Book 28: Clerks II
Book 28: Clerks II
Writer: Kevin Smith
Genre: Movie Screenplay
Number of pages: 152
Read This Year: 7852
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best]: A-
Short Description/Summary of the Book: From Amazon.com
Contains the script from Clerks II together with a small section of photos from the movie.
My Thoughts: I really dig Kevin Smith's movies -- people can turn on him if they want, but the man has a flair for dialogue few filmmakers can match. This movie seemed to many like just another dip at the well, going back after 12 years and making a sequel to his first film. Remarkably, though, Smith managed to not only turn in a satisfying movie, but perhaps the best work of his career.
While the first Clerks was simply a day in the life of Dante and Randal, Clerks II is perhaps the most important day in their lives -- Dante is engaged and about to move to Florida, and as was the case in the original film, he still hasn't taken control of his life. Randal, on the other hand, is bouncing from place to place, content just to follow his best friend. The first movie was what it's like to be aimless in your 20s. This movie is about being in your 30s and only beginning to realize what your life is supposed to be. For all the lewd jokes and blue comedy, there's a depth and heart to this story that perhaps makes it Smith's finest, most honest work.
This book, simply, is the screenplay of the movie. I enjoy reading screenplays as a sort of writing tutorial -- I like seeing how the words translate to the film. If you read screenplays for any reason, and you're a fan of Smith's work, this is a book worth reading.
In the Queue: Monster Island by David Wellington; Reading Comics by Douglas Wolk