Clerks II

Last time i watched CLERKS 1 and 2 was many years ago. I remember that i've loved them both, and CLERKS 1 was slightly better. I've watched them again last night. Whereas my rating for CLERKS 1 didn't change (8,8/10, masterpiece), my rating for CLERKS 2 did. This is the best CLERKS movie (including the third part). I love it with all my heart.

Kevin Smith himself said that this is his favorite movie of him (In CLERK documentary, 2021). I get him. Everything is as it should here. Everything works. Kevin Smith is in the zone. Perfect doses for comedy and drama. Characters growing up, facing reality, without being bleak nor sad of course, this is a comedy after all. A movie for all those who try to find their way in life. A movie about true friendship, about true love. You cannot not love these characters, especially if life is a struggle for you. Of course it's juvenile and vulgar at times, this is not a preachy movie. This doesn't try to lecture you. This tries to give you a hug.

This is peak Kevin Smith. Congratulations. Anyone who hasn't watched it in years, should watch it soon again. It's better than you remember it. It's getting better as you are growing older.

I've been lucky enough to see this movie twice, and I can't wait to see it again in theaters. I laughed so hard I NEED to see it again to hear what I missed the first two times around, and I even shed a tear or two.

Kevin Smith is in fine form as Dante and Randal return 10 years older. But are they 10 years wiser? After the Quick Stop is unexpectedly shut down, Dante and Randall continue their meager existences at Mooby's, a fast food chain. The movie takes place on the day before Dante is set to leave for broader horizons with his overbearing fiancé, played by the stunning and impressive Jennifer Schwalbach.

Can Dante really survive outside of the comfortable confines of New Jersey? What will Randal do without his hetero-lifemate? And speaking of hetero-lifemates, what are Jay and Silent Bob up to these days? Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson give stellar performances. Dante and Randal are back and in fine form. Trevor Fehrman is an excellent addition to the cast as Elias, new coworker and perfect whipping boy for Randal. I absolutely fell in love with Rosario Dawson as Becky, Mooby manager, several times over. Jay and Silent Bob pop in and out without disappointment. I can't tell you how fantastic it is to see Jason Mewes looking healthy and in top form.

Those looking for the intelligent, wry and vulgar humor of Clerks will find it here. Can you top screwing a dead guy in a bathroom? Oh yes, you can! Those who appreciated the heart of Chasing Amy will find that here too. Only Kevin Smith can pull off that combination. The soundtrack is a must buy as well.

I can't wait to see this movie again.

I was lucky enough to go to an advanced screening of this film, a luxury not often afforded to us normal movie goers, and a luxury not appreciated by a critic that I don't need to name. This movie was filled with laughs, but still managed to tell a truly genuine story. A story about people that get trapped in their dead end jobs, and struggle to find happiness and try to decide what they want in life. Eventually teaching acceptance and promoting individualism rather than trying to live up to some kind of social standard.

I was very impressed with the casting, everyone was great, and it was great to see some familiar faces, Afflec and Lee really left an impression even though they were only present in one scene each. Smith really presents a dramatic tone with his directing, a tone which is rarely set nowadays with most directors trying to match the style of Spielberg, Hitchcock, or (insert successful director here), and leave the movie looking like an impression, Smith isn't afraid to use his own style. Most movies today are very cookie cutter, but this is a refreshing change. What happened to directors just directing, instead of trying to follow a formula to get rich? Smith is a genuine and modest filmmaker, we can only hope that he keeps making movies, and maybe he'll inspire more "Hollywood" directors to stick to good/original material rather than weak big budget movies with all the latest young stars stinking up the screen. Cheers to Kevin Smith, cheers to Clerks II.

9 / 10

Clerks II is a worthy successor to Kevin Smith's 1994 debut, "Clerks.".

The continuing adventures of Dante and Randal speed along with witty dialogue, insightful social commentary, and a touching look at various levels of life, responsibility and most importantly, love.

There's a lot of the requisite dirty jokes, but they enhance the golden center of the flick. I laughed and cried in many of the same moments. But mostly, I watched two characters I had grown up with grow up themselves and face some of the dilemmas I've faced since I went from being a teenage slacker to an adult. I was reminded of a better time in my life, and also reminded to look forward to the future.

Brian O'Halloran knocks Dante out of the gate, with pitch-perfect delivery. I believe that this is still the Dante we knew - just a bit older. Jeff Anderson takes Randal, an already amazing character, and brings him to a new level. Randal becomes even funnier - and more touching. Trevor Fehrman's Elias adds the perfect foil for Randal's brand of mischief. Jay and Silent Bob, the dynamic duo, are also back - proving that Jason Mewes is back in top shape, and really enjoying making you laugh.

~Steve

Clerks II:**** Clerks II is a strong and poignant retelling of the story of when two slackers grow into adulthood. In many ways this is writer/director Kevin Smith's most adult film in that we see four characters that we've grown up with over the past 12 years finally grow themselves. It opens on the final day of work for Dante who is finally getting up and out of Jersey with his fiancé, leaving Randal figuratively alone at Mooby's. Randal hasn't changed much over the past years, and in many cases neither has Dante. Randal still wrestles with the customers in pitiful pop culture debates, among them whether the LOTR trilogy is better than the Star Wars trilogy, but this time around he has a new foil in a 19 year old gamer-geek named Elias. The banter between these two is really funny especially when Randal tells him what he has planned for Dante's departure gift (but you'll have to see the flick to find out what that is because it is too gross for me even to write). After a short stint in re-hab Jay and Silent Bob have found solace in the Lord but this doesn't stop them from the dispensing with the drugs. Its odd to find that in the past decade it is Jay and Silent Bob that have changed the most, true they still are up to their perverse antics such as ass rubbing on the window and the disturbing recreation of "The Silence of the Lambs" dance but they have grown more sensitive to other people's emotions and needs, especially Jay. I haven't mentioned Rosario Dawson, who gives a very charming performance as the clerks' boss. She brings a lot of presence to a slightly underdeveloped character. But it is Jeff Anderson, Randal, that deserves the full attention this time around. He gives an award worthy performance and delivers it with an astonishing amount of sympathy. He's loosing his best friend which, though he'd never show it, absolutely devastates him. The last 20 minutes are really tear jerking, I know I was in tears and couldn't stop the flow. This film sort of keeps to the feel Smith created with Chasing Amy and Jersey Girl in that they lay the drama on thick and it almost works better than the comedy, an oddity for Smith proving he too has grown as a writer. It isn't all drama though you do get great comedic scenes such as, my favorite, the "porch monkey" scene. I nearly had laughing tears during it. This is probably Smith's best looking film elevating it to the quality one would get whilst watching a really good episode of television. The camera even moves! And a neat little digital effect is shown at the beginning where the clerks' world seamlessly transforms from black and white to color, I was shocked because I didn't even realize it was happening. This is one of Smith's best films and one of the year's best. I give it a high recommendation but I ask that you stick with it a little while because it moves at a slower pace then any of the other Jersey Chronicles, it may take a bit of getting used to for some, but this is a film that can not be missed.