“Madness In The Method” Review by Brian
August 4, 2019 12:46 pm |
It’s weird how you can just grow up and watch someone over the years from a distance, see their transformation as a human, have zero influence in the outcome but still feel this odd connection. Not from their end of course cuz that’s some weird telepathic shit and I’m not Professor X. But I’m talking about people that have entertained you in some fashion for many years that you start to wonder what else they are up to in entertainment and you then go further down the rabbit hole and start to read about them in their real life. There are entire tabloid magazines dedicated to this. I guess we are fascinated by celebrities and want a peek behind the curtain. Forgive me, I’m rambling. I’ll get to the movie eventually.
One of these celebs for me has been Jason Mewes. It all started when I watched Clerks at the age of 16. I’d never seen a movie like this and I fell in love with the character of Jay. I started to wonder “who is this guy?” and then reading stories over the years about how he struggled as an addict made me wonder how much longer we’re going to have him around. I’ve never met Jason Mewes but I’ve always rooted for him as an actor and as a human being. I’ve listened to his podcast “Jay and Silent Bob Get Old” where he talks about his sobriety, shares entries from an old journal he wrote in rehab and now talks about fatherhood. It’s been great seeing him making huge strides in his life which now leads us to his next journey, directing.
Madness in the Method is a comedy crime film directed by and starring Jason Mewes, written by Chris Anastasi and produced by Dominic Burns and Rob Weston. The premise of the film is Jason is trying to break free of being typecast as the stoner buddy. We’ve seen this be a problem with some actors throughout the years. Dustin Diamond couldn’t shake Screech and Jaleel White couldn’t shake Urkel (I guess you could argue Sonic the Hedgehog here if you want). But I’ve also seen actors be typecast and thrive. Ben Mendelsohn being one of them. He does the bad guy very, very well. We meet Jason being very gritty and dramatic while reading the lines for the leading man role in front a Hollywood director. The director explains that he was looking for Jason to play a different role of the stoner buddy and compares him to a hockey player, Sam Lennox, that had one job on the ice but did that one job very well.
Jason looking for guidance talks to his buddy Kevin Smith who tells him about a method acting book that worked for Matt Damon and this sends Jason down a dark path as his life spirals out of control in his quest to be the leading man in an Oscar worthy film. The film has a ton of cameos throughout including Stan Lee’s final film appearance which I absolutely loved seeing. Both stars of Lois & Clark make appearances throughout the movie. Dean Cain as himself and Teri Hatcher as Geena who is Jason’s agent. The movie also features Vinnie Jones (Snatch), Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Brian O’Halloran (Clerks), Zach Galligan (Gremlins), Gina Carano (Deadpool and the upcoming The Mandalorian), Harley Quinn Smith (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood), David Dastmalchian (Prisoners) and Danny Trejo (Machete). Danny Trejo’s character deserves a spinoff movie himself. You could just tell that he was having a blast playing such a fabulously flamboyant character. I also thought that Teri Hatcher had a blast playing his agent and really went over the top with her character which I enjoyed. I saw that from all the characters really. You could tell that this was Jason Mewes playing himself in a different reality where everything was ramped up to 11 and all of the characters kinda followed in those footsteps as well.
I really enjoyed the first and final acts of this film. The first act did a great job of setting up this character and what he’s set out to do. The final act had so many twists and turns with ramped up violence that kept me laughing and genuinely surprised. There’s a scene that involves Jason and Kevin that crosses the line of fantasy and reality with them taking real world issues they’ve faced in their personal and professional lives that brought me to tears. Kevin’s not the only one who cries at the drop of a hat. I think for me it goes back to Jay’s personal journey with substance abuse and the fear that I think all of us Jason Mewes fans have. It was a powerful scene mixed in with the rest of the movie that featured dark violence and the comedy that you’ve come to expect from Mewes.
There’s some great stuff in here. I see potential with Mewes as a director. He sure did have a lot to take on here with directorial duties as well as starring in the feature. Bravo to him for taking this on and following through.
Madness in the Method is a solid first directorial entry for Jason Mewes. There were enough laughs and surprises that I was thoroughly entertained. Looking forward to his next film.
- Make sure to stick around and watch the mid-credits scene
- Also, loved the comic book that featured his daughter’s name
PCL Rating: Taste It
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: FRESH 🍅
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Tags: Chris Anastasi, Dominic Burns, Jason Mewes, Jason Mewes Madness in the Method, Kevin Smith, Madness in the Method 2019, pop culture leftovers, Pop Culture Leftovers Podcast, Rob Weston
Categorised in: Movie Reviews
This post was written by Leftover Brian
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