Studio Ghibli Fest: Spirited Away (2001)

  

Movie Name/Year: Spirited Away (2001)

Genre: Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy

Length:  2h 5min

Rating: PG

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki

Actors:

• Japanese Language Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tatsuya Gashûin, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yumi Tamai, Yô Ôizumi, Koba Hayashi, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Ken Yasuda
• English Language Cast: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Jason Marsden, Susan Egan, David Ogden Stiers, Lauren Holly, Michael Chiklis, John Ratzenberger, Tara Strong, Mickie McGowan, Jack Angel, Bob Bergen, Rodger Bumpass, Phil Proctor, Paul Eiding, Jim Ward

Metacritic Blurb: A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and return her family to the outside world.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

We’ve already reviewed a couple of films from this year’s Studio Ghibli Fest, namely Princess Mononoke (1997) and Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), so I figured why not round this series out with another Studio Ghibli favorite? Spirited Away will hit theaters featuring Ghibli Fest 2023 screenings towards the end of October. (A live stage production already made the rounds as April’s selection. I didn’t even realize there was a stage show until I saw this year’s Ghibli Fest lineup!)

One of the many reasons I adore these Ghibli movies is because so many of them feature a female protagonist - and not in a cliche or cheesy way either. In the case of Spirited Away, this story offers the perspective of a 10-year-old girl as she struggles against the changes in her life she has no control over. I can’t tell you how much I wish that this film had been around when I was 10 and my whole world was changing for both similar and wildly different reasons than young Chihiro in this story. 

 

I had moved away from friends for the 2nd time in as many years, and started a new school on top of that. My family life was in upheaval due to my parents’ separation (pre-divorce) at the time. I had just spent a year with my aunt, uncle, and cousins in an entirely different state than my parents - and they weren’t even in the same state. While I was reunited with my mom as we moved in with my grandparents while looking for a new home of our own, my dad was half the country away in Georgia. It was a rough time. 

For that reason, Chihiro’s journey of finding her way without her parents and navigating new places and people really resonated with me on a whole other level from most other Studio Ghibli movies. I understood the young girl’s anxiety, dogged determination, and her fierce protectiveness over the positive connections in her life. 

 

On the other hand, Hayao Miyazaki (Castle in the Sky, Howl's Moving Castle, Ponyo) apparently came up with the story for Spirited Away after witnessing a friend’s 10-year-old daughter’s behavior, and also realizing there weren’t a lot of movies out there for girls in that particular age range. With a few rare exceptions, he prefers to use his imagination to bring messages of positivity to children. The fact that adults also enjoy his work is really just a bonus. 

I found an interview with Miyazaki from 2001 that was fascinating and actually blew my mind. I hadn’t realized that Spirited Away didn’t have a formal script. He developed the story as he went along. This man is even more of a phenom and genius than I originally thought. If you are interested in Miyazaki’s creative process or more in-depth insight into this movie, I encourage you to go to the site that is hosting that interview transcript (linked above). 

As with other Studio Ghibli works, there are some aspects of Spirited Away that might be slightly disturbing to very small children, but as this movie is supposed to be geared towards the age range of its heroine, it’s fine for generally everyone else. 

 

The animation style remains rich and gorgeous, and the voice talent (at least for the English version - I haven’t seen the subbed Japanese version) is absolutely on point. Fun fact: the voice of Chihiro in the English cast is brought to us by Daveigh Chase (Big Love, Yellow, Transference). She went on to give us the voice of Lilo from the Lilo & Stitch (2002) franchise, as well as the terrifying performance as Samara in The Ring (2002). I digress…

Spirited Away accomplished Miyazaki’s goal of showing young girls that things will be alright and that they are capable of tackling the challenges of life - and then some. I have enjoyed every viewing I’ve had of this film and I look forward to watching it again many more times in the future. This is also one of the several Ghibli films that my daughter enjoys introducing to friends. 

