My thoughts on Clerks II (and Kevin Smith in general)

Kevin Smith is a director who can basically do no wrong in my book.

Clerks, if I made a list of the funniest movies ever made, would probably be somewhere in the top 10. It's a masterpiece. In fact, I'd say Kevin's made three movies that are at least borderline-great movies. I loved Chasing Amy when it came out and even if I don't have as strong a feeling for it now, it's a very good movie. Dogma's kind of the opposite: I didn't like it as much when I saw it, but I love it now. Whenever I come across it on Comedy Central, I almost always watch a few minutes.

Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are enjoyable in a kind of lighter way... not much to them, but very fun nonetheless.

Heck, I even liked Jersey Girl. The movie wasn't well received, but as it was a major plot point in the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez tabloid mess, it was doomed from the get-go. I found it enjoyable and kind of sweet.


So where does Clerks II fit in?

Clerks, Chasing Amy, and Dogma are better than

Clerks II, which is better than

Mallrats, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl.

That is to say, even if Clerks doesn't rise to the level of the top Kevin Smith movies for me, it's also more than just an average-likeable-lightweight comedy.

Dante and Randall are the two best characters Kevin Smith has ever created. While the movie wasn't as tight as the original Clerks, the characters once again are a ton of fun. The pop culture references (especially regarding the Lord of the Rings movies and Transformers) are a riot, the sexual humor, even when gross, is great, and even if it was a little over the top, I have to admit I laughed at the donkey humor.

I also thought the relationships between the characters were strong. Obviously between Dante and Randall, but also between Dante and Becky (played by Rosario Dawson, who was kind of a revelation to me), and there were some great exchanges between Randall and Elias, another employee of the fast food joint where Dante and Randall now work.

Dara said the movie was good, not great, and I think that's fair, even as my recommendation is a little stronger than hers. She agrees 100% with the Salon review.

I agree about 90% with the Salon review. I take issue with this line:

It rambles into sentimentality, and it doesn't need to -- the movie is more affecting when the characters are just cracking jokes.

Nah. I like it when Kevin Smith gets sentimental. The relationship between Dante and Becky, which is all about sentimentality, worked very well. Also there's a scene, in prison, involving Dante, Randall, Jay and Silent Bob that was very well written and very sentimental.

So if you've seen Kevin Smith movies and liked them, go see this. And if you haven't... good God! Go rent the first Clerks today!