A Couple thoughts on Clerks 2...
I'm not the type of film fan who hails Kevin Smith as the savior of cinema (that title is reserved for Tarantino) or thinks that Jay and Silent Bob are the two best stoners in the history of film (that is reserved for Cheech and Chong). However, I do respect Smith alot. I think his films are fucking stellar, extremely enjoyable. Before I delve into the world of "Clerks 2," I'll give you an idea of my thought process.
Clerks- This is essentially the utlimate independent film. Shot in black and white, with total geek out sessions involving "Star Wars" and "Jaws." It has some of the most classic lines of the last 10 years or so, especially Randall's "I firmly believe in a ruling class...especially since I rule" line. It was also a very accurate commentary on the modern relationship, aimlessness, and finding one's way in life. Not only that, but it was also a dead on when it came to the bizarre customers. Working in retail, I have a far better understanding of these freaks.
Mallrats- In my opinion, probably the weakest in the whole Jersey Trilogy. It's also the most mainstream, which means that it's the most popular. The casting wasn't particularly great (Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, and Claire Forlani anybody?), and the story was kind of a rehash of the original Clerks idea. But it did have some great pluses, especially the introduction to one Jason Lee. He's obscene, he's extremely loud, and isn't afraid to stick it to anybody. Again, stellar one liners and a fairly interesting story, but really no advancement in terms of a story or character arcs.
Chasing Amy- This, without a doubt, is my favorite Jersey Trilogy film. For the first time, Smith put aside his infamous "dick and fart" jokes, and wrote something amazingly personal. Not only that, but for the first time the characters (gasp) evolve in a big way. It's one of Affleck's best, if not his best, performance. Joey Lauren Adams was an absolute revelation as the infamous lesbian, Alyssa Jones. She goes from completely cute and seductive, to intelligent, to amazingly vulnerable and broken. Her performance is one that is to be remembered. And again, Jason Lee comes up huge. His turn as the insecure Banky Edwards was career making. His delivery is absolutely perfect, and again, to a certain extent, he plays the rude mouth jerk. But there are many dimensions here. A man in fear of losing his best friend, a man who can't imagine a life without his constant companion. All of these elements make for the best Smith movie.
Dogma- Second only to Chasing Amy for me. Sharply intelligent, with an absolutely amazing cast. The film doesn't sacrifice laughs to be intelligent. The two are amazingly well balanced. Smith walked the line very well, and in addition to that, got another great performance out of Affleck. Damon, it is assumed, will always be good, but Affleck is a wild card. Alot of questions are asked, and where a lesser writer may leave them up in the air, Smith answers them with complete and utter assurance. Religion will always be the most taboo issue ANYBODY can deal with, but it is dealt with here in a very interesting way. It's compelling and informative, in addition to being extremely entertaining.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back- For the most part, this film is completely useless if you haven't seen any of the above. Alot of the in jokes are lost on people who haven't seen the first three parts of the Jersey Trilogy, plus Dogma (which isn't officially part of the Trilogy). I would call it a good reward for anybody who has it through the good and bad listed above. In addition to the many extremely funny parts, it was also a break out party for Will Ferrell, who really flexed his comedic muscle in this one. Really nothing too serious going on here, but a really good time.
Jersey Girl- The first film officially outside of the Jersey Trilogy, and also Smith's worst. An absolute train wreck of a story, with abysmal acting and characters you could give two shits less about. I've always said this, Jennifer Lopez SUCKS at acting. I don't count Selena as good performance, because let's face it, you play somebody who was once alive, you're doing nothing more then a glorified impersanation. I don't think Jaime Foxx should have won for "Ray" and I'm glad Joaquin Phoenix didn't win for "Walk the Line." Recognition should go for people who interpret roles and make them their own, not for people who just copy living people. Anyway, back to the rant at hand. I really couldn't have cared any less about the characters in this movie. The only good thing is the little girl, because she's so damned adorable.
And now...finally...
Clerks 2- Was it absolutely necessary to make this movie? Probably not? Were the characters that compelling that we absolutely needed to know what happened to them? Not really sure. But when all was said and done, this may be one of those rare occassions where the sequel far exceeds the original. It's 10 years later, and both Dante and Randall are still stuck in meaningless jobs, now flipping burgers at the fictional Mooby's. Dante is on the verge of moving to Florida to start a new life with his future wife, who is slightly obsessive and views Dante as the aimless slob he has become. It's this treatment that spurs Dante to the realization that, for the first in time his life, he may want to do something with his life. Couple that with the fact he may be in love with his stunningly goreous boss (the amazingly gorgeous Rosario Dawson) and his best friend Randall refuses to let him go, and you have the perfect making for an emotional film.
But of course, it's Kevin Smith. So mixed in with that emotion is absolutely disgusting sex humor and fierce arguments about pop culture (Lord of the Rings vs. Star Wars).
Clerks 2 is quite an accomplishment. I thought, going into the movie, that it was going to be a 2 hour march of all the characters from the first movie. But Smith is way too smart to do this, and keeps the cameos to an extreme low. Instead, he paints a picture of friedship, of your hometown pride, of finding yourself in general. It's very human, and surprisingly very emotional at some points. When you don't find yourself laughing, you find yourself slightly warm on the inside. It's that good.
Now lemme tell you, Rosario Dawson. Not only is she one of the hottest females on the face of the earth, but she is an amazing actress. She is sassy, the perfect best friend and the ideal lover. I totally fell in love with her here. I haven't felt this way about a fake cinematic female since I saw Drew Barrymore in the "The Wedding Singer."
