Clerks II

Clerks II was made for die hard Kevin Smith fans. If you haven’t seen his previous entries into the patented View Askewnivrse, this is not the movie for you. Even if you have seen all of Smith’s films, this may not be the movie for you. When it comes to Kevin Smith you can expect some brilliant pop culture discussions, near-blasphemous spiritual discussions and some crude sexual position discussions. And mixed in with all the talking are references to his previous films and the common threads of Star Wars and the antics of Jay and Silent Bob. Smith’s only film that doesn’t fit into this universe is Jersey Girl. He wrote that film to break away from the usual and ended up getting burned both by critics and fans. So Kevin Smith retreated and went back to basics to write a sequel to the film that started it all, Clerks.

Now part of the appeal of Clerks was the cheap hand-held way it was shot. With no budget, no colour and no stars, Clerks was still able to attract audiences with its colourful characters, snappy dialogue, and sheer offensiveness. Clerks II on the other hand, is no longer hand-held, and it has a budget, colour and stars. It still has the characters, dialogue and offensiveness but we have now grown accustomed to that, so the originality is gone. Clerks II reunites Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson as Dante Hicks and Randal Graves (two actors who have done nothing but Kevin Smith movies) who are forced to move from the convenience store to Mooby’s, the Disney/McDonald’s restaurant that was first introduced in the film Dogma. From behind the counter, discussions concerning racial slurs, abstinence and sexual positions are shared with fellow employees and offended customers. My favourite discussion centers on the true trilogy of Star Wars as opposed to Lord of the Rings. Liking both trilogies, it even made me defensive at times. Some other highlights include a fun dance sequence, a rejuvenated Jay, and some cameos from the View Askewniverse. The lowlight of the movie deals with a donkey and we’ll just leave it at that. The groans and shaking of heads from the audience should be enough of an indication.

Kevin Smith movies are not for the faint of heart. If you want to watch Kevin Smith films, you should watch them in order: Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back and then Clerks II. What’s weird is that Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back was written as a present for those who had seen his other films, and was written as a concluding chapter for Jay and Silent Bob. I guess after Jersey Girl, Smith realized that he should stick with what he knows best. Maybe he’ll keep writing reunion movies so we can see where his characters have ended up in life. Mallrats II anyone? In any case, only watch Clerks II if you have seen previous Smith efforts and are ready to be offended. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.