Remember, Ghibli Fest 2023 is running through early November, so if you would like to catch a showing of these classic anime movies, check out the schedule through the Fathom Events site. 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 96%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –96%

Metascore – 96%

Metacritic User Score – 8.9/10

IMDB Score – 8.6/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

P.S. - Just as an extra piece of trivia in clearing up a common misconception stemming from a few of the DVD and blu-ray release editions of some of the Studio Ghibli movies - Disney does not, and has never owned Studio Ghibli. They only had a limited distribution deal with Studio Ghibli, and that expired in 2017 when GKIDS took over the distribution rights. 

 

Movie Trailer:

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Number Rolled: 62

Movie Name/Year: Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

Genre: Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Length: 103 minutes

Rating: PG

Director: Brent Maddock

Writer: S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Nancy Roberts, John Whelpley

Actors: Michael Gross, Shawn Christian, Susan Chuang, Charlotte Stewart, Ariana Richards, Tony Genaro, Barry Livingston, John Pappas, Robert Jayne, Billy Rieck, Tom Everett

Burt Gummer has made a career out of hunting sub-terrestrial creatures, but everyone has to return home sometime. Back in perfection he’s welcomed back as an old friend, though he’s noticed a change in the status quo. There’s a new man, Desert Jack Sawyer, treating Perfection as a theme park and collecting money from tourists looking to lay eyes on a real live Graboid. As Burt attempts to get used to the new ways of the town, Desert Jack’s tour is getting a little too real.

I can honestly say that I really just like the entire series. I haven’t seen the fourth one, but I’ve decided to stop underestimating these movies. I didn’t think the first one would be great, and it blew me away. I thought the second one would be pointless and I loved it. With the third one, I really thought it’d be just an extension of “been-there, done-that” and turned out to be hilarious and original. The only other series I’ve enjoyed as much as “Tremors” is “Jurassic Park.”

One can’t go into this series, however, expecting a huge blockbuster kind of setting or special effects. It’s a cult classic instead of a top earner for just that reason. It has to be that, it certainly wasn’t the plot.

The acting was a little overbearing, but that comes with the territory in this kind of movie. With a lower budget and a more fun-time script, the actors are bound to have a lot of fun and a little less sharp emotion to their performances. That, in no way, means I thought any of them were unbelievable. Considering exactly what they had to act out, I’m impressed any of them pushed through the hysterical laughter long enough to utter a single line.

I have an issue with the rating. I do not, under any circumstances, believe that this movie was rated PG. I think that might have been a Netflix glitch or the committee in charge of ratings was falling-down-drunk when they decided this one. At the very least, it’s rated PG-13. Despite the orange-colored blood, the movie can get fairly gory and if they used any of the minor curses even one more time it might as well have been an episode of “South Park.”

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3.7/5

Overall Opinion – 3.5/5

The Random Rating: PG-13 – for language and action violence

Movie Trailer: 

Manic (2001)

Number Rolled: 40

Movie Name/Year: Manic (2001)

Genre: Drama

Length: 101 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Jordan Melamed

Writer: Michael Bacall, Blayne Weaver

Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Maggie Baird, Don Cheadle, Blayne Weaver, Lydell M. Cheshier, Roxie Fuller, Bree Nogueira, Elden Henson, Cody Lightning, Michael Bacall, Sara Rivas, Lauren Shubert, Zooey Deschanel, William Richert, Nic Henley, Michael O’Neil

Lyle Jensen is a troubled teen. At a baseball game things get out of hand and he nearly kills one of the other kids. As he’s being fixed up at the hospital, he learns that he won’t be going home. Instead, he is set to be admitted to the juvenile ward of a mental institution.

Nine out of ten times, if I know a movie is shot with shaky cam I won’t bother adding it to my list. I HATE that. Halfway through most movies trying to mimic the effect of a hand-held camera, I become nauseated and unwilling to sit through the rest. In “Manic,” however, I not only had no problem sitting through the shaky cam, but I thought it added something important to the story. It gave the movie a sense of intimacy, realism and intensity that a clear picture would not have.

I thought it was amazing. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Bacall; all the actors were incredible and very believable in their parts. I felt sympathy for characters I never thought I could feel it for and it was thanks to the absolutely incredible acting of the people behind them.

