Madness in the Method (2019) User Reviews

Decently funny take on the irony of method acting

[shide_85 · 6/10 · 5 August 2019]

This isn't great british comedy, Hot Shots or Best in Show, but it is entertaining. If you look for the perfect comedy, this isn't it, but it you're happy enough with a comedy that does produce actual laugh out loud moments (in difference to the wast majority of romcoms) and plenty of chuckling moments this is a great pick. This does have some really original comedic scenes and in others it dares to go for it, several things do not work some works but doesn't belong or rather ad to the movie itself. (I do not see this as a spoiler as it is the name of the movie, but if you think it is dont read the following sentence). The parody of method acting and that it's really not acting but relative madness is quite fitting. For a laid back saturday or sunday when the rain poors down you can do alot worse.

The cinematography isn't the best, it's to raw - a trick used in low budget movies is usually to upscale the equipment and boost the contrast/bloom (afaik) to get a more expensive looking result - it's not used here. Something that does bring the grade up is the adaptation of it to the parody at hand, which works well. The acting is what you can exspect, not aced but neither bad, Vinnie Jones does a solid performances and Gina Carano (which i personally have hopes for to become the first female Bond) even as alluring doesn't perform as well as could be anticipated. There are some seeworthy side roles - Vinnie jones, Terri Hatcher, Stan Lee and Mickey Gooch Jr (which doesn't nail the has been ex cop but isn't too far from landing a decent performance - as that role pays homage to several well known spoofs and roles in known movies that is essentially better than anticipated).

*Most moviebuff will probably find this entertaining, there are plenty of homages and spoofs on other movies in it (note that they aren't as clear as mainstream usually feeds) - notice how the camera angles and cinematography change severely to mimic known pieces at a handful of times.

Mewes surprises

[freddycaple-05656 · 6/10 · 24 January 2020]

If you are a fan of the Kevin Smith universe, you can expect to enjoy this film tremendously. A little shakey, but never uninteresting, there are 4 or 5 laugh out loud moments for Jay and Silent Bob fans and enough chuckles to make you feel like watching it again. I give this a 6 overall, but a solid 9 for View Askew folks!!! Congrats Jason Mewes, you made a real movie.

From stoner to stunner

[bankybrodie-255-155393 · 7/10 · 11 January 2020]

Jay Mewes strikes back! With his first directorial debut, clearly he has been taking notes all these years, or directing is as easy as Kevin Smith makes it look snoogins. A lot of recognizable faces makes this a must see film for anyone who is a fan of Mewes, or tongue in cheek comedy parodies/mockumentery stylized portrayals of real people. Very funny, and smart highly recommend, or recommended if high 😜

Mewes the actor, thumbs up, Mewes the director, thumbs down.

[Kolobos51 · 4/10 · 7 August 2019]

As long as he is remembered at all, Jason Mewes will be known as Jay of Jay and Silent Bob. In that cycle of movies from Clerks through to Clerks 2 (and soon Jay and Silent Bob Reboot) , two things were clear, the guy was genuinely funny and not a professional actor. This wholly fictional movie kind of takes that and runs with it.

Mewes is desperate to break out as a serious actor and gets hold of a legendary book on method acting that will change his life. Yes, this entire movie hinges on a paperback book with a forgettable title. And that book literally drives Jason Mewes insane.

The shocking thing is that Mewes is a literal sociopath in this movie as he rather violently rampages through Hollywood trying to get a coveted role in a buzz filled drama being directed by his frequent costar Brian O' Halloran (of Clerks, Mallrats, etc.).

First off, in true Kevin Smith fashion, every name actor in this movie is a cameo, including, oddly Kevin Smith. I actually thought based on the advertising that this movie was going to be an interesting, fictionalized retelling of their long time friendship and working relationship. It's not. This is strictly a vehicle for Mewes and, as an actor, the guy actually shows surprising range and ability. But as a director he falls flat.

This movie is slapstick as hell sometimes but gets oddly dark in other places and Mewes cannot handle the tonal shifts at all. Honestly, by the end, I was more than ready for the thing to be over and a little surprised by how real the movie gets in some places, (Smith and Mewes get into a screaming match over the latter's well publicized struggles with addiction) followed by something really silly like Mewes going to murder a professional rival with a nail.

Along the way. one of the guys who wrote the movie keeps popping up as an annoying and unfunny idiot detective determined to bring Mewes down. Tough guy character actor Vinnie Jones (The Midnight Meat Train, Snatch) gets blamed for his crimes at one point, and the late Stan Lee wonders into one scene for a title drop moment.

I laughed a few times but the flick just isn't that good. I think with better writing and direction Jason Mewes actually could turn in a really solid performance but this isn't the movie that will break him through. Although he may get more work off it in the future.

