Clerks II

I would like to start this post by saying that I am a huge Kevin Smith fan. I'm not really sure why. I remember when Clerks came out back in '94 and seeing commercials on TV for it. It looked so interesting and fascinating. I wasn't really allowed freedom in choosing every film I wanted to watch back then so I didn't actually see the movie until almost five years later. Since then I've always been interested in anything Kevin is working on. Much of Kevin Smith's work is vulgar, crude and offensive (depending on your view points) and many people have asked me why I submit myself to such filth. I've never really had a great answer other than, "I just like it." Kevin often explores controversial topics that many artists are afraid to approach. I once heard Kevin talking about how his brother is gay and has problems watching movies because he has problems connecting to them. The guy always seems to get the girl. Well what about the other people out there in the world? Homosexuality is just one topic Kevin has tried to present in a humorous manner off and on in many of his films. He is also the creator of Jay and Silent Bob and is in fact, Silent Bob himself. Smith also has this amazing fan base of cult-proportions that is a mystery to many. I think I may know part of the reason for this. Ready? Kevin Smith. That's it. This guy has charisma. He's funny, he's cool, he's personable, and he seems like the kind of guy that could be your friend. Seriously. This is just an average guy who loves movies, but isn't stuck up and a little crazy like Quentin Tarantino. So the movie....I've been digressing upon many a rabbit trail here. Clerks II is a continuation of the Dante and Randal story we were first introduced with back in '94. Only now they're 10 years older and still dealing with some of those same issues from a decade ago. Oh, and did I mention the sequel is in color? Kevin has definitely made a big name for himself in Hollywood, in the comic book world, and in the hearts of many around the world who pine after a persona as cool as one of Smith's characters. Who wouldn't want to throw water on an annoying customer like Randall? Who wouldn't want to have girls fighting over them like Dante? I'm sure a lot of you wish you could say anything and everything on your mind like Jay. Did you know there are heroines as well? There's Alyssa Jones, Veronica, Caitlin Bree, Rene Mosier, Brandi Svening, Bethany Slone, etc, etc. Oh yeah, and then there was Dogma where Alanis Morissette played the part of God. So anyways, Clerks II. Originally titled Passion of the Clerks, I assume this was to poke fun at Mel Gibson. This was even back in 2004 so this was way before Gibson decided to torpedo his career with a drunken tirade at police officers. In this latest installment we get to Dante and Randal back at it again. Working together, getting each other into interesting situations and inadvertently terrorizing some of the general public in the process. There is also another return of Jay and Silent Bob and great performances by Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman (new to the Smith films). I would be lying if I said this movie was clean and unlike his other films. I was definitely shocked in a couple scenes. Once again, as usual, the bar was raised. Interestingly enough, the MPAA gave the film an 'R' rating immediately. Usually his films have to be edited to make an 'R'. The movie is definitely a bit slow in the middle and almost seems to drone on for bit, but there's a dynamite ending. I've heard some critics complaining about the end of the film, but think if you understand the progression of the previous 5 films than it will make complete sense to you too. I found this movie entertaining and enjoyable. However I would not reccomend this to anyone who is not already a fan of Smith's previous works. Definitely an acquired taste, it could be hard to fully appreciate jumping to the end of this series without starting at the beginning. A bit like the original Star Wars trilogy in the sense that each film can be watched as a seperate entity, but it really helps to see the full picture.