ironhorse_iv
Most main-stream comedies would try to have over-the-top fantasy life premises, in which the audience can lance on, because how bizarre & surreal, it is. However, some of the better comedies, known for their Seinfeldian humor, idiosyncratic focus on more conversational everyday stuff that some audience might find mundane. Then, there are those, whom can mix, both of them, well-enough, that the audience can find, the simplest of premise, funny. This is one of those movies. Directed & written by Kevin Smith, Clerks 2 is a follow-up to the highest successful 1994's movie, Clerks and Smith's sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse AKA Kevin Smith's fictional universe from the first film. Ten years after the events in Clerks, Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) & Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) find themselves working at a local fast food joint, after their previous work, Quick Stop Store, burned down, a year ago. Dante has plans to move away from town and get married, but Randal cannot yet, allow his long-last friend to leave, without one last goodbye party. While, Randal set up the party at the workplace, Dante is struggles with his mixed feelings for his current boss, manager, Becky Scott (Rosario Dawson) & his love for his fiancée, Emma Bunting (Jennifer Schwalbach). Will the goodbye party go according plan, or will Dante & Randal find themselves, making a bigger mess than before? Watch the movie to find out! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, it's nice to see Kevin Smith retackling his old films; however, in retrospect, it's generally viewed as Smith trying to rebound after his commercial failure in his non-View Askewniverse movie, 2004's Jersey Girl. Much like the original movie, the sequel to Clerks, also take place over the course of one day, and loosely connected with a series of small discussion skits and gags. But unlike, the first movie, the movie doesn't make too much jokes about the settling of the film. For a movie that mostly takes place at a fast food joint. I'm really surprised on the lack of jokes about junk food. You would think, the movie would be full of it. Anyways, the movie instead, tackles other issues, such as debates over movies, sexual positions, religion, racism, and romantic love versus pragmatic life choices. Like the first movie, the dialogue is rife with obscenities. Over 130 curse words, to start, as well as a lot of homosexual & racism slurs. The movie also has explicit jokes about bestiality, rape & others that some people might feel uncomfortable with. For me, the oddest thing about the film is having Jason Mewes as Jay do his 1991's the Silence of the Lambs, "Goodbye Horses" dance. That was really out of place & inappropriate. Even with all those, kinda offensive humor and jokes. There were some witty, somewhat heartfelt moments in the film. I did like the whole Jackson 5 'ABC" musical number. For the most part, all of these scenes serves mostly as filler. It really takes forever, for the weak main plot to kick in. The fact that the majority of that scene was ad-libbed, added to the pacing problems. While, the movie is not well-paced. The acting in this film was pretty good for the most part. The main actors, supporting actors, and cameos, all did their parts, very well. I have to say, my favorite actor in this, had to be Trevor Fehrman as Elias Grover, Dante and Randal's new co-worker at the Mooby's fast food chain. It sucks that he hasn't acted since this movie, because I found him to be, very funny. The worst acting in the film has to go to Jennifer Schwalbach. I'm really didn't buy anything, she was saying. Her performance was so wooden. Another thing, that was way different from the first movie, is how this sequel was in color & not in black & white. But as mentioned in the DVD commentary for this film, the entire film was desaturated, a bit after filming, because the colors were far too bright and cheery. In my opinion, I didn't mind that it was, as it adds so much to the cartoony astrosphere, giving the film a far, greater look. It reminds me, so much of the early 2000's animated TV Series Clerks with its style. Overall: While, Clerks 2 will never outshine the original. I have to say, it's still a watchable guilty pleasure of mine. Worth checking out. Face it tiger. You just hit the jackpot!
implaxis
I know Kevin Smith is supposed to be this great director and dialogue writer, but I don't think it shows here. A lot of the dialogue (and there is a lot of it!) is tedious, unpleasant, and cringe-worthy. The entire film is just a bunch of strung-together vignettes with a tenuous thread of a plot line.An example of poor direction is the jail scene. There are six people there, but no establishing shot, and you never see more than two people in any one shot. Cut to Jay and Silent Bob, cut to Kelley, cut to Elias, cut to the other two, but only talking to the others from across the cell.I liked most of Smith's other movies and thought the writing was clever. This one just didn't do much for me.