So at the end of the day, was Clerks 2 worth it? Yes. Very much so. I'm leaving alot out here, because the element of surprise works best here. Drop the 9 bucks, well worth it.
Mark
Clerks- This is essentially the utlimate independent film. Shot in black and white, with total geek out sessions involving "Star Wars" and "Jaws." It has some of the most classic lines of the last 10 years or so, especially Randall's "I firmly believe in a ruling class...especially since I rule" line. It was also a very accurate commentary on the modern relationship, aimlessness, and finding one's way in life. Not only that, but it was also a dead on when it came to the bizarre customers. Working in retail, I have a far better understanding of these freaks.
Mallrats- In my opinion, probably the weakest in the whole Jersey Trilogy. It's also the most mainstream, which means that it's the most popular. The casting wasn't particularly great (Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, and Claire Forlani anybody?), and the story was kind of a rehash of the original Clerks idea. But it did have some great pluses, especially the introduction to one Jason Lee. He's obscene, he's extremely loud, and isn't afraid to stick it to anybody. Again, stellar one liners and a fairly interesting story, but really no advancement in terms of a story or character arcs.
Chasing Amy- This, without a doubt, is my favorite Jersey Trilogy film. For the first time, Smith put aside his infamous "dick and fart" jokes, and wrote something amazingly personal. Not only that, but for the first time the characters (gasp) evolve in a big way. It's one of Affleck's best, if not his best, performance. Joey Lauren Adams was an absolute revelation as the infamous lesbian, Alyssa Jones. She goes from completely cute and seductive, to intelligent, to amazingly vulnerable and broken. Her performance is one that is to be remembered. And again, Jason Lee comes up huge. His turn as the insecure Banky Edwards was career making. His delivery is absolutely perfect, and again, to a certain extent, he plays the rude mouth jerk. But there are many dimensions here. A man in fear of losing his best friend, a man who can't imagine a life without his constant companion. All of these elements make for the best Smith movie.
Dogma- Second only to Chasing Amy for me. Sharply intelligent, with an absolutely amazing cast. The film doesn't sacrifice laughs to be intelligent. The two are amazingly well balanced. Smith walked the line very well, and in addition to that, got another great performance out of Affleck. Damon, it is assumed, will always be good, but Affleck is a wild card. Alot of questions are asked, and where a lesser writer may leave them up in the air, Smith answers them with complete and utter assurance. Religion will always be the most taboo issue ANYBODY can deal with, but it is dealt with here in a very interesting way. It's compelling and informative, in addition to being extremely entertaining.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back- For the most part, this film is completely useless if you haven't seen any of the above. Alot of the in jokes are lost on people who haven't seen the first three parts of the Jersey Trilogy, plus Dogma (which isn't officially part of the Trilogy). I would call it a good reward for anybody who has it through the good and bad listed above. In addition to the many extremely funny parts, it was also a break out party for Will Ferrell, who really flexed his comedic muscle in this one. Really nothing too serious going on here, but a really good time.
Jersey Girl- The first film officially outside of the Jersey Trilogy, and also Smith's worst. An absolute train wreck of a story, with abysmal acting and characters you could give two shits less about. I've always said this, Jennifer Lopez SUCKS at acting. I don't count Selena as good performance, because let's face it, you play somebody who was once alive, you're doing nothing more then a glorified impersanation. I don't think Jaime Foxx should have won for "Ray" and I'm glad Joaquin Phoenix didn't win for "Walk the Line." Recognition should go for people who interpret roles and make them their own, not for people who just copy living people. Anyway, back to the rant at hand. I really couldn't have cared any less about the characters in this movie. The only good thing is the little girl, because she's so damned adorable.
And now...finally...
Clerks 2- Was it absolutely necessary to make this movie? Probably not? Were the characters that compelling that we absolutely needed to know what happened to them? Not really sure. But when all was said and done, this may be one of those rare occassions where the sequel far exceeds the original. It's 10 years later, and both Dante and Randall are still stuck in meaningless jobs, now flipping burgers at the fictional Mooby's. Dante is on the verge of moving to Florida to start a new life with his future wife, who is slightly obsessive and views Dante as the aimless slob he has become. It's this treatment that spurs Dante to the realization that, for the first in time his life, he may want to do something with his life. Couple that with the fact he may be in love with his stunningly goreous boss (the amazingly gorgeous Rosario Dawson) and his best friend Randall refuses to let him go, and you have the perfect making for an emotional film.
But of course, it's Kevin Smith. So mixed in with that emotion is absolutely disgusting sex humor and fierce arguments about pop culture (Lord of the Rings vs. Star Wars).
Clerks 2 is quite an accomplishment. I thought, going into the movie, that it was going to be a 2 hour march of all the characters from the first movie. But Smith is way too smart to do this, and keeps the cameos to an extreme low. Instead, he paints a picture of friedship, of your hometown pride, of finding yourself in general. It's very human, and surprisingly very emotional at some points. When you don't find yourself laughing, you find yourself slightly warm on the inside. It's that good.
Now lemme tell you, Rosario Dawson. Not only is she one of the hottest females on the face of the earth, but she is an amazing actress. She is sassy, the perfect best friend and the ideal lover. I totally fell in love with her here. I haven't felt this way about a fake cinematic female since I saw Drew Barrymore in the "The Wedding Singer."
So at the end of the day, was Clerks 2 worth it? Yes. Very much so. I'm leaving alot out here, because the element of surprise works best here. Drop the 9 bucks, well worth it.
Mark