Potential but seems very amatuer

[LLgoatJ · 6/10 · 23 August 2019]

It felt like there was a lot of potential in this film. Jason Mewes plays up the whole famous for Clerks bit up. Even Vinne Jones is good in this film and that is a genuine compliment. It just felt very amatuer. I am not sure if that was intentional but if it was then it doesn't work. It really is just famous people playing themselves up and a plot that involves an unintentional murder and buying a comic book off Ebay. Its a good film to watch but it just felt like it could have been much better. Maybe you need to be a Clerks groupie to fully appreciate it.

Was This Concocted From Sobriety?

[drivemenutzlong · 2/10 · 15 March 2020]

Jason Mewes expresses desire to create some separation and distance from his regular on screen comedy role while employing lots of Kevin Smith-esque antics and escapades. The movie direction's OK, script is subpar. There's some pretty women incorporated in the film. Surprise cameos here & there> nothing groundbreaking. There's an interminably long moment in this movie that will prompt you to ponder why you're not watching something else.

Jason getting mad serious.

[patriciogl10 · 7/10 · 28 October 2019]

I've enjoyed Jason Mewes' body work since I first saw him in Clerks; I've laughed at his antics, his catchphrases and his overall screen persona. I firmly believe that Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back would have been nothing without him, he is one of the main reasons it's one of my favourite comedies of all time. Naturally, I'm impressed at how much he has grown through the ups and downs in his life, and how his friendship with Kevin Smith and being part of his cinematic universe has shaped him up into this person now ready to break through with his own art in order to make a name for himself. Of course, he had help to be able to craft his creation, which instinctively deals with his own persona, a mixture of his artistic and real self, trying to be taken seriously as an actor in Hollywood. His film deals heavily with aspects of his very own life, like his addiction to drugs, his silly catchphrases and his long-time friendship with Kevin Smith, whom as expected, performs in this film as himself, having two or three scenes, one of which has an apparently enormous closeness to reality when he and Jason find themselves arguing over hidden bitter resentments.

Following advice from Fernando (Jaime Camil), whom lends him a book on method acting, Jason decides to pursue this business so that he can be believable as a serious actor, but in ends up driving him insane. Acting-wise, Jason is quite solid in his rendition; it's obvious he's dealing with a fictionalized version of himself, but is a good one, considering he is not a professional actor. His debut as a director, however, is not met without flaws, but as someone without any filmic experience it's not a bad production, it's quite decent as a resulting product.

When it comes to the plot, there's some sillyness to it, but it's a sillyness I can understand, it's not even goofiness related to Jason's character in Kevin Smith movies, but one that it's fitting with the comedy/crime tone that Mewes tried to conduct. So overall, if you're a Jason fan, and understand where he's coming from, you'll sure get a kick out of this.

Why?

[BA_Harrison · 1/10 · 25 August 2019]

Jay and Silent Bob star Jason Mewes makes his directorial debut with Madness in the Method, in which he stars as himself, forever typecast as the stoner but who desperately wants to gain respect by taking on more serious roles. Encouraged by his pal, director Kevin Smith, to seek out a one-of-a-kind book that will divulge the secrets of method acting, Jason finds himself descending slowly into a world of madness and murder.

Having just sat through this thoroughly abysmal movie, I know how Mewes feels: by the end of Madness in the Method, I felt my grip on sanity had gone and I wanted to kill somebody.

One thing this film makes abundantly clear is that Mewes isn't Kevin Smith (hell, even Kevin Smith isn't Kevin Smith as much these days): this woeful attempt at emulating his long-time chum's slacker comedy style is a diabolical wreck that sees Mewes not only embarrassing himself, but a whole load of his C-list industry pals as well. Vinnie Jones gets a pass, being a footballer who has somehow carved a new career in Hollywood, but Dean Cain, Judd Nelson, Casper Van Dien, Danny Trejo, Zach Galligan, Teri Hatcher, Brian O'Halloran, and the lovely Gina Carano (who deserves much better than this) give performances that are painful to watch.

Mind you, working from a cringe-worthy script by Dominic Burns and Chris Anastasi, what chance did they have? Nearly 100 minutes of mind-numbing dross that should have been shredded moments after it was written, Madness in the Method makes even the worst of Kevin Smith's movies look like pure genius.

1/10. Stan Lee's last movie appearance -- not the greatest way to bid farewell.

Basically another Kevin Smith movie

[dar0417 · 6/10 · 19 November 2019]

Basically another Kevin Smith movie directed by Jay. A little bit darker without as many laughs. Just as raunchy as one would expect.

Not worth it...

[weareone1111 · 1/10 · 3 August 2019]

As much as I had liked Jason as an actor growing up, this movie is cringe at best. The acting, directing and story are too over the top and hard to get into. I guess I expected something more engaging at this point in time with his career.

