Jay and Silent Bob Get Old: Teabagging in the UK DVD Review

Jay and Silent Bob, the two-man show that has defined a generation, finally grow up…well, not really. That’s why the show works so well though, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are, at most, nostalgic about their CV’s but as far as actually growing up or toning down goes, the pair disappoint on every level, thankfully.

The new DVD Teabagging in the UK contains the Edinburgh, Manchester, and London shows and perhaps unsurprisingly all three are immensely enjoyable even when watched as a three hour block. The format is relaxed, Smith and Mewes sit center stage and chat about whatever nonsense seems to come to mind, floating off on tangents that would make Ronnie Corbet bow his head in shame, but the content of the discussions is different for each crowd. Possibly the most charming part of the show is the ten minute intro to each hour long show which shows Jay and Silent Bob strolling each city as part of the general masses, gibbering excitedly and inevitably getting lost.

Smith and Mewes ability to tailor their show to the individual audience and give an repetitive performance is important for their own brand of sharp but unpretentious humour . The Edinburgh show hones in on accents, self-deprecation, Braveheart, Sir Sean Connery, and fried candy. The Manchester gig flaunts a polarized footie fan base (city vs united) and gives the duo’s performance a sense of danger they probably haven’t had for a while, and finally the London gig gets to cover Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Some viewers may find the lack of real focus alienating, but it’s genuinely refreshing since it keeps everything original. It’s the delivery that truly charms though, being so discursive you often forget the pair are sitting in front of massive audiences. That’s what makes the heart-felt and poignant parts all the more important, particularly Mewes discussion of his troubled childhood and eventual drug addiction which he has thankfully kicked. The whole affair is also thankfully threaded with animation sequences not exactly unfamiliar with Smith’s work. Seeing animated Smith’s reaction to a gnarly animated Sean Connery exposing his penis is one of the funniest things you may see this year.

For die-hard Jay and Silent Bob fans this show may not give any insight into the machinations of the dynamic duo’s film ventures, for newbies it’s an apt introduction to two important cultural figures. For everyone else it will be a humorous gibber with two guys not at the end of their game, but at the peak. Also, never again will you hear a man discuss his cock as much as Jason Mewes does. Enjoy.