What a disappointment. Kevin Smith, in continuing his slide into mediocrity, has decided to foist this cheap knockoff on his unsuspecting band of followers. The idea of creating a sequel to "Clerks" was a good one, but unfortunately, the execution was not.
It seems clear that the entire concept went awry when Smith decided to increase the budget of the film (in a director's commentary interview called "Back to the Well" on the DVD, Smith admits that he originally wanted to keep the budget as close to the original "Clerks" as possible, but was apparently talked out of it by someone who must similarly think that "New Coke", new textured basketballs in the NBA, and changing "Marshall Fields" to "Macy's" were all masterstrokes). Thus, instead of nostalgic grainy black and white visuals, we have funky, Brady Bunch era color eerily reminiscent of other Smith mediocrities like "Mallrats". It is all downhill from there.
The script is uninspiring, which is utterly amazing given that it is spawned from one of the greatest low-budget comedies ever made. Dante (Brian O'Halloran) is now in his thirties; after being forced to relocate from his Quik Stop appointment due to a fire that ravages the place, he takes over as cashier at a Mooby's Fast Food joint. Randal (Jeff Anderson) is still the same old slacker. Sadly, though, the chemistry between the two is nowhere near as effective. Gone are the snappy, natural exchanges from the first movie; the attempts at humor fall flat, and the random witticisms seem forced. The Dante and Randal personalities are the same, but nothing else is.
The plot (Dante prepares to leave the fast food/convenience store sector and get married, but not without a bad case of cold feet) is lackluster enough, but making matters worse were all the little touches that made the first "Clerks" such a memorable film. Where were the vocab words introducing different parts of the day ("Perspicacity", "Malaise")? Where were the various social commentaries sprinkled into the dialogue ("Title does NOT dictate behavior")? Where was the bizarre music from unknown artists that, nevertheless, stayed in your head well after the movie was over? (Hint: "What a Wookie!" replaced by "Smashing Pumpkins" is not even close to an equal trade-off). Where are the running jokes ("Are you open?")? All the lightning-in-a-bottle charm of the first movie is left out, apparently to make room for slapstick, a yawn-inducing debate about "Transformers", and a plot device about mating with donkeys that the average middle school kid would find hackneyed and old-school.
And then there is the dreaded rooftop dancing lesson for Dante who, in a male stereotype that must surely date back to the time of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, admits that he is about to get married but can't dance. Really, this scene provides an excellent parallel between all that is right in the first movie and all that is horribly wrong in this one; in the first one, a cool and funny hockey game takes place, and in this one...a dance scene that would cause even the creators of the infamous McDonald's dance party in "Mac and Me" to laugh aloud in derision.
One last note on the dance scene. In an oh so realistic portrayal of how "cool" people today view songs by Michael Jackson, the movie characters are all featured dancing, shimmying, shaking, and tapping to the melodious strains of "ABC" from the Jackson 5 as Dante learns the moves. While watching the scene, I couldn't help but wonder if the actors didn't enjoy the song a bit more than, oh, any sane person viewing the movie. Next time, a tune slightly less annoying might go over better with the audience; may I suggest Jim Carrey's version of "Mocking Bird"...or perhaps a test of the Emergency Broadcast System?
Oh, Kevin Smith. You had the right idea (finally) with this long-awaited sequel, but you let yourself get talked out of the basics that made you a star in the first place. I kept waiting for Ben Affleck to pop around the corner in a cameo as a rival clerk; other than that, this film is no different than anything else you've done recently, which is a shame. I'm giving you a "4" instead of a "1" for your good intentions and the closing scene (which was excellent). Here's hoping you finally get back to your roots if and when you decide to make "Clerks 3".
It seems clear that the entire concept went awry when Smith decided to increase the budget of the film (in a director's commentary interview called "Back to the Well" on the DVD, Smith admits that he originally wanted to keep the budget as close to the original "Clerks" as possible, but was apparently talked out of it by someone who must similarly think that "New Coke", new textured basketballs in the NBA, and changing "Marshall Fields" to "Macy's" were all masterstrokes). Thus, instead of nostalgic grainy black and white visuals, we have funky, Brady Bunch era color eerily reminiscent of other Smith mediocrities like "Mallrats". It is all downhill from there.
The script is uninspiring, which is utterly amazing given that it is spawned from one of the greatest low-budget comedies ever made. Dante (Brian O'Halloran) is now in his thirties; after being forced to relocate from his Quik Stop appointment due to a fire that ravages the place, he takes over as cashier at a Mooby's Fast Food joint. Randal (Jeff Anderson) is still the same old slacker. Sadly, though, the chemistry between the two is nowhere near as effective. Gone are the snappy, natural exchanges from the first movie; the attempts at humor fall flat, and the random witticisms seem forced. The Dante and Randal personalities are the same, but nothing else is.
The plot (Dante prepares to leave the fast food/convenience store sector and get married, but not without a bad case of cold feet) is lackluster enough, but making matters worse were all the little touches that made the first "Clerks" such a memorable film. Where were the vocab words introducing different parts of the day ("Perspicacity", "Malaise")? Where were the various social commentaries sprinkled into the dialogue ("Title does NOT dictate behavior")? Where was the bizarre music from unknown artists that, nevertheless, stayed in your head well after the movie was over? (Hint: "What a Wookie!" replaced by "Smashing Pumpkins" is not even close to an equal trade-off). Where are the running jokes ("Are you open?")? All the lightning-in-a-bottle charm of the first movie is left out, apparently to make room for slapstick, a yawn-inducing debate about "Transformers", and a plot device about mating with donkeys that the average middle school kid would find hackneyed and old-school.
And then there is the dreaded rooftop dancing lesson for Dante who, in a male stereotype that must surely date back to the time of Fred and Wilma Flintstone, admits that he is about to get married but can't dance. Really, this scene provides an excellent parallel between all that is right in the first movie and all that is horribly wrong in this one; in the first one, a cool and funny hockey game takes place, and in this one...a dance scene that would cause even the creators of the infamous McDonald's dance party in "Mac and Me" to laugh aloud in derision.
One last note on the dance scene. In an oh so realistic portrayal of how "cool" people today view songs by Michael Jackson, the movie characters are all featured dancing, shimmying, shaking, and tapping to the melodious strains of "ABC" from the Jackson 5 as Dante learns the moves. While watching the scene, I couldn't help but wonder if the actors didn't enjoy the song a bit more than, oh, any sane person viewing the movie. Next time, a tune slightly less annoying might go over better with the audience; may I suggest Jim Carrey's version of "Mocking Bird"...or perhaps a test of the Emergency Broadcast System?
Oh, Kevin Smith. You had the right idea (finally) with this long-awaited sequel, but you let yourself get talked out of the basics that made you a star in the first place. I kept waiting for Ben Affleck to pop around the corner in a cameo as a rival clerk; other than that, this film is no different than anything else you've done recently, which is a shame. I'm giving you a "4" instead of a "1" for your good intentions and the closing scene (which was excellent). Here's hoping you finally get back to your roots if and when you decide to make "Clerks 3".