All Mewes

[sherm44 · 9/10 · 16 August 2019]

I was going to buy this movie no matter the reviews as I am a fan of Mewes and think he is under appreciated. So much more fun when the plot of the movie is that he is under appreciated. This movie is not an Oscar candidate but it was really fun to watch. I dug it. I laughed.

Pretty Boring

[marchimself · 2/10 · 3 August 2019]

I've been a massive Kevin Smith fan for years, and by proxy a big Jason Mewes fan, too. So I was really excited to discover the Jay was making his directorial debut. However, this excitement quickly subsided around the 15 minute mark.

Why on God's green Earth did anyone think it was a good idea to use Derby, in the UK to double as Los Angelese. It is blatant to see which scenes were film in the UK and which ones were filmed in the USA, which take you out of an already boring film.

Majority the film looks cheap and nasty. It's not funny. And the cast is assembled from a bargain bin of has beens and never going to be and Stan Lee (Rest in Peace).

The only scene I found remotely entertaining was the argument between Kevin Smith and Jay towards the end that set up the ending. As a life long fan that was entertaining to see.

I don't know what the film was about. He buys a book to become a better actor and goes mad? No, he just starts killing people by accident and necessity.

Unwatchable!

It's a Mad Mad Madness!

[ThatMonkey · 5/10 · 3 July 2020]

First, this is te best performance and appearnce that Kevin Smith has had since Jay and Silent Bob struck back. Maybe Jason Mewes should be directing Kevin Smith Fikms. THen again, maybe Kevin should stop writing garbage that isn't even good enough for VOD.

If you are a fan of these two, then this movie will entertain you. Truth be told, with better casting, this film could have been as good as JASBSB, I think they tried to pad the cast with names like Danny Trejo, Dean Caine, Vinnie Jones and Terry Hatcher, but none of them are anchors and together, they come off as eclectic. Gina isn't girlfriend material. I don't buy her in movies unless she's acting tough. She's got the beauty and body, but appears to not want to show it.

After Jay and Bob reboot, I official gave up on Kevin, but JM showed promise here. He also is no leading man, but again, this movie was the best thing I have seen either of these two in in almost two decades.

I wouldn't add this to my collection, but it's a solid watch as long as it's free on Prime.

Who color corrected this??

[pilotdmb · 2/10 · 14 April 2020]

This was shot like a high dollar student thesis film but it was amateur all the way. I could have color graded this and put a film LUT on it and made it look 100 times more cinematic for next to nothing but they didn't even try. It would have taken very little effort to make this movie better.

What a fail

[ol-boehm · 1/10 · 15 August 2019]

Given that Jason has no job and money so he try to make a low budget movie and collets all unemployed actors from Hollywood which are c-range and work for free

Well this crap can work in a real funny movie but not in this mess about madness

maybe its time to watch a Jay and silent Bob movie again

Well, that was awful.

[muckhousepublishing · 2/10 · 28 May 2021]

Take Jason Mewes, write an ostensibly 'satirical' film about him wanting to be taken seriously as a leading man and you get...what? This?! A ludicrous, thematically confused 'crime' film with Kevin Smith dialogue touches, vitriol towards his former director, a tired English undertow because of the English writers...and what? A total waste of celluloid. Mewes is meant to be the director of this film. It's actually well made, and there are some genuinely poetic and aesthetically pleasing shots, but it just made me doubt that somebody who had hit the drugs so hard could come up with something so visually rewarding, to be honest.

And I mean no disrespect by that. This film is a waste of time and film and energy. I knew it would be, to be honest, but, as a past Mewes fan, still watched it anyway. This started off with real details of Mewes's messed-up life (for no clear reason) and then went...where? No idea, but wherever it went, it never came back. It did not slay Mewes's past film history image as a juvenile dolt, and nothing ever can. Sad. Just sad. Sorry Jason, but surely you must know yourself this was a bad joke. Nice to see you and Trejo back together again after Poolboy 2: Drowning Out The Fury, mind you. Yeehar.

Mewes debut

[psygarg · 9/10 · 3 August 2019]

You have to love Jason Mewes, The debut of Mewes as director is not perfect, (which isn't a bad thing), but is fun, something that we need nowadays, plus, this blend of fiction with some real life events are handled in a very professional way, the cameos are perfect, and watching Stan Lee was great... I really hope this is the beginning of a series of movies where you can see Mewes and friends acting and having fun... Some people may not like it, but I loved to watch it!

