# Jay and Silent Bob **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 10, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410 "2003-07-10T05:51:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/1 "2003-07-10T05:51:00Z")
I was watching a video copy of “Clerks” the other week. Nothing so odd there you might say. The thing is that at the end of the credits is the line “Jay and Silent Bob will return in Dogma”. This is an ooooold video copy, very much pre-dogma release. ‘Dogma’ was released in '99 IIRC. The video was purchased second hand in 97. Was that line included in the original video release? How much ahead of time did Smith and Co consider making ‘Dogma’? Why refer to ‘Dogma’ and not ‘Chasing Amy’ where they also make an appearance? Just seemed weird seeing it there since I never noticed it before. ---
**Author:** ![zen101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c68b51/32.png) [@zen101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zen101)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/2 "2003-07-10T06:06:27Z")
Because the Dogma script was the one they wanted to do next. They were convinced otherwise by $$ and ended up doing mallrats because “those wacky teens dig what you do soi make us a teen movie. here is a pile on cash to get you started!” The Mallrats led to the idea that “You are real edgy. Think you caa handle a romantic comedy? Oh, you are schtupping Joey Lauren Adams? You want to put her in a move? Okay, well you do this and we will make that god movie you want to do.” then you got Dogma produced even though it had been written before the rest. I seem to recall that Smith said the concept and possibly the original original draft for Dogma predates Clerks. After Dogma you had one last concept from the backers “Think they will shell out more money for a Jay and Bob flic?” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/3 "2003-07-10T06:12:52Z")
I think what **zen101** says is right: Dogma is actually the oldest idea of them all, but Kevin Smith obviously didn’t have the money or backing to do the film way back when. So he made Clerks on a shoestring budget. It was successful, so he went on to do Mallrats. I guess Chasing Amy ‘came up’ before Dogma finally came into being. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/4 "2003-07-10T06:17:59Z")
Thanks. That clears up that little mystery. The stange things that happen in Holllywood. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/5 "2003-07-10T07:52:01Z")
Although this is admittedly a rumor, part of the reason it didn’t get made earlier was that Kevin Smith thought Jason Mews wasn’t up to the challenge of playing Jay as a more major role. In the directors comments on the Dogma DVD, Kevin Smith says he was shocked when Jason Mewes showed up for the filming with the entire script memorized. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/6 "2003-07-10T10:59:05Z")
He usually references his next project at the end of the credit roll, but it’s usually wrong, too. I remember seeing that same line for Chasing Amy (on what film I can’t remember, but I was in a theatre). Also, I seem to remember seeing the same line referring to ‘Clerks 2’, once, but he may have been joking. Again, not sure what that was tacked onto the end of…maybe Dogma? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/7 "2003-07-10T11:58:16Z")
In a similar vein, the closing credits of _The Spy Who Loved Me_ announce that “JAMES BOND will return in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”. The next Bond film was actually _Moonraker_. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/8 "2003-07-10T12:26:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Odinoneeye \* > \*\*Although this is admittedly a rumor, part of the reason it didn’t get made earlier was that Kevin Smith thought Jason Mews wasn’t up to the challenge of playing Jay as a more major role. \*\* That, and Jason was stoned out of his fucking gourd most of the time :rolleyes: **zen101** ’s timeline is incorrect. After Clerks, Jason and Kevin made another indie film called _Drawing Flies_, that never got a commercial release, although it’s now out on video (and maybe DVD?) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/9 "2003-07-10T14:19:32Z")
Smith has also said that in retrospect he’s glad he got more experience under his belt before tackling Dogma, because he didn’t want to screw it up. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Skip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/10 "2003-07-10T15:43:01Z")
Barbarian: Smith only produced Drawing Flies. It was written and directed by two other guys if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Stranger\_Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Another\_Stranger\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Stranger_Me)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/11 "2003-07-10T16:11:04Z")
**Skip** is correct, Kevin Smith only co-produced _Drawing Flies_. IIRC it also contained about half the people that can be seen in Smith’s other movies, Jason Lee, Joey Lauren Adams, Renée Humphrey, etc. He even plays Silent Bob in it, and Ethan Suplee plays Willam (the character from _Mallrats_ that can’t see the 3D sailboat). Also, in case it goes unnoticed, I would like to mention that in the credits at the end of _Chasing Amy_ you can see the line: “Jay and Silent Bob will return in Dogma (we promise).” ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/12 "2003-07-10T19:22:49Z")
How different is Jason Mewes as compared to his character, Jay? I always got the impression that he was pretty much playing himself as Kevin Smiths RL buddy. Is he totally different IRL or is he pretty much Jay? (BTW, I think it’s sort of ironically funny that all of the invectives and fat jokes that are hurled at Silent Bob by Jay are written by Smith, himself. It’s not every director that’s willing to call himself “Lunch box” and “Tubby Bitch” in every single movie. :D) ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/13 "2003-07-10T19:26:52Z")
According to interviews (I recall in partiuclar one with Jason Lee, maybe from the Mallrats DVD), “Jay” (esp. in Clerks) is much more aggressive and confrontational the real Mewes who, one might be surprised to learn, is pretty mellow. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Qburn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bc79bd/32.png) [@Qburn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qburn)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/14 "2003-07-10T21:38:40Z")
> **[Jason Mewes Sued Over "Junkumentary"](http://thesmokinggun.com/documents/crime/jason-mewes-sued-over-junkumentary)** > > JUNE 30--Looks like Jason Mewes, the stoner-star of all those Kevin Smith films, is having second thoughts about allowing a film crew to document his heroin addiction and struggle to get clean. Accord ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jay-and-silent-bob/187410/15 "2003-07-11T04:48:55Z")
I don’t think there was much studio backing or anything for _Chasing Amy_. It was made for $250 grr. (Kevin jokes that it would have been less if Affleck didn’t starting singing the “It’s Your Birthday” hip-hop song, forcing him to pay for royalties.) As for Jay and _Dogma_, Kevin says that Mewes memorized all his lines because he was afraid of Alan Rickman and his credentials (and possibly because on top of that, he was Hans frickin Gruber).