) arrives, and proceeds to set things in order. After Jay spouts an obscenity-filled tirade on Serendipity and Rufus, the movie ends with Jay suggesting that he and Silent Bob take Bethany to the Quick Stop.
The ending credits tell us that Jay & Silent Bob would return in Clerks II: Hardly Clerkin'.
against Jay and Silent Bob that prohibits them from coming within one hundred feet of the Quick Stop or RST Video. Having no place to loiter, they decide to pay a visit to Brodie (Jason Lee), where they learn that Miramax Films
is making a "Bluntman and Chronic" film.
They visit Holden McNeil, co-creator of the characters, and ask for the money that belongs to them for using their likenesses in the film, only to find out that he sold his half of the rights to "Bluntman and Chronic" to the other co-creator, Banky Edwards (Jason Lee); after Holden introduces them to the internet, they also discover that a number of people have bashed the upcoming film and insulted Jay and Silent Bob numerous times. Jay and Silent Bob decide that they must defend their honor, and embark on a trip to Hollywood to stop the movie from being made and save their reputations.
After being refused service on a bus for not having tickets, they decide to hitchhike there, and stop at a local Mooby's restaurant whereupon Jay falls victim to love at first sight
: Justice (Shannon Elizabeth
), an international jewel thief posing as an animal rights
activist. Justice offers them a ride under the pretense that they are traveling cross country to release animals from an animal testing facility, much to the chagrin of her partners Chrissy (Ali Larter
), Missy (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
), and Sissy (Eliza Dushku
).
Once inside the facility, Jay and Silent Bob find a tranquilizer
gun and the ape, an orangutan
named Suzanne (a reference to the ending scene in "Mallrats"). After springing her from her cage, Silent Bob becomes sympathetic for the other animals, so they let them loose as well. In the meantime, the four women escape with the diamonds and place a bomb on the van; Jay and Silent Bob manage witness the van explode, and assuming that Justice is dead, They manage to escape just as the authorities arrive.
Federal Wildlife Marshall Willenholly (Will Ferrell
) arrives to take over the case, as it involves the release of animals. Suzanne is subsequently taken by the occupants of a car labeled “Critters of Hollywood”. Jay laments that they will never see Suzanne again, only to have Silent Bob explain that the sign on the car indicated that they will probably meet up with her in Hollywood.
They are eventually able to hitch a ride and make it to Hollywood.
There they evade a security guard (Diedrich Bader
) and make their way through multiple movie sets, including Good Will Hunting
2: Hunting Season. They are reunited with Suzanne on the set of Scream 4
, where Suzanne is playing the part of a masked killer.
Pursued by a group of security guards, they are able to escape by riding a bicycle over a ramp, propelling them through the window of a nearby building. By sheer luck, they land in the dressing room of James Van Der Beek
(of Dawson's Creek
) and Jason Biggs
(of American Pie
), who happen to be playing Jay and Silent Bob in The Bluntman and Chronic Movie; Silent Bob is somewhat upset that his comic-book counterpart is being played by the "pie fucker
".
After learning this, Jay and Bob form a huddle in the corner and decide to beat up Biggs and Van Der Beek, but while their backs are turned Suzanne does this for them. Jay and Silent Bob then give the ape the tranquilizer gun and set her loose in the ventilation ducts.
They put on the Bluntman and Chronic outfits, so they will not be noticed, but are mistaken for Biggs and Van Der Beek, and are escorted to the set of the "Bluntman and Chronic" movie. Despite the fact that they do not know what they are doing, once on set, filming begins. Jay and Silent Bob battle with Bluntman and Chronic's arch nemesis, Cockknocker (Mark Hamill
), eventually cutting off his hand.
At this point, Justice enters the set to confess her love for Jay and admits her profession as a professional jewel thief; a nonchalant Jay forgives her and they kiss. Willenholly reappears with a shotgun, soon followed by Missy, Chrissy and Sissy. Justice and Sissy fight hand to hand, while Missy and Chrissy get into a gun battle with Willenholly.
During the commotion, Jay and Silent Bob locate Banky Edwards and demand their money; after Banky refuses, Silent Bob breaks his silence and explains why Banky can be sued if he does not acquiesce to their demands. Banky finally agrees to give them half of whatever he makes from the movie.
After the fighting is over, Willenholly stands up, believing he has killed Missy and Chrissy. Suzanne takes this opportunity to shoot him in the buttocks
with a tranquilizer dart, incapacitating him; Justice uses the situation to her advantage and offers Willeholly an opportunity to get into the FBI by turning herself in along with Missy, Sissy, and Chrissy as long as she gets a reduced sentence and the charges against Jay and Silent Bob are dropped. He agrees and Justice tells Jay to wait for her.
Banky approaches Jay and Silent Bob and tells them that they are now rich. Jay expresses his displeasure at the fact that, despite all of their efforts, they were still unable to stop the internet insults. They decide that the only way to achieve this, using their new found wealth, is to visit and beat up everyone who had insulted them to the tune of "Kick Some Ass" by Stroke 9
.
.
Once out of rehab
, they are clean, but they continue to deal but try to teach the word of God, in a manner similar to evangelists
. In one scene, Jay even suggests to a couple of buyers that they should read the Bible
. The Quick Stop where Dante worked was burned in a fire due to Randal leaving the coffee pot on, and he and Randal moved over to the Mooby's fast food restaurant. Jay and Silent Bob follow them there. In the beginning of the film, Jay expresses some disillusionment at being a drug dealer and weighs on other ideas of what to do in life.