Oddly entertaining but of little if any substance

[cbmorgan-07680 · 4/10 · 2 December 2023]

I'm not really sure the film's central premise about the star turning to method acting gets explored very much. It's more of a traditional murder mystery. I think if the method acting premise got more of a look-in the film would have been more interesting but because of that the film doesn't have much of a plot, if any. There are some cult classics that manage to pull this off but I don't think this has enough substance to be considered a classic. It's funny at times, it did make me laugh, which is something, although I don't really know a lot of the references as the films referenced are not really my bag. Sone of it is also shot in Derby, where I work, the plot could have made more of a play on that, like maybe he had to come to Derby to get acting work. There are a few cameos from well-known stars like Dean Cain, Vinnie Jones, Terri Hatcher, even Stan Lee and Danny Trejo steals the show in a bit of a departure from his normal roles but it feels like they could have got more from all that acting talent. Ultimately it feels like a good idea not fully realised.

Surprisingly Funny

[more_leftovers · 10/10 · 3 August 2019]

Just one small spoiler-ish opinion at the end about the ending that may give away or hint at the ending. Don't read the last paragraph if you're worried about spoilers. The rest is safe.

I wasn't really expecting much from this. But I'm kind of an old school Kevin Smith/ViewAskew fan from the 90s. I remember meeting Jason and Walt Flanagan at the comic book store in Redbank and thinking that they were both so real and down to earth. You could tell how characters were based on who they really were.

This movie pokes fun at that universe that Kevin created and people's perceptions of the people in his movies vs the characters they play. There is a scene when Kevin and Jason are arguing and Kevin gets really mad. Seriously, that's probably the first real acting he's ever really done. You're never going to get t a point where you suspend belief for this movie, but it was cool to see them playing "themselves" in such different ways.

I liked it. There were many familiar faces and references, but it was not obnoxiously laden with overkill cameos or blatant throwbacks that Kevin is more known for- which was nice. I was afraid that he was going to have more input or influence in it. It is definitely not a Kevin Smith movie.

The plot was silly and the story was not anything amazing. But there were some very funny moments. Definitely worth seeing if you are fan of Kevin's older movies. But don't expect a Kevin Smith movie.

Without giving a blatant spoiler, I had hoped for more of an ending in the vein of American Psycho. I thought that would have been a clever way to wrap it up.

Jason Mewes at his realest

[rogerbanks-48954 · 10/10 · 9 August 2019]

Jason Mewes directorial debut in Method of Madness is spectacular. Mewes has never been so real. The movie shows Mewes versatility as not just the stoner side kick but a real talent. Mewes has found his calling. A must watch for anyone wanting to see another side of Jason. Excellent movie and look forward to more.

Fun. Funny. Really good

[s-m-broderson · 9/10 · 9 August 2019]

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was fun seeing all these actors play out of their typecasts. Genuinely I enjoyed this film. Is it a masterpiece no, instant cult classic YES. Jason mewes did a phenomenal job directing. Again just such a fun film!

Amazing cast! Emotional roller coaster

[elongo78 · 10/10 · 4 August 2019]

Being a huge Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith fan, this movie takes you on a rollercoaster ride. I have watched it 4 times in 24 hours. Jason takes you for a wild ride. Knowing it's just a movie and all but still parts just tore you up inside! This is a fantastic movie, especially for any fan of Jason and Kevin. The cast is Amazing a must see movie of the year! 10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Great 1st attempt by mewes

[daniel_worsley · 8/10 · 14 June 2020]

1st things 1st im a huge Kevin Smith fan so i was always gonna buy this film but was pleasantly surprised by how much fun watching it brilliantly dark humour that doesn't take itself seriously with lots of references for die hard Smith fans .the scene near the end between mewes and Smith is awesome my only gripe and it is only a tiny one but understandable due to it being his directing debut and probably a shoestring budget is you can clearly see the difference between the uk and LA scenes

Surprisingly, really entertaining.

[MovieNerdsSuck · 10/10 · 5 August 2019]

Movies are not meant to be taken seriously all the time and usually when you they do, they can end up becoming something very special but the most important thing a movie can do is keep you interested or glued. If it manages that then you can't say it's failed at it's job. My only gripe with the movie is Kevin Smith. He seems like the only one not wanting to take it seriously that he didn't even show up for some of his scenes and his first part was so obviously uninterested almost like he was trying to sabotage the Jason's work. I'd love for Jason just to wing it and do more ambitious stuff like this.

Pigeon holed

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 27 October 2019]

Sometimes you get a certain image and the public does not accept you as something different. Danny Trejo cherishes that, he says he enjoys it. Plus he is Mexican so he doesn't feel like he is being stereotyped (his words not mine). Still even he gets to step out and play a different version of himself.

Generally speaking you have a few people playing themselves (no not like that, behave!), but being differently than they are in real life. Or at least they can live out some version of their frustration when it comes to how the public views them - see Dean Cain aka Superman but many others too. So yes the movie is also very self aware and the jokes may not all strike with everyone, but that is to be expected ...