To see or not to see a sequel is the question. Because the sequel is, more often than not, a skid mark in comparison with the original film, you either see it and are sorely disappointed or never even bother. So a hint of advice: don’t make the mistake of assuming that Clerks II is just another sequel. Just as surprising as the cult following that Kevin Smith acquired with Clerks in 1994, the second is so good, you could enjoy it
having never seen the original. Of course, by good I mean referencing racial slurs, making fun of die-hard Christians, weed selling outside of businesses, bestiality, and a musical dance sequence.
As Smith said on the Opie and Anthony Radio Show, “It isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.” Regardless, he must be confident that Clerks II will at least draw more to the box office than Clerks, his directing debut, after the acclaim that he has earned as a writer and filmmaker with Chasing Amy and Dogma.
Although it begins in black and white like the original, Clerks II is clearly a new movie as soon as it goes to color. Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) continue to be the minimum wage-earning life analysts who guided us through a day in their pitiful yet so-very-entertaining life in Clerks, only now it’s not at the Quick Stop. This time the duo is pissing off customers at Mooby’s, the New Jersey fast-food restaurant featured in Smith’s other films. This setting alone offers up multiple comedic opportunities seeing as Randal is responsible for making people’s food and all the items at Mooby’s have cow-related names such as “The Cow Tipper”, which is basically a four-patty hamburger version of a club sandwich.
Fortunately, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself) are still “holding” and hanging outside. And they’ve still got the trench coats and the boom box with two cassette players, by the way.
The three new players are Becky Scott, Emma Bunting, and Elias Grover. Becky Scott (Rosario Dawson) is the Mooby’s manager that Dante is particularly close to. Emma Bunting (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith and Smith’s real wife) is Dante’s oh-so-blond fiancée who visits him at work to make out. Elias Grover (Trevor Fehrman) is by far the most important new character as a 19 year-old Christian and Employee of the Month who spits out lines such as “One ring to rule them all,” and “My pastor told me that transformers are a gift from God.” Without him, this movie wouldn’t have been half as funny.
What makes Clerks II so impressive is that as a sequel there needs to be some closure. Often with closure to a story comes love and/or marriage, maybe the professing of one’s true feelings to another. What Smith pulls off as brilliantly with this film as he did with Chasing Amy is that he touches on those happy ending kind of subjects without making the movie too mushy or corny, which is very necessary if you are trying to entertain the same types of people that you know will get a kick out discussing ass to mouth.
In the end, Dante and Randal remind us that the status quo isn’t always the way to go; it’s the people around you that matter, and money can’t buy happiness. But it can get you a Tijuana donkey show.
Clerks II: An irreverently funny success
Daily Emerald
July 26, 2006
B+
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