At one point during the movie Jay, knowing boredom is the first step to relapse, dances to the song "Goodbye Horses
" by Q Lazzarus
after Silent Bob puts the tape in the boom-box. He parodies exactly the same dance done by Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, complete with the "tuck", although it is alleged Jay has been doing this in real life before Silence of the Lambs came out.
Near the end of the film, they are jailed with Dante, Elias, and Randal, in which the latter hired a donkey show
to celebrate Dante moving away. Jay and Silent Bob were charged for possession of drugs, which violated their probation. Randal wants to reopen the Quick Stop with Dante, but neither of them have the money, so Jay and Silent Bob offered them some of the Bluntman and Chronic movie royalty money under the condition that the two are allowed to loiter
outside the shop and that the police
cannot be called to arrest them. After the Quick Stop is reopened, Jay and Silent Bob return to where they started so many years ago.
continues Jay and Silent Bob’s adventures in front of the Quick Stop with Dante and Randal. In one episode, Jay and Silent Bob sell illegal fireworks instead of drugs. These events are not necessarily continuous with events depicted elsewhere in the View Askewniverse. Silent Bob follows the film format and only speaks once during the episodes. They are apparently killed when they go running into a hail of machine gun fire by Leonardo Leonardo's troops although it is implied they may have survived (they were wearing bulletproof vests at the time and they later appear in the "Science Sez" skit after the credits). In the show, it is revealed that Jay is a year younger than Randal and Dante.
In most of the episodes, Jay and Silent Bob have some public service announcement
videos, where they talk about safety tips, science lessons or magic tricks. When they introduce themselves to kids, Charles Barkley
also appears, but is immediately shooed away by Jay. In the "Science Sez" skit, Barkley attempt to tell a kid the importance of science when Jay and Silent Bob arrive and beat him up, reminding him that only they do the segments.
In the series' final episode "The Last Episode Ever", Jay is revealed to be the show's animator, as he constantly re-draws the physical forms of Dante and Randal (similar to one of Bugs Bunny
's antics in Looney Tunes
) toward the end of the episode.
and Dogma
, Jay and Silent Bob decide to go to be the "blunt connection" in Shermer, Illinois, (where most of John Hughes' films are set) because they believe that all the guys there are jerks and that there would be girls crawling all over them. They discover in Chicago
that Shermer, Illinois, does not exist.
Since many of the events were reused in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, not all the events depicted here are necessarily continuous with those depicted elsewhere in the View Askewniverse.
each other in exchange for him and Bob loaning them the money to re-open the Quick Stop and RST. He may say this merely to get Dante and Randal to humiliate themselves, but after Bob's disgusted look, he retracts the demand. In a cut version of the same scene, available among the deleted scenes on the Clerks II DVD, Bob tells Jay that he (Jay) is a deeply-repressed gay man.
Kevin Smith has stated that he sees Jay as ambisexual: "Jay — who's always talking about women — is a character a lot of young hetero guys identify with. But I think Jay's really ambisexual. So it's nice to throw them a curveball to open up their perspective a bit. If I can lead a few cats into being a bit more tolerant, I feel pretty good."
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes is an American television, film actor, and internet radio show host best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's films.-Early life:...
and Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse
View Askewniverse
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media,...
, a fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
created and used in most films, comics and television by Smith, which began in Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
.
Jay and Silent Bob have appeared in most of Smith's films with the exceptions being Jersey Girl
Jersey Girl (2004 film)
Jersey Girl is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith...
, Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Zack and Miri Make a Porno is a 2008 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, distributed by The Weinstein Company, and starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. It is Smith's second film not to be set within the View Askewniverse and the first not set in New Jersey. It was...
, Cop Out, and Red State
Red State (2011 film)
Red State is a 2011 American independent horror film written and directed by Kevin Smith, starring Michael Parks, John Goodman, Melissa Leo and Stephen Root...
. In Smith's universe, the characters are shown spending most of their time selling marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
in front of the convenience store in the Clerks films. An exception to their drug trafficking occurred in Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks is an American animated sitcom based on Kevin Smith's 1994 comedy of the same name. It was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver.-Cast:- Broadcast history :Only two episodes...
, in which they were selling illegal fireworks instead of drugs.
The duo express a great interest in John Hughes' films such as Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...
, the film Purple Rain
Purple Rain (film)
Purple Rain is a 1984 film directed by Albert Magnoli and written by Magnoli and William Blinn. Prince makes his film debut in this movie, which was developed to showcase his particular talents, hence, the film contains several extended concert sequences. The film grossed more than US$80 million at...
, the heavy metal musician King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
, shown in Clerks II, when Silent Bob is asked to put on music and plays the song "Welcome Home" from King Diamond
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen , better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Grammy Award nominated Danish heavy metal musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his extensive vocal range, in particular his usage of falsetto. He is the lead vocalist for both Mercyful Fate and the eponymous King Diamond...
's 1988 album, Them
Them (King Diamond album)
-Remaster bonus tracks:-Personnel:*King Diamond - Vocals, Keyboards*Andy LaRocque - Guitar*Pete Blakk - Guitar*Hal Patino - Bass*Mikkey Dee - Drums...