“Manic” changed my outlook on a lot of things. It changed my outlook on drama’s, on shaky cam, on Zooey Deschanel (whom I originally thought had the range of safety pin) and even on the subject matter itself. It was heart-wrenching and bitter-sweet and all too familiar. It’s set to expire today. With any luck, Netflix will get it back.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.2/5

Overall Opinion – 5/5

Movie Trailer: 

Get Over It (2001)

Number Rolled: 20

Movie Name/Year: Get Over It (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 86 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Director: Tommy O’Haver

Writer: R. Lee Fleming Jr.

Actors: Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Melissa Sagemiller, Sisqo, Shane West, Colin Hanks, Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, Swoosie Kurtz, Ed Begley Jr., Martin Short, Carmen Electra, Vitamin C, Coolio, Christopher Jacot, Jonathan Whittaker

Berke runs into a childhood friend in the cafeteria of his high school and they hit it off. He thinks they’ll last forever but, after a while, she breaks it off. Despite his friends pressuring him to let go and get over it, Berke takes his own route – one that requires him to do anything possible to get her back. When the opportunity to join a play with her arises, he seeks aid in getting good enough for the part.

The first thing I’m going to do is swallow the knowledge that Shakespeare is rolling over in his grave. This isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened to his work (which is saying something).

That being said, “Get Over It” not only failed to impress, but it seriously made me reconsider some of the movies I have on my list. Where it wasn’t a complete waste of time (there were a few laugh-worthy moments), it was still pretty bad and not something I can see myself watching again in the future. The methods the director used to portray things was inconsistent and almost kind of confusing, I find Martin Short to be unbearably annoying and the storyline was a bad recipe that was like watching someone butcher a chicken.

I’ll admit, when the movie was over I was left with a more content feeling than I thought I would be. It’s strange, actually. I hated the movie while watching, but almost have a pleasant memory of it. Still, I feel like I’m being generous with my overall opinion.

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 3.3/5

Overall Opinion – 2/5

Movie Trailer: 

Monkeybone (2001)

Number Rolled: 50

Movie Name/Year: Monkeybone (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 92 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Director: Henry Selick

Writer: Kaja Blackley, Sam Hamm

Actors: Brendan Fraser, Bridget Fonda, John Turturro, Chris Kattan, Giancarlo Esposito, Rose McGowen, Dave Foley, Megan Mullally, Lisa Zane, Whoopi Goldberg, Sandra Thigpen, Wayne Wilderson, Amy Higgins

Stu is a brilliant cartoonist that just landed his own show on a comedy network. In the midst of celebration, he leaves to go ask his girlfriend to marry him. Unfortunately, they never make it. A car accident lands Stu in a coma. While unconscious, he finds himself in a world of nightmares where he actually gets to meet the product of his imagination, Monkeybone.

Don’t be fooled by my description. This movie is in no way innocent or straight-forward. Yes, you may be able to tell how it’s going to end by about half-way into the movie, but the trip getting there is so completely wild that you won’t be able to follow anything else. In fact, this might be the single most random movie I have ever seen in my life.

A friend of mine described “Monkeybone” as an adult version of “Roger Rabbit.” When the movie was over, I punched him in the shoulder for it. The only thing the two movies have in common is that they both mix animation with live-action. That’s it. “Roger Rabbit” is a timeless classic that delves into a storyline of revenge and acceptance. “Monkeybone” is a hodgepodge of randomness that follows a tale involving clear cut black and white, good guy/bad guy philosophy with a touch of “holy shit, what the fuck?” “Roger Rabbit,” might have inspired this movie in format, but certainly not in content.

None of this is meant to portray the movie as bad. On the contrary, I enjoyed the strange, LSD infused, trip I took with the characters. I was transfixed by the sheer strangeness of the film and couldn’t look away from the screen. The actors did very well with what they were supposed to do. I enjoyed Brendon Fraser. I don’t think he’s good with other genres, but I think he is fantastic at what he does: silly/comedy-based storylines. To me, this still places him in the “good actor” column. After all, just because a doctor specializes in orthopedics, instead of generalizing their study, doesn’t make him a bad doctor. Brendan Fraser specializes in silly comedy, on a good day he might be able to handle something else, but in a movie like this one, he truly shines.

