A - J - Friday, May 8, 2009 9:34 - 0 Comments

Clerks 2

I’ve been a life long Kevin Smith film, right since I first watched Clerks in my first year at Uni. The banter just struck a chord with me and I was instantly converted. So much so, (getting a little geeky here), but I’ve got his entire back catalogue on DVD, signed by the man himself.

Or at least I did, until Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back came out. Man, I really was disappointed in that film. I even kept myself “pure”, not reading any of the behind the scenes stuff, or even watching the trailers before the film came out. So you can imagine my feelings when I walked out of the theatre after watching it, wondering where it had all gone wrong.
Now you may or may not agree with me on this, or even about any of the reviews on here, (but then tough shit, get your own website), but I feel that Kevin Smith went waaaaay off the boil after J&SBSB. Jersey Girl? Nuff said.

So I was fairly nervous when I sat down to watch Clerks 2. Especially as I was watching it in company and they were looking to me to provide the entertainment. Always a tricky move when watching an untested film!

So let me say right at the start here that I liked it. And in some ways it’s a return to form for Kevin Smith. This time we’re back to the familiar characters of the original, with Randal and Dante reprising their roles, albeit in a fast food joint rather than the Quick Stop. It’s great to hear the two of them banter back and forth again.

This time the characters are also joined by Trevor Fehrman (whipping boy) and Rosario Dawson (love interest). The plot centres around Dante’s last day at Moobys before heading off for a new life with the soon to be Mrs Hicks (played by Kevin Smiths wife – Jennifer Schwalbach Smith). Will he be able to leave New Jersey behind and start again with a new life, a new wife and a new job? Well you can find that out when you watch it.

What you want to know is:

“Is it funny?” –Yes, in some parts eye watering, hard to breath funny.

“Is it as good as Clerks?” – No but it’s a lot better than it could have been and much better than Jersey Girl and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

“Should I watch it?” – Yes, you should rest assured that this film is far more in keeping with the whole View Askew Universe than J&SB was. Plus there’s plenty here for anyone that’s not a die hard KS fan.

A cracking return to form for the big guy!