, the funk and dance-pop ensemble Morris Day and the Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
, Canadian "melo-drama" television shows such as Degrassi The Next Generation, Buffalo Bill
Jame Gumb
Jame Gumb, known by the nickname Buffalo Bill, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1988 novel The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, and its 1991 film adaptation, in which he was played by Ted Levine...
's infamous nude dancing scene (to the song "Goodbye Horses
Goodbye Horses
"Goodbye Horses" is a 1988 song sung by Q Lazzarus. It was written and produced by William Garvey. There are three versions of the song, of lengths 3:12, 4:20, and the extended version at 6:28....
") from The Silence of the Lambs, as well as in X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
Character profiles
Jay and Silent Bob are said to have been born in LeonardoLeonardo, New Jersey
Leonardo is a census-designated place located within Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP population was 2,757...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in the early 1970s. They met as infants in front of Quick Stop Groceries while their mothers shopped inside RST Video as seen in the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American action adventure comedy film written, directed by, and starring Kevin Smith as Silent Bob, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of his cult favorite Clerks...
Silent Bob's distinguishing features are his heavy smoking, long coat
Coat (clothing)
A coat is a long garment worn by both men and women, for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a belt, or a combination of some of these...
, dark hair, beard, and backwards baseball cap
Baseball cap
A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a rounded stiff brim. The front of the cap typically contains designs or logos of sports teams ,...
. He was raised Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and is a gadgetry genius
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
. True to his name, Silent Bob rarely speaks but when he does he often has something profound or thoughtful to say, delivering insightful monologues to the other characters only in appropriate situations. Otherwise he relies on hand gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Jay once mentioned that Silent Bob rarely speaks because he feels he leaves a major impact when he does speak. Silent Bob is often agitated towards Jay and whenever Silent Bob does speak, he will sometimes criticize Jay. In Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks: The Animated Series
Clerks is an American animated sitcom based on Kevin Smith's 1994 comedy of the same name. It was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver.-Cast:- Broadcast history :Only two episodes...
, Bob is called "Blutarsky", but according to Smith, it was only a joke that referenced "Animal House" and he never gave Bob a last name.
Jay is thinner and slightly taller than Bob, and has long blond hair. In several of the later View Askewniverse
View Askewniverse
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent Bob appear in almost all the View Askewniverse media,...
films, Jay wears a black toque
Toque
A toque is a type of hat with a narrow brim or no brim at all. They were popular from the 13th to the 16th century in Europe, especially France. Now, it is primarily known as the traditional headgear for professional cooks.- Etymology :...
. In contrast to Bob, Jay speaks quite frequently and crudely and often treats people with cruelty or disrespect, including Silent Bob. Jay's excessive cursing seems due to influence from his overbearing mother, who is shown continually using profanity in front of him. His first word was "fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
". In Clerks, the first film to feature the duo, Jay wears a baseball cap.
Clerks
Clerks, released in 1994, is the first film to feature Jay and Silent Bob. In the View Askewniverse continuity, it takes place the day after MallratsMallrats
Mallrats is a 1995 film written and directed by Kevin Smith. It is the second to be set in Smith's View Askewniverse series of interlocking films set mostly in New Jersey, although the movie was filmed in Eden Prairie Center and Osowski's Flea Market which are located in Minnesota...
. Jay and Silent Bob return to their primary business location in front of Quick Stop. Throughout the day, they are seen dancing, loitering, and harassing passersby. Silent Bob enters the store to buy powdered sugar while Jay goes inside to steal food. They also deal marijuana to various pedestrians (including Willam Black), much to the chagrin of Quick Stop clerk Dante Hicks. In addition, the duo hang out with Silent Bob's Russian cousin Olaf, who runs a heavy metal band and is looking to do a gig in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Overhearing Dante's dilemma with Caitlin Bree and Veronica, Silent Bob says to him, "You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you."
The end credits of Clerks contains a reference to the return of Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma.
Mallrats
Although it was filmed one year later, the events in Mallrats, released in 1995, occur one day prior to the events in Clerks. In the film, Jay and Silent Bob are busy loitering at the Eden Prairie Center MallEden Prairie Center Mall
The Eden Prairie Center is a mall located in the heart of Eden Prairie, Minnesota and is owned and operated by General Growth Properties. It is anchored by JCPenney, Kohl's, Sears, Target, and Von Maur.-The 1970s and 1980s:...
. There they are met by Brodie (Jason Lee) and T.S. (Jeremy London
Jeremy London
Jeremy Michael London is an American actor. He is best known for his regular roles on Party of Five, 7th Heaven, and I'll Fly Away, as well as a notable supporting role in the Civil War epic Gods and Generals....
), who have broken up with their girlfriends—Rene (Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
) and Brandi (Claire Forlani
Claire Forlani
Claire Antonia Forlani is an English actress.-Early life:Claire Forlani was born in Twickenham, London, the daughter of Barbara , who was English, and Pierluigi Forlani, a music manager from Ferrara, Italy. At the age of 11, Forlani entered the Arts Educational School in London, where she began to...
), respectively. As fate would have it, a local game show called "Truth or Date", which is set to feature Brandi, is to be filmed at the mall that day. Brodie asks Jay and Silent Bob to make sure that the show does not happen, and Jay says they were going to destroy the stage anyway, for lack of anything better to do.