However strange “Monkeybone” is, it’s still a fun movie with a great deal of depth. Worth a watch.

Overall Opinion – 3.5/5

P.S. Based on the graphic novel, by Kaja Blackley, “Dark Town”

Movie Trailer:

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Number Rolled: 51

Movie Name/Year: Black Hawk Down (2001)

Genre: Action & Adventure

Length: 144 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Mark Bowden, Ken Nolan

Actors: Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore, Eric Bana, William Fichtner, Ewen Bremner, Sam Shepard, Gabriel Casseus, Kim Coates, Hugh Dancy, Ron Eldard, Ioan Gruffudd, Tom Guiry, Charlie Hofheimer, Danny Hoch, Jason Isaacs, Zeljko Ivanek, Glenn Morshower, Jeremy Piven, Brendan Sexton III, Johnny Strong, Richard Tyson, Brian Van Holt, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Steven Ford, Ian Virgo, Tom Hardy, Gregory Sporleder, Carmine Giovinazzo, Chris Beetem, Tac Fitzgerald, Matthew Marsden, Orlando Bloom

This story, based on a real event, shows the ordeal Delta Force Soldiers and Army Rangers went through in order to kidnap two crime lords in war-torn Somalia. What is supposed to be an easy mission turns into one of the longest ground battles involving Americans since Vietnam, after a Black Hawk helicopter is shot down. The Americans are committed to getting every one of their men out, and so they are surrounded and must fight until help arrives.

To be honest, I don’t actually know the historical validity of this movie. I’m not a historian and I wasn’t really old enough to care about the news when this event would have taken place. Since many of my friends have gone into, or come from, the military I’ve cared a great deal, but that’s now. The real terror of “Black Hawk Down” is that, even if it’s not word for word exactly what happened – it easily could have been. It projects into the audience the anxiety and confusion of war in the most realistic manner I’ve ever seen. The story is heartbreaking and difficult to separate yourself from.

There wasn’t an actor in it that I didn’t believe. Hartnett was the main lead, and he was absolutely outstanding, but so was everyone else in the film.

I’d highly recommend this movie, to most viewers. However, there’s no comedy and no light-heartedness to break up the harsh light of the main storyline. I’d recommend any viewer with sensitivities to violence reconsider their film-viewing options.

Overall Opinion – 4.5/5

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Number Rolled: 30

Movie Name/Year: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Genre: Children & Family

Length: 95 minutes

Rating: PG

Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Writer: Tab Murphy, Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Joss Whedon, Bryce Zabel, Jackie Zabel, David Reynolds, Plato

Actors: Michael J. Fox, Corey Burton, Claudia Christian, James Garner, John Mahoney, Phil Morris, Leonard Nimoy, Don Novello, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, Natalie Strom, Cree Summer, Jim Varney

Milo takes after his grandfather; he’s a go-nowhere professor with dreams of finding the fabled Atlantis. Labeled a kook by his university and refused a grant for expedition, Milo begins to give up hope that he will ever get there. Just when he thinks the only option he has left is to quit, a benefactor from his grandfather’s pasts offers him the chance to prove himself. He, and the team offered to him, then begin their search for the lost city.

I always feel a little let down when a Disney cartoon doesn’t have singing in it. I’m spoiled! I grew up with singing crabs and lyrical book worms. So, I’m instantly a little harsher with non-musical Disney movies. That being said, this anti-musical gem turned out to be one of my favorites.

I read through a lot of reviews for “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and they were very mixed. What bothers me is that a lot of people claimed to dislike it because there were no singing animals. I mean, really? Is that what people base their opinions off of? Whether or not a mouse starts randomly singing about doing work? I mean, yeah, I usually prefer my cartoons to have a musical tone, but I’m not going to care if it’s coming out of an elephant with huge ears or a hunchback in a bell tower. Further-more, that attitude is just insulting. I’ve been around a lot of kids and there’s never been a single one that complained because Ariel was on screen instead of Flounder or that Aladdin and Jasmine were singing a Whole New World without her tiger. So, in my mind, every critic that had that complaint, about there not being any singing animals, is basically saying that every child of Disney would be incapable of understanding human components.

