Jason Mewes masterfully balances showing a completely new side to himself while simultaneously playing his schtick in his directorial debut. – Madness in the Method Review
Snoochie Boochie! Jay, from Jay and Silent Bob, aims to be more and will do whatever it takes in Madness in the Method. In his directorial debut, Jason Mewes plays himself and shares his struggles to be seen as someone other than Jay and Kevin Smith’s lackey. He also explores the great lengths he will go to to ensure he is seen as more than the stoner loud mouth the industry has pigeon-holed him as.
The film opens on an intense and well-performed monologue performed by Mewes. This turns out to be his audition for a part, where the casting director is pleasantly surprised but insists Mewews takes the part of the stoner sidekick. Mewes objects, but the casting director regales Mewes of Sam Lennox, The Golden Rocket, who made a hockey career of his infamous slapshot. Lennox was bad at everything else but became a legend off of his slapshot. This is no doubt an attempt to persuade Mewes to lean into his schtick and bank on it. Mewes then regales the story to Kevin Smith before one of their podcasts performances. Smith tells Mewes of a book on Method Acting that Matt Damon told him about. Smith himself hasn’t read it, but supposedly Ben Affleck did, and that guy has an Oscar now. Mewes tracks down the book, Rob Weston’s Guide to Method Acting, and procures it. He then begins reading practicing its teachings. This leads Mewes to the home of the casting director, where a series of unfortunate events leads to Mewes accidentally running over and killing the casting director. This, in turn, leads to some surprisingly lucrative opportunities for Mewes but begins to require more and seedier actions to maintain. This allows us to see what is needed and how far Jason Mewes is willing to go to be taken seriously in Hollywood.
Madness in the Method is a whole new side to Jason Mewes, one that shows a lot more range and what has to be the inner thoughts and emotions he has. Mewes is obviously well aware of how he is perceived and while he is not ungrateful and genuinely seems to humor fans of “Jay,” the frustration of not being able to shake that image is understandable. The story goes very crazy into the lengths he has to go through to achieve this new perception, but the ramp-up feels organic and surprisingly real. The story starts with, what I say is manslaughter, and goes into extreme levels of conspiracy and cover-ups. It greatly plays off the dynamic of having to contribute a little more to ensure your initial investment is safe. The crux being, that every additional contribution increases your investment.
The highlight of the film is Jason Mewes’ performance. Mewes seamlessly transitions from Jay to Jason to Jason doing a damn good job acting. The film features a surprisingly deep cast that includes Kevin Smith, Dean Cain, Danny Trejo, and Vinnie Jones, all of who play themselves. Then there’s Gina Carano, who plays Mewes’ girlfriend. She isn’t given much to work with, but she does a great job at what she has, and she proves to be a true ride a die which is a really cool moment in the story. It is a pivotal, twisted, and heartwarming moment that is reminiscent of being a fan of Dexter.
The overall story will undoubtedly be reamed for its absurdness and general lack of human empathy. But I think it’s part of the film’s charm. It goes pretty out there while still feeling very grounded. It does a great job of feeling very possible and likely to obviously meant for the sight gag. It never feels forced for shock value, instead, it goes a bit hokey and campy to show that the film is in on the joke. I don’t want to give anything away, but the “phat boy” scene is the epitome of this. I think the best way to describe it is being smart about being dumb.
Madness in the Method is a great debut for Jason Mewes as a director, and as an actor ready to tackle other roles. Mewes has undoubtedly learned a lot from his projects and can expertly use what he’s learned to make a truly entertaining film. Fans of “Jay and Silent Bob” will undoubtedly like the direction Mewes went with the movie, while crime thriller fans will likely be surprised at the quality and depth Mewes achieved while still incorporating some crude stoner humor. My only disappointment is the lack of special features on the home media disc; I would love director commentary and a gag reel from the movie. Also, lack of blu-ray is a pet peeve… My Madness in the Method review gets a 3.5/5
Madness in the Method is available on DVD at Target, Walmart, and Amazon.26
Madness in the Method
TLDR
Madness in the Method is a great debut for Jason Mewes as a director, and as an actor ready to tackle other roles. Mewes has undoubtedly learned a lot from his projects and can expertly use what he’s learned to make a truly entertaining film. Fans of “Jay and Silent Bob” will undoubtedly like the direction Mewes went with the movie, while crime thriller fans will likely be surprised at the quality and depth Mewes achieved while still incorporating some crude stoner humor. My only disappointment is the lack of special features on the home media disc; I would love director commentary and a gag reel from the movie.