They make several attempts to destroy the stage, but ultimately fail. Later, they help Brodie and T.S. win back their girlfriends. Jay incapacitates the male contestants on "Truth or Date" by getting them stoned, which allows Brodie and T.S. to take their places. Silent Bob overrides the production's video input, allowing him to play a video tape of Rene's new boyfriend, Shannon Hamilton (Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
), having sex with a minor. The film concludes with Brodie and T.S. each reconciling with their respective girlfriends and Jay and Silent Bob walk off into the distance with an orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
named Susanne.
In this film, we also find out that Silent Bob is an electronics genius and won a science fair in 8th grade by turning his mother's vibrator
Vibrator (sex toy)
Vibrators are devices for the body and skin, to stimulate the nerves for a relaxing and pleasurable feeling. Some vibrators are designed to ergonomically stimulate erogenous zones for erotic stimulation.-History:...
into a CD player by using "chicken wire
Chicken wire
Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence poultry livestock. It is made of thin, flexible galvanized wire, with hexagonal gaps...
and shit".
After the credits roll, we are told that Jay and Silent Bob will return in Chasing Amy.
Chasing Amy
Chasing Amy, released in 1997, reveals that in the years since the events of Clerks, Jay and Silent Bob have found out that comic bookComic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artists Holden McNeil (Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
) and Banky Edwards (Jason Lee
Jason Lee (actor)
Jason Michael Lee is an American actor and skateboarder known for his role as the title character on the NBC television series My Name is Earl, his portrayal of Syndrome in the film The Incredibles, his role as Dave Seville in the Alvin and the Chipmunks films, and his work with director Kevin...
) created a popular independent comic book series entitled Bluntman and Chronic
Bluntman and Chronic
Bluntman and Chronic are characters appearing in an fictional eponymous comic book series seen in the movies Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Actual Bluntman and Chronic comic books based on the fictional movie comic book series were published after the release of Jay and Silent Bob...
which stars the duo.
This film centers around Holden's romantic relationship with Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams
Joey Lauren Adams is an American actress who has appeared in more than thirty films. She is known for her distinctive, raspy voice and for her roles in View Askewniverse films, particularly Mallrats and Chasing Amy, with the latter giving her a Golden Globe for Best Actress nomination.-Career:She...
), a self-identified lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. Though their love is initially strong, the relationship begins to deteriorate when Holden discovers Alyssa's past. Towards the end of the film, Jay and Silent Bob meet Holden to accept their likeness rights payment, and during this meeting Silent Bob tells Holden the story of his former girlfriend, Amy.
Silent Bob explains, in his longest speech to date, that he once dated a girl named Amy, and much like in Holden's relationship with Alyssa, he became disturbed at the revelation of Amy's sexual past, specifically that she engaged in a threesome
Threesome
A threesome is a group of three engaged in the same activity. In relation to a sexual activity a threesome refer to the activity involving three people of any gender or sexual orientation...
. Upon discovering this, he broke up with her only to realize, much later, that he was wrong. He was not angry at her; rather, he felt small and insecure, as if he would never be enough given his lack of experience. But by the time he realized this it was too late, and she had moved on. He has since spent his life "Chasing Amy", so to speak.
Inspired by Silent Bob's story, Holden devises a plan to fix his relationship with Alyssa, but like Silent Bob's past relationship it is too late. Holden passes the reins of power over the Bluntman and Chronic comic and thereafter creates a new comic named Chasing Amy, based on the relationship.
The end credits of Chasing Amy again contain a reference to the return of Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma.
Dogma
The events in Dogma, released in 1999, take place after their disappointing adventure in the fictional Shermer, IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(the events of which are chronicled in the comic book story "Chasing Dogma
Chasing Dogma
Chasing Dogma is a comic mini-series that chronicles the events of the two fictional stoners Jay and Silent Bob between two of their films: Chasing Amy and Dogma. The series was written by Kevin Smith, creator of View Askew Productions...
"). Jay and Silent Bob decide to go back home to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Before they leave, they meet Bethany Sloane (Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films Dogma, Vision Quest, Men in Black, After Hours and The Last Seduction.-Personal life:...
), a Roman Catholic abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
clinic worker who has lost her faith in God.
Though she herself is unaware of the fact, Bethany is the last living relative of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. She has been charged with the holy quest of stopping two fallen angels, Bartleby (Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
) and Loki (Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
), from entering a church in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The two angels were expelled from the Heaven after Loki got extremely drunk, quit his position as the Angel of Death, and gave God the finger; they realize that they can exploit a doctrinal loophole and get back into heaven if they lose their wings and then die by some means other than suicide. Bartleby reasons that entering the church in New Jersey will automatically forgive all of their sins as total remission of sins had been granted to whoever visited that specific church on a specific date, thus allowing them to return to Heaven. Though they do not know it, if the two were to return to heaven this way, they would overturn God's decision, thus "proving God wrong" and unmaking all of existence. The Metatron
Metatron
Metatron or Mattatron is the name of an angel in Judaism and some branches of Christian mythology. There are no references to him in the Jewish Tanakh or Christian Scriptures...
(Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman is an English actor and theatre director. He is a renowned stage actor in modern and classical productions and a former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...
) tells Bethany that she is to follow two people who refer to themselves as "prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s". This turns out to be Jay and Silent Bob, who rescue Bethany from her attackers. She believes they are the prophets by Jay's statement that he "could have stayed in Jersey and at least made himself a profit". Though initially only interested in sex, Jay and Silent Bob agree to let her come with them.
