Clerks II

I saw it.

I liked it.

Of course, I come pre-programed to like Clerks II. I own all of Kevin Smith's movies and I like them all. There, I've said it. All of them. I mean, Chasing Amy is the best according to conventional critics, but I liked Mallrats too. I also LOVED Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was retarded fun and I even enjoyed Jersey Girl (I feel like I need to justify that statement: I saw Jersey Girl during one of the few periods in my life where I'm not single, so Jersey Girl worked really well as a date movie, I mean, it's a much better choice than something like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.)

But back to Clerks II. Some people said that Clerks shouldn't be fucked with; it wasn't needed and a sequel might ruin the first one. I had no problem with Smith returning with Dante and Randal (especially after learning about Jason Mewes's drug problems and how Smith promised him another Jay and Silent Bob movie if he stayed sober. He did.)

Now for the movie itself. First of all, the previews don't really do this movie justice; some of the best stuff is either A) really hilarious and vulgar but couldn't be shown on TV or B) really dramatic/deep/thoughtful dialogue that couldn't be broken down into a commercial soundbite.

There were parts of the movie that were cheesy as hell (some dialogue and situations were text book Hollywood stuff), like a lot of Dante's romatic lines and situations. There were some parts that were sublimley stupid, like the extended dance sequence. That's right: extended dance sequence. Amazing.

There was also a lot of inside jokes (Ben Affleck and Jason Lee show up), some nerd humor (Star Wars vs Lord of the Rings) and some classic Smith vulgarity (a donkey show).

However, these are things we all expect from a Kevin Smith movie, no one is really shocked by this. What was shocking was the gut wrenching dialogue Smith wrote for Dante and Randal. Some of the shit is so real, so dramatic that my mouth dropped. It felt like I was watching two friends fight as a fly on the wall. It was almost uncomfortable.

Anyways, if you liked any of Smith's earlier films, you'll probably like Clerks II. If you've seen only Clerks and Chasing Amy (his 'serious' ones), you'll probably like Clerks II. If you don't approve of adult language and sex with a donkey, Clerks II is probably not the movie for you.