Sorry for the rant, those comments simply pissed me off.

I thought “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” was fantastic. It was little more grown up than most Disney movies, but its grasp on the base plot and the depth of the characters involved was amazing. This was truly a family centric movie; kids would enjoy it because of its cartoon/slap-sticky quality, but adults could definitely enjoy the Verne-class plot and well-written script.

Overall Opinion – 5/5

Blow Dry (2001)

Number Rolled: 43

Movie Name/Year: Blow Dry (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 90 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Paddy Breathnach

Writer: Simon Beaufoy

Actors: Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook, Josh Hartnett, Bill Nighy, Warren Clarke, Rosemary Harris, Hugh Bonneville, Heidi Klum, Peter McDonald, Michael McElhatton, David Bradley, Ben Crompton

A woman, once married to an award winning hairdresser, finds out that her cancer has not gone into remission. At the same time, a hair styling championship contest is held in her town. Seeing this as an opening to get her estranged family together for one last hurrah, she goes about collecting the errant members and entering.

There’s not much to say about the film. It is about as cookie-cutter a film as any I’ve ever seen. The dance competition/sports/underdog films of the past were torn open, replaced with hairdressing, imbued with British accents and otherwise stayed exactly the same. From the first moment the Mayor announces the small town will be hosting the contest, the viewer knows exactly what’s going to happen and where the film is going.

I can usually tolerate recipe films and, sometimes, I even get to give them credit for an interesting ingredient or two they added to get to the end result. I wish I could say that here. The actors credited in this film are well know and very good at what they do and I like the basic recipe of underdog movies. However, the best I can say is that it didn’t completely suck.

Alan Rickman and Rachael Leigh Cook were spectacular in their parts, and most of the other actors were equally brilliant – even given the very mediocre parts they were playing. Also, nobody does a love scene (even small ones) quite like Josh Hartnett. That being said, he should stay far, far, away from British accents. Sometimes he sounded Scottish and other times he dropped the accent completely. It was almost embarrassing to watch.

My last thought on the film is that I don’t agree with the rating. I’m not sure why it was rated R. There was no harsh language, only implied nudity, no extreme violence… I admit I’m confused. If anyone has insight as to the reason, please let me know.

Overall Opinion – 2.5/5

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Number Rolled: 51

Movie Name/Year: Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 88 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Joel Gallen

Writer: Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, Buddy Johnson

Actors: Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Eric Jungmann, Ron Lester, Cody Mcmains, Sam Huntington, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Lacey Chabert, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Beverly Polcyn, Ed Lauter, Paul Gleason, Mr. T, Molly Ringwald, Randy Quaid

This was a movie about… ok, the plot doesn’t matter at all. Take all the teen movies you’ve ever seen, slap them together and you have the plot. Spoof movies don’t really require a plot of their own. It’s all about how accurately they tear apart the movies they’re spoofing.

I’m not usually one for these spoof movies. Granted, I like a couple of them, but they’re few and far between. This one, I thoroughly enjoyed; maybe because it risked taking on some of the greats, such as “The Breakfast Club” and “American Beauty.”

In my research, I’ve come to find that a lot of people disliked that the references had no subtlety. Really? I mean, come on. That’s kind of what movies like this are supposed to do, right? Isn’t that like hating a romance movie because there’s too much romance? It is my understanding that spoof movies are meant to show us the state of popular movies and highlight their flaws like your basic everyday boardwalk caricatures. When you sit down with an artist to allow him to draw a caricature, he will take your slightly bigger front teeth or that tiny mole under your eye and exaggerate it to make it look funny. That’s what a spoof film is. If you dislike a spoof film because it blatantly makes fun of other movies, stop watching them because you just don’t like spoofs. There’s nothing wrong with that; to each his own.

The actors were hilarious. Sometimes, I’ll watch something that makes me believe Chris Evans was born for comedy. Incidentally, this makes me forget he has acted in things like Captain America. I think that’s the sign of an amazing actor, because when I watched Captain America I thought the same thing about Superhero movies.