Jay and Silent Bob fill out their roles as prophets: they predict the arrival of Rufus (Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
), the thirteenth apostle, who was left out of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
because he was black; they lead the others to former muse Serendipity (Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
); they procure the divine instrument that will stop Azrael; Jay reveals the location of God ("John Doe Jersey"); and ultimately, though inadvertently, they provide Bethany with the solution to preventing Armageddon. The Apostle Rufus reveals that Jay entertains homosexual fantasies when masturbating; Jay attempts to reassure a disturbed Silent Bob by explaining that he does not always think about men. During the journey, they also encounter the two angels, and a host of demons who (in rebellion against Hell) are trying to help the angels cause the end of the world. Silent Bob also speaks, a comical line after throwing the rebel angels off a moving train, then being awkwardly stared at by a shocked and confused passenger. ("No ticket", a reference to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
).
Once at the church, Jay and Silent Bob, along with the others, try to stop the angels from entering. Loki has a change of heart and tries to help them out, but gets killed in the process by Bartleby. Though their efforts to fight Bartleby are unsuccessful (in fact, Jay accidentally helps Bartleby out by shooting his wings off with a MAC-10
MAC-10
The MAC-10 is a highly compact, blowback operated machine pistol developed by Gordon B. Ingram in 1964.-Design:The M-10 was built predominantly from steel stampings...
, turning him to a mortal), God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
(Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
) arrives, and proceeds to set things in order. After Jay spouts an obscenity-filled tirade on Serendipity and Rufus, the movie ends with Jay suggesting that he and Silent Bob take Bethany to the Quick Stop.
The ending credits tell us that Jay & Silent Bob would return in Clerks II: Hardly Clerkin'.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, released in 2001, takes place nearly ten years after the events of Clerks. Due to their excessive noise-making and drug dealing, Randal Graves gets a restraining orderRestraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against Jay and Silent Bob that prohibits them from coming within one hundred feet of the Quick Stop or RST Video. Having no place to loiter, they decide to pay a visit to Brodie (Jason Lee), where they learn that Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
is making a "Bluntman and Chronic" film.
They visit Holden McNeil, co-creator of the characters, and ask for the money that belongs to them for using their likenesses in the film, only to find out that he sold his half of the rights to "Bluntman and Chronic" to the other co-creator, Banky Edwards (Jason Lee); after Holden introduces them to the internet, they also discover that a number of people have bashed the upcoming film and insulted Jay and Silent Bob numerous times. Jay and Silent Bob decide that they must defend their honor, and embark on a trip to Hollywood to stop the movie from being made and save their reputations.
After being refused service on a bus for not having tickets, they decide to hitchhike there, and stop at a local Mooby's restaurant whereupon Jay falls victim to love at first sight
Love at first sight
Love at first sight is a common trope in Western literature, in which a person, character, or speaker feels romantic attraction for a stranger on the first sight of them...
: Justice (Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...
), an international jewel thief posing as an animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
activist. Justice offers them a ride under the pretense that they are traveling cross country to release animals from an animal testing facility, much to the chagrin of her partners Chrissy (Ali Larter
Ali Larter
Alison Elizabeth "Ali" Larter is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the dual roles of Niki Sanders and Jessica Sanders on the NBC science fiction drama Heroes as well as her guest roles on several television shows in the 1990s.Larter's screen debut came in the 1999 film...
), Missy (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith , sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, former reporter for USA Today, digital broadcaster, and the wife of film director Kevin Smith.-Early life:...
), and Sissy (Eliza Dushku
Eliza Dushku
Eliza Patricia Dushku is an American actress known for her television roles, including recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She starred in two Fox series, Tru Calling and Dollhouse...
).
Once inside the facility, Jay and Silent Bob find a tranquilizer
Tranquilizer
A tranquilizer, or tranquilliser , is a drug that induces tranquility in an individual.The term "tranquilizer" is imprecise, and is usually qualified, or replaced with more precise terms:...
gun and the ape, an orangutan
Orangutan
Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...
named Suzanne (a reference to the ending scene in "Mallrats"). After springing her from her cage, Silent Bob becomes sympathetic for the other animals, so they let them loose as well. In the meantime, the four women escape with the diamonds and place a bomb on the van; Jay and Silent Bob manage witness the van explode, and assuming that Justice is dead, They manage to escape just as the authorities arrive.
Federal Wildlife Marshall Willenholly (Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
) arrives to take over the case, as it involves the release of animals. Suzanne is subsequently taken by the occupants of a car labeled “Critters of Hollywood”. Jay laments that they will never see Suzanne again, only to have Silent Bob explain that the sign on the car indicated that they will probably meet up with her in Hollywood.
They are eventually able to hitch a ride and make it to Hollywood.
There they evade a security guard (Diedrich Bader
Diedrich Bader
Karl Diedrich Bader , better known as Diedrich Bader, is an American actor, voice artist and comedian. Many know him for his roles as Oswald Lee Harvey on The Drew Carey Show, Lawrence from the film Office Space, the Tae Kwon Do instructor Rex from Napoleon Dynamite, Tank "Shredder" Evans in Surf's...
) and make their way through multiple movie sets, including Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting is a 1997 drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård...
2: Hunting Season. They are reunited with Suzanne on the set of Scream 4
Scream 4
Scream 4 is a 2011 American slasher horror film and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream and Scream 2, the film stars an ensemble cast which includes David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts,...
