Clerks II: Review By JR

Sep 5th, 2008 by JR
best sequel comedy.
  • OVERALL
    4.0
    GREAT
  • Story
  • Acting
  • Directing
  • Visuals
Kevin Smith became something of an indie film cult hero in 1994, when his audaciously grungy, no-budget debut, "Clerks," was shown at Sundance and then selected for distribution by Miramax.

A dozen years, and a half-dozen films later, the sequel, "Clerks II," brings Smith back to his roots, and his strengths as a writer-director. And that's good news for longtime fans. But for those who may only know Smith from his flat and sappy 2004 Bennifer misfire, "Jersey Girl," this raunchy, freewheeling return to his former ways may come as a bit of a shock.

Shot in grainy black-and-white, the original "Clerks" glimpsed the slacker days of Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), a pair of 20-something New Jersey convenience and video store workers. They endure the tedium of dead-end jobs with torrents of witty, obscene banter about women, sex and pop culture -- while their stoner shadows, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), hang out in the parking lot, cranking a monster boom box and dealing drugs and attitude.

All four characters and actors are back, but living in saturated color this time. Dante and Randal, now in their 30s, are serving time in fast-food hell as counter men at Mooby's -- a burger barn where the cow theme is taken to "udderly" ludicrous extremes. And Jay and Bob are, well, sort of, kind of trying to clean up their act. Strengthening the cast considerably are smart and sassy Rosario Dawson as Mooby's manager Becky, and Trevor Fehrman as Mooby's callow clerk-in-training Elias.

After all these years, Dante and Randal are still arrested adolescents. But Dante suddenly has some new prospects, thanks to his control freak fiancee (played by Smith's wife, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith) and her well-to-do family in Florida. Complicating that future, though, are Randal, who doesn't want his old buddy to leave him behind, and Becky, who has developed a different, more intimate kind of relationship with Dante -- one that has him cooing and confiding while painting her toes.

Smith devotees and others with a taste for transgressive humor will dig the blue streak of gags, set pieces and wisecracks that roll from relations with pickles and donkeys to the twisted confusion of Anne Frank and Helen Keller. And then there's a hilarious extended riff on "Star Wars" vs. "Lord of the Rings" that epitomizes Smith at his most comfortable and competent, both celebrating and lampooning the fan boy world of comics, movies, music and video games.

As the latest installment in the Smith franchise, "Clerks II" doesn't rank with his best (the ambitiously philosophical "Dogma") or his worst (the ill-conceived "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"). But by turning around to reprise his earliest work, he proves again just how good he is at creating distinctive characters and dialogue. Still, a big question remains: Where will Smith go from here?

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Comments (34)

  1. CBF

    aha thats what up with you. I knew you usually arent like this. Crypt was right when he said you used to be cool. I didn't know what got in to you all of a sudden.

    4 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag

  2. JR

    im drunk and pissed.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  3. CBF

    lol

    4 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag

  4. JR

    aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqq.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  5. CBF

    JR relax dude. I'm just messing around you know, telling it like it is. I'm not pissed at you or anything, I really could care less about all this. Just some thread to write on. I actually enjoy discussing things w/ you like 2012 and other stuff. I respect everyone's opinions on here, but I would just rather it be their own. Didn't have to delete me, I just came in here to add my 2 cents on your beef with all these other guys. So take a chill pill buddy.

    IT'S NOT LIKE I'M SPEAKING TO YOU LIKE THIS!!!!!

    4 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag

  6. JR

    yeah i also deoleted you!

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  7. Raoul Duke

    lol

    4 years agoby @raoulduke33Flag

  8. CBF

    Thanks, I wrote it myself

    4 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag

  9. JR

    oh nice one nigg*r.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  10. JR

    wow well f*ck you fbi come on get me whats that? oh you cant!

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  11. CBF

    MB123 is right. To plagiarize = lost respect. If I did this in my college, I would be expelled. In the real world, people get sued bigtime. It's a pretty damn serious issue.

    4 years agoby @comicbookfanFlag

  12. JR

    yes i always wanted to kill ppepole i have its a good fel;ling rush

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  13. MovieBuff

    whoa... now you're threatening to kill people????? WTF? What's gotten into you?

    4 years agoby @moviebuff123Flag

  14. JR

    he can do what he wants i kill his aassedhgrdytryurtyrtyrt mwoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  15. JR

    whatttttttttt hahathfe6ywe6w5ww3 7.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  16. MovieBuff

    Dude... if Bob Townsend ever gets a wind of you, he's gonna sue your ass for plagiarism. You're screwed.

    Why would you even do something like this??? To impress?? Not worth it.

    4 years agoby @moviebuff123Flag

  17. JR

    do you even know what that means? well i can and im gonna say f*ck you c*cksucking dumbass homo who licks his lips on the sight of uwe boll.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  18. Vamp

    I'd rather be poor than be a plagiarizer.

    4 years agoby @vampire2000Flag

  19. JR

    yes i do! where do you work? oh thtas right your poor.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  20. Vamp

    Oh, yea, you work for Access Atlanta. What an idiot.

    4 years agoby @vampire2000Flag

  21. JR

    what? its a code going to my site idoit.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  22. Raoul Duke

    no i dont, but apparently you like taking credit for other peoples work, follow the link

    4 years agoby @raoulduke33Flag

  23. Vamp

    Dude, you're done for..... That's proof.

    4 years agoby @vampire2000Flag

  24. JR

    ? no do you?

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  25. Raoul Duke

    http://www.accessatlanta.com/movies/content/shared/movies/reviews/C/clerks2/ajc.html

    Dont copy your reviews huh?

    4 years agoby @raoulduke33Flag

  26. xXx-RazorBlade-Romance-xXx

    this movie was gangster!!!!!!!!

    4 years agoby @loloFlag

  27. JR

    what i use spelling caps homo. and it is my review want me to send ya a video off my youtube page to prove it.

    4 years agoby @supbitchFlag

  28. The Dark Knight

    I love these guys movies

    4 years agoby @thedarkknight23Flag

  29. xXx-RazorBlade-Romance-xXx

    hahahahahahaahhaha vamp.........he's pretty stupid havin to copy reviews, i mean mine were bad, but i never copied...he must b really stupid..lol..

    4 years agoby @loloFlag

  30. Vamp

    Somehow I doubt audaciously is even in your vocab. Nice to see you copied another review.

    4 years agoby @vampire2000Flag