I also loved that the creators of this movie paid attention to detail. Like playing the A-team theme when Mr. T was done talking or having Paul Gleason from The Breakfast Club revisit his role as Richard Vernon and, finally, having Molly Ringwald, the 80’s Queen of Teens, weigh in with her opinions.

It’s an amazing movie for the type of movie it was. I was laughing the entire time, in fact, I found this movie to be less ridiculous than some of the “serious” movies I’ve watched.

Overall Opinion – 4/5

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Number Rolled: 3

Movie Name/Year: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

Genre: Children & Family Movie

Length: 152 minutes

Rating: PG

Director: Chris Columbus

Writer: J.K. Rowling, Steve Kolves

Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Ian Hart, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Griffiths, Fiona Shaw, John Cleese, David Bradley, Warwick Davis, Tom Felton, John Hurt, Sean Biggerstaff, Harry Melling, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, Matthew Lewis, Chris Rankin, Richard Bremmer, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Zoe Wanamaker

Harry Potter is one of those movies I can’t just look at alone. The book has way too much to do with it for me. I love the story. I read every book. Showed up at Barnes and Noble at 6am for their release – in costume. Showed up to many of the midnight showings of the movie, also in costume or at least carrying a wand or snacking on Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (yes, they do have vomit flavor and yes it does taste like vomit).

It took a lot for me to put these movies on my list to begin with, because they are such modern classics. However, I have no problem stating my opinion of them… loudly.

I feel it’s blatantly obvious that Chris Columbus is/was a fan of the series. He stuck as close to the book as he could while still finding ways to make it more capturing to eye of Hollywood. The actors and actresses they chose were perfect. Fitting the characters straight down to the physical descriptions and minor quirks. I can’t imagine anyone else but Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. I’m already dreading the eventual reboot of it. Let’s face it, there was too much money made for it not to be rebooted later on. Let me just shake my head now and get it over with.

Overall Opinion – 4.5/5

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Number Rolled: 37

Movie Name/Year: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 104 minutes

Rating: R

Director: Kevin Smith

Writer: Kevin Smith

Actors: Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Shannon Elizabeth, Eliza Dushku, Carrie Fisher, Ali Larter, Jason Lee, George Carlin, Jeff Anderson, Will Ferrell, Judd Nelson, Brian O’Halloran, Seann William Scott, Jon Stewart, Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Jamie Kennedy, Wes Craven, Shannen Doherty, Mark Hamill, Amy Noble, Ever Carradine, Joey Lauren Adams, Alanis Morissette, James Van Der Beek, Jason Biggs, Matt Damon, Scott Mosier

Ok, before I start this review I must remind you all that I fucking love Kevin Smith. He’s on my list. Of course, the one chance I had to talk to the guy I choked like the chicken of a perma-virgin. That being said, I can move on with the review.

From a movie point of view… this movie sucks. If you know and love all the other Jay and Silent Bob storyline movies, then you can watch this one and laugh all the way through. However, if it’s the first movie you see of Kevin Smiths, you wind up staring at the screen like an idiot wondering what monkey wrote the script.

The movie is one long reference to Kevin Smith’s better movies. You get Dante’s “I’m not even supposed to be here today.”  Brody’s chocolate covered pretzels and Holden’s Bluntman and Chronic. The late, great, George Carlin’s cameo is reason enough to watch the movie.

My advice is, if you want to see this movie, watch the other movies from the storyline first. Those are: “Clerks,” “Mallrats,” and “Chasing Amy.”

To be fair, there is a silly slapstick quality to the movie that Will Ferrell fans will enjoy – especially seeing as he’s in the movie. Personally, I hate Will Ferrell. I think he’s a waste of film reel. Someone could shit on a camera lens and it would be considered better acting than anything I’ve seen of his. But, hey, to each his own.

So yeah, Kevin Smith, if you happen to ever stumble across this blog and see this particular entry which, knowing my luck, it’s probably the only one you’d ever see. Don’t hold it against me. I love your movies and you are so on my “to do” list forever!

Overall Opinion – 3/5