, where Suzanne is playing the part of a masked killer.
Pursued by a group of security guards, they are able to escape by riding a bicycle over a ramp, propelling them through the window of a nearby building. By sheer luck, they land in the dressing room of James Van Der Beek
James Van Der Beek
James William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...
(of Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
) and Jason Biggs
Jason Biggs
Jason Matthew Biggs is an American actor who is best known for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen comedy films.-Personal life:...
(of American Pie
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
), who happen to be playing Jay and Silent Bob in The Bluntman and Chronic Movie; Silent Bob is somewhat upset that his comic-book counterpart is being played by the "pie fucker
American Pie (film)
American Pie is a 1999 teen comedy film written by Adam Herz. American Pie was the directorial film debut of brothers Paul and Chris Weitz, and the first film in the American Pie film series...
".
After learning this, Jay and Bob form a huddle in the corner and decide to beat up Biggs and Van Der Beek, but while their backs are turned Suzanne does this for them. Jay and Silent Bob then give the ape the tranquilizer gun and set her loose in the ventilation ducts.
They put on the Bluntman and Chronic outfits, so they will not be noticed, but are mistaken for Biggs and Van Der Beek, and are escorted to the set of the "Bluntman and Chronic" movie. Despite the fact that they do not know what they are doing, once on set, filming begins. Jay and Silent Bob battle with Bluntman and Chronic's arch nemesis, Cockknocker (Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill
Mark Richard Hamill is an American actor, voice artist, producer, director, and writer, best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy of Star Wars. More recently, he has received acclaim for his voice work, in such roles as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series, Firelord...
), eventually cutting off his hand.
At this point, Justice enters the set to confess her love for Jay and admits her profession as a professional jewel thief; a nonchalant Jay forgives her and they kiss. Willenholly reappears with a shotgun, soon followed by Missy, Chrissy and Sissy. Justice and Sissy fight hand to hand, while Missy and Chrissy get into a gun battle with Willenholly.
During the commotion, Jay and Silent Bob locate Banky Edwards and demand their money; after Banky refuses, Silent Bob breaks his silence and explains why Banky can be sued if he does not acquiesce to their demands. Banky finally agrees to give them half of whatever he makes from the movie.
After the fighting is over, Willenholly stands up, believing he has killed Missy and Chrissy. Suzanne takes this opportunity to shoot him in the buttocks
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
with a tranquilizer dart, incapacitating him; Justice uses the situation to her advantage and offers Willeholly an opportunity to get into the FBI by turning herself in along with Missy, Sissy, and Chrissy as long as she gets a reduced sentence and the charges against Jay and Silent Bob are dropped. He agrees and Justice tells Jay to wait for her.
Banky approaches Jay and Silent Bob and tells them that they are now rich. Jay expresses his displeasure at the fact that, despite all of their efforts, they were still unable to stop the internet insults. They decide that the only way to achieve this, using their new found wealth, is to visit and beat up everyone who had insulted them to the tune of "Kick Some Ass" by Stroke 9
Stroke 9
Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band that was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.- History :The band formed due to a "Rock Band" class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco. In 1990, as a project, students Luke Esterkyn, Greg Gueldner, Tom Haddad and Kirsten...
.
Clerks II
Eleven years after Clerks, and five years after the events in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, released in 2006, takes place. Now in their early 30s, Jay and Silent Bob had recently bought a car, but they were pulled over for driving with a deployed airbag. During the search, the police found a stash of marijuana and they were sentenced to six months of rehabilitation, where they become devout sober ChristiansNarcotics Anonymous
Narcotics Anonymous is a twelve-step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous describing itself as a "fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem," and it is the second-largest 12-step organization...
.
Once out of rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, they are clean, but they continue to deal but try to teach the word of God, in a manner similar to evangelists
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
. In one scene, Jay even suggests to a couple of buyers that they should read the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The Quick Stop where Dante worked was burned in a fire due to Randal leaving the coffee pot on, and he and Randal moved over to the Mooby's fast food restaurant. Jay and Silent Bob follow them there. In the beginning of the film, Jay expresses some disillusionment at being a drug dealer and weighs on other ideas of what to do in life.
At one point during the movie Jay, knowing boredom is the first step to relapse, dances to the song "Goodbye Horses
Goodbye Horses
"Goodbye Horses" is a 1988 song sung by Q Lazzarus. It was written and produced by William Garvey. There are three versions of the song, of lengths 3:12, 4:20, and the extended version at 6:28....
" by Q Lazzarus
Q Lazzarus
Q Lazzarus is a female American singer, best known as a one hit wonder for the 1988 song "Goodbye Horses", which was featured in Married to the Mob, The Silence of the Lambs , Clerks II, Lakai Footwear's Fully Flared, Rockstar's videogame Grand Theft Auto IV, EA's videogame Skate 3, and TV shows...
after Silent Bob puts the tape in the boom-box. He parodies exactly the same dance done by Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, complete with the "tuck", although it is alleged Jay has been doing this in real life before Silence of the Lambs came out.
