Clerks II (2006) dir: Kevin Smith
Clerks. was one of the iconic grunge films of 1994. It was a low-budget angry-as-hell slacker movie about bitter 20-somethings working in a convenience store and taking their frustrations out on the customers and everything else they could find. With pop culture references as prolific as its elevated stylistic dialog, Clerks became one of the most intelligent views into Gen X ever.
Kevin Smith has softened up since then. Clerks II is not about life in a convenience store, as the film opens with the Quik Stop catching on fire. Nor is it about life at a fast food restaurant, though Dante and Randall have a job there, now. Clerks II is about the clerks, and it could have been set anywhere, quite frankly.
With Clerks II, Kevin Smith is rambling on and on about friendship, departure, and separation. Whee. He throws in a few gross-out scenes which have nothing to do with anything, nor do they really have a sense of appropriateness. And, Smith has fallen into the trap of formula.
Clerks had a rooftop scene, so Clerks II has to have a rooftop scene. Clerks had an adventure outside of the store (Julie Dwyer's funeral), so Clerks II has to have a scene outside the store. And, while this is supposed to reiterate that despite 12 years having passed nothing has changed, this actually shows a complete lack of imagination for Kevin Smith.
Admittedly, most of my problem is that I was hoping for Kevin Smith to out-anger Waiting for the food service industry. This was simply because Waiting was trying to be the Clerks of the food service industry. But, it was like an imitation Waiting. Gone are the pointed mockings of customers. Gone are the general traps of anger.
Part of the problem is that it seemed that Kevin Smith had never worked a fast food joint in his life. Either that or it just doesn't seem real to me. And, as a result, the whole movie never makes it past its not-so-lofty ambitions.
But, when the movie works it does work. When Randall rants on about about racist words like Porchmonkey and has to be taught a lesson, its funny. When Elias, Randall, and random customer get into it about the LOTR trilogy, its funny. When it just seems like a dumb comedy, it moderately works. When the emotions invade, it doesn't.
Now, I'm gonna go watch Clerks.
C-
Clerks. was one of the iconic grunge films of 1994. It was a low-budget angry-as-hell slacker movie about bitter 20-somethings working in a convenience store and taking their frustrations out on the customers and everything else they could find. With pop culture references as prolific as its elevated stylistic dialog, Clerks became one of the most intelligent views into Gen X ever.
Kevin Smith has softened up since then. Clerks II is not about life in a convenience store, as the film opens with the Quik Stop catching on fire. Nor is it about life at a fast food restaurant, though Dante and Randall have a job there, now. Clerks II is about the clerks, and it could have been set anywhere, quite frankly.
With Clerks II, Kevin Smith is rambling on and on about friendship, departure, and separation. Whee. He throws in a few gross-out scenes which have nothing to do with anything, nor do they really have a sense of appropriateness. And, Smith has fallen into the trap of formula.
Clerks had a rooftop scene, so Clerks II has to have a rooftop scene. Clerks had an adventure outside of the store (Julie Dwyer's funeral), so Clerks II has to have a scene outside the store. And, while this is supposed to reiterate that despite 12 years having passed nothing has changed, this actually shows a complete lack of imagination for Kevin Smith.
Admittedly, most of my problem is that I was hoping for Kevin Smith to out-anger Waiting for the food service industry. This was simply because Waiting was trying to be the Clerks of the food service industry. But, it was like an imitation Waiting. Gone are the pointed mockings of customers. Gone are the general traps of anger.
Part of the problem is that it seemed that Kevin Smith had never worked a fast food joint in his life. Either that or it just doesn't seem real to me. And, as a result, the whole movie never makes it past its not-so-lofty ambitions.
But, when the movie works it does work. When Randall rants on about about racist words like Porchmonkey and has to be taught a lesson, its funny. When Elias, Randall, and random customer get into it about the LOTR trilogy, its funny. When it just seems like a dumb comedy, it moderately works. When the emotions invade, it doesn't.
Now, I'm gonna go watch Clerks.
C-