1994: A young filmmaker, from New Jersey of all places, unleashes what is essentially his life story. A raw, explicit, frank and hysterical film, "Clerks." Refreshed the thought of what an "independent" film should be, and created an instant star of its creator, Mr. Kevin Smith.
Flash forward 10 years, in 2004, fresh from numerous critical and fan supported successes, Kevin Smith brings us "Jersey Girl". What he said was an attempt to tell a story about his feelings of fatherhood, it was later admitted by the director himself that the film was heartfelt, but intentionally watered down and held back from his usual frank and genuine dialogue.
Now, 2 years after the mess that was "Jersey Girl", Mr. Smith returns to his roots to tell a story about life in your 30's, "Clerks II". The movie is flat out fall on the floor hysterical, but much like "Jersey Girl" was forced into its softer approach, "Clerks II" feels really forced to be raunchy and provocative.
Plot line is this: 10 years after the events we witnessed in "Clerks.", Dante Hicks reports to work at the Quick Stop to find it on fire. We then flash forward a couple years and see that both Dante and his friend Randal Graves employed at fast food joint Mooby's. Dante is engaged to a woman who's more than a bit hyperactive and pushy (Jennifer Schwalbach-Smith), yet he's in love with his manager, played by the lovely Rosario Dawson.
Hijinks ensue from there, everything from Jay and Silent Bob's transition into sobriety, the much publicized donkey show, and finally, a smartly-written and deep conversation leading to the conclusion of this one. However, the aforementioned sequence is the ONLY time we get the trademark smart dialogue from any of the characters. Most of the time, it's a stream of highly off color (but hysterical) one liners strung together to form a loose plot. While the movie is funny enough to be a successful comedy, "Clerks." was more than a dick and fart joke film, the characters were deep and well crafted, and we were quickly able to relate and feel for the characters. We really don't have that ability in "Clerks II" and it really shows in the way its played.
I jumped aboard the Kevin Smith bandwagon way back when, and I feel the need to say .Kevin, going back to your roots takes more than shock factor, don't force it, let it flow. Character and dialogue carried you, those are your roots. 2.5 out of 5
Flash forward 10 years, in 2004, fresh from numerous critical and fan supported successes, Kevin Smith brings us "Jersey Girl". What he said was an attempt to tell a story about his feelings of fatherhood, it was later admitted by the director himself that the film was heartfelt, but intentionally watered down and held back from his usual frank and genuine dialogue.
Now, 2 years after the mess that was "Jersey Girl", Mr. Smith returns to his roots to tell a story about life in your 30's, "Clerks II". The movie is flat out fall on the floor hysterical, but much like "Jersey Girl" was forced into its softer approach, "Clerks II" feels really forced to be raunchy and provocative.
Plot line is this: 10 years after the events we witnessed in "Clerks.", Dante Hicks reports to work at the Quick Stop to find it on fire. We then flash forward a couple years and see that both Dante and his friend Randal Graves employed at fast food joint Mooby's. Dante is engaged to a woman who's more than a bit hyperactive and pushy (Jennifer Schwalbach-Smith), yet he's in love with his manager, played by the lovely Rosario Dawson.
Hijinks ensue from there, everything from Jay and Silent Bob's transition into sobriety, the much publicized donkey show, and finally, a smartly-written and deep conversation leading to the conclusion of this one. However, the aforementioned sequence is the ONLY time we get the trademark smart dialogue from any of the characters. Most of the time, it's a stream of highly off color (but hysterical) one liners strung together to form a loose plot. While the movie is funny enough to be a successful comedy, "Clerks." was more than a dick and fart joke film, the characters were deep and well crafted, and we were quickly able to relate and feel for the characters. We really don't have that ability in "Clerks II" and it really shows in the way its played.
I jumped aboard the Kevin Smith bandwagon way back when, and I feel the need to say .Kevin, going back to your roots takes more than shock factor, don't force it, let it flow. Character and dialogue carried you, those are your roots. 2.5 out of 5