Near the end of the film, they are jailed with Dante, Elias, and Randal, in which the latter hired a donkey show
Donkey show
A donkey show is a form of sex tourism entertainment most often associated with Tijuana, Mexico, in which a local woman engages in zoophilia with a donkey....
to celebrate Dante moving away. Jay and Silent Bob were charged for possession of drugs, which violated their probation. Randal wants to reopen the Quick Stop with Dante, but neither of them have the money, so Jay and Silent Bob offered them some of the Bluntman and Chronic movie royalty money under the condition that the two are allowed to loiter
Loitering
Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...
outside the shop and that the police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
cannot be called to arrest them. After the Quick Stop is reopened, Jay and Silent Bob return to where they started so many years ago.
Clerks: The Animated Series (2000)
Clerks: The Animated SeriesClerks: The Animated Series
Clerks is an American animated sitcom based on Kevin Smith's 1994 comedy of the same name. It was developed for television by Smith, Smith's producing partner Scott Mosier and former Seinfeld writer David Mandel with character designs by Stephen Silver.-Cast:- Broadcast history :Only two episodes...
continues Jay and Silent Bob’s adventures in front of the Quick Stop with Dante and Randal. In one episode, Jay and Silent Bob sell illegal fireworks instead of drugs. These events are not necessarily continuous with events depicted elsewhere in the View Askewniverse. Silent Bob follows the film format and only speaks once during the episodes. They are apparently killed when they go running into a hail of machine gun fire by Leonardo Leonardo's troops although it is implied they may have survived (they were wearing bulletproof vests at the time and they later appear in the "Science Sez" skit after the credits). In the show, it is revealed that Jay is a year younger than Randal and Dante.
In most of the episodes, Jay and Silent Bob have some public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
videos, where they talk about safety tips, science lessons or magic tricks. When they introduce themselves to kids, Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
also appears, but is immediately shooed away by Jay. In the "Science Sez" skit, Barkley attempt to tell a kid the importance of science when Jay and Silent Bob arrive and beat him up, reminding him that only they do the segments.
In the series' final episode "The Last Episode Ever", Jay is revealed to be the show's animator, as he constantly re-draws the physical forms of Dante and Randal (similar to one of Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
's antics in Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
) toward the end of the episode.
Clerks.
The two appear in many of the Clerks Comics in supporting roles.- In Clerks: The Comic Book, Jay and Silent Bob's drug dealing is compromised by the recent popularity of Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
action figures. In an attempt to strike up business, the two hijack a toy store delivery truck and drive it into a secret compound behind the store. The two sell the figures at extremely low prices, ruining their value. - In Clerks The Holiday Special, the two are seen working for Santa Claus, who is working in the apartment in between the Quick Stop and RST Video. The duo work on the toy making machines.
- In Clerks: The Lost Scene, the two are seen in the bookend segments of the comic, which parodied the "Tales from the CryptTales from the Crypt (comic)Tales from the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear and The Vault of Horror are three bi-monthly horror comic anthology series published by EC Comics in the early 1950s...
" comic books.
Chasing Dogma (1998)
In between the events of Chasing AmyChasing Amy
Chasing Amy is a 1997 romantic comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith. The central tension revolves around sexuality, sexual history, and evolving friendships. It is the third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series....
and Dogma
Dogma (film)
Dogma is a 1999 American adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars in the film along with an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Alan Rickman, Bud Cort, Salma Hayek, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Janeane Garofalo,...
, Jay and Silent Bob decide to go to be the "blunt connection" in Shermer, Illinois, (where most of John Hughes' films are set) because they believe that all the guys there are jerks and that there would be girls crawling all over them. They discover in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
that Shermer, Illinois, does not exist.
Since many of the events were reused in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, not all the events depicted here are necessarily continuous with those depicted elsewhere in the View Askewniverse.
Sexuality
In issue #2 of the Chasing Dogma comic series, Jay launches into a lengthy and thoroughly impassioned impromptu speech on gay rights and tolerance before he notices Silent Bob's astonished expression and brushes the matter off. Moreover, in the prison scene in Clerks II, Jay wants Dante and Randal to fellateFellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
each other in exchange for him and Bob loaning them the money to re-open the Quick Stop and RST. He may say this merely to get Dante and Randal to humiliate themselves, but after Bob's disgusted look, he retracts the demand. In a cut version of the same scene, available among the deleted scenes on the Clerks II DVD, Bob tells Jay that he (Jay) is a deeply-repressed gay man.
Kevin Smith has stated that he sees Jay as ambisexual: "Jay — who's always talking about women — is a character a lot of young hetero guys identify with. But I think Jay's really ambisexual. So it's nice to throw them a curveball to open up their perspective a bit. If I can lead a few cats into being a bit more tolerant, I feel pretty good."
Film
- Scream 3Scream 3Scream 3 is a 2000 American slasher film created by Kevin Williamson, directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, released on February 4, 2000 as the third, and originally, concluding installment in the Scream film series...
(cameo) (Note: While their appearance in Scream 3 suggests that the Scream series and the View Askewniverse are on the same plane of existence, other factors contradict this. In the first Scream film, a VHS tape of Clerks is shown in the background. Also, in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jay and Silent Bob see the filming of the then fictional Scream 4Scream 4Scream 4 is a 2011 American slasher horror film and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. Directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, writer of Scream and Scream 2, the film stars an ensemble cast which includes David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts,...
.) - Drawing FliesDrawing FliesFor the Soundgarden song of the same name see Drawing Flies .Drawing Flies is a View Askew Production made by two Canadian filmmakers, Malcolm Ingram and Matt Gissing...
(Kevin Smith is credited as Silent Bob in the film. Jason Mewes also appears in the film, but as a different character. Smith's character wears the same leather outfit he wore in Mallrats) - Fanboys (cameo) Not actually "Jay and Silent Bob" but a close facsimile. (The roles were reversed. Smith's character was hanging out in front of the gas station bathroom, trying to pimp out Jason Mewes' character.)
Television
- MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's Jay and Silent Bob Shorts - VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
’s I Love the '90s ("Jay and Silent Bob Re-name Your Favorite TV Show" & "Guys We'd Go Gay For") - Degrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next GenerationDegrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
(appeared (with Alanis Morissette) for the filming of the fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? over 3 episodes in the fourth seasonDegrassi: The Next Generation (season 4)The fourth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 7 September 2004, concluded on 14 February 2005 and contains twenty-two episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series...
, and returned for two episodes of the fifth seasonDegrassi: The Next Generation (season 5)The fifth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation commenced airing in Canada on 19 September 2005, concluded on 20 March 2006 and contains nineteen episodes. Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian serial teen drama television series...
for the film's world premierePremiereA premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
). - Yes, DearYes, DearYes, Dear is a television sitcom that aired from October 2, 2000, to February 15, 2006, on CBS. It starred Anthony Clark, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mike O'Malley and Liza Snyder....
Season 4, Episode 19. Kevin Smith appears as himself in the show, but in the end does a little skit as Silent Bob.
Comic books
- Jay and Silent Bob made a brief appearance in one panel of Green ArrowGreen ArrowGreen Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
(vol. 3) #6, standing outside Jason Blood's Safe House in Star CityStar City (comics)Star City is a fictional city that appears in stories published by DC Comics, best known as the traditional home of the superheroes known by, or affiliated with, the shared alias of the Green Arrow...
. This issue was written by Kevin Smith of course, during his 15-issue run on the title character. - Demonic versions of Jay and Silent Bob can be seen in one panel on the second page of Angel: After the FallAngel: After the FallAngel: After the Fall is a comic book published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch and plotted with Joss Whedon, the series is a canonical continuation of the Angel television series, and follows the events of that show's final televised season...
issue #5, standing outside of a cafe in the safe haven of Silverlake. Writer Brian Lynch confirmed the reference and attributed their inclusion to artist Franco Urru. - They also appeared in the Star Wars InfinitiesStar Wars InfinitiesStar Wars Infinities is a graphic novel trilogy published by Dark Horse Comics from 2002 to 2004. It tells a non-canon alternate version of each film in the original Star Wars trilogy in which a point of divergence occurs and changes the outcome of the story...
comic Tag and Bink where they say they are from the Jedi Council. - In a 2005 issue of Total FilmTotal FilmTotal Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
, a comic strip illustrating Kevin Smith's version of the Passion of the Christ was published, featuring Jay and Silent Bob in the final panel. - In 2001, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
ran a comic book telling how Smith met and first kissed his wife Jennifer Schwalbach SmithJennifer Schwalbach SmithJennifer Schwalbach Smith , sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, former reporter for USA Today, digital broadcaster, and the wife of film director Kevin Smith.-Early life:...
. Jay and Silent Bob appear in one panel, promoting the then-forthcoming film Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. - Jay and Silent Bob made a cameo in issue #79 of Terry MooreTerry MooreTerry Moore may refer to:*Terry Moore , American Major League Baseball player*Terry Moore , American film actress*Terry Moore , retired Canadian footballer...
's long-running comic book Strangers in ParadiseStrangers in ParadiseStrangers in Paradise is a long-running, mostly self-published black-and-white comic book, written and drawn by Terry Moore. The series has reached its planned conclusion, finishing off in 2007 with issue #90 of volume 3....
. - They also appear in a Desperate TimesChris EliopoulosChris Eliopoulos is an American cartoonist and letterer of comic books.-Early life:Eliopolous attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City, from 1985–1989. He majored in graphic design and minored in illustration...
comic strip included in issue #53 of Savage DragonSavage DragonSavage Dragon is an ongoing American comic book series created by Erik Larsen, published by Image Comics and taking place in the Image Universe. The comic features the adventures of a superheroic police officer named the Dragon...
.
Music videos
- "Can't Even Tell" by Soul AsylumSoul AsylumSoul Asylum is an American alternative rock band that formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1983.The band originally formed in 1981 under the name Loud Fast Rules, with the original line-up consisting of Dan Murphy, Dave Pirner, Karl Mueller and Pat Morley. The latter was replaced by Grant Young in...
- "Build Me Up ButtercupBuild Me Up Buttercup"Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations with Colin Young singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for The Foundations. Colin Young replaced Clem Curtis in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit...
" by The Goops - "Because I Got High" by AfromanAfromanJoseph Edgar Foreman , better known by his stage name Afroman, is an American rapper who came to prominence with his singles "Because I Got High" and "Crazy Rap". "Because I Got High" circulated around the Internet before becoming a hit worldwide...
- "Kick Some Ass" by Stroke 9Stroke 9Stroke 9 is an alternative rock band that was formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989.- History :The band formed due to a "Rock Band" class at Marin Academy in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco. In 1990, as a project, students Luke Esterkyn, Greg Gueldner, Tom Haddad and Kirsten...
External links
- Radio Interview with Kevin Smith about his favourite characters from FBi 94.5 Sydney AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...