12/02/06 Clerks 2

Clerks 2 (2006), directed by Kevin Smith

watched w/ Leslie (partially); DVD rental (Netflix) @ home & car ride (Raleigh, NC)

Coming on the heels of a somewhat disappointing departure from his usual comedy gold with "Jersey Girl," and clocking in at just a shade over a decade from his original groundbreaking indie hit "Clerks," Kevin Smith returns to his roots...albeit with a much bigger production value than his famous original. However, you have to give the tubby guy credit, he doesn't veer far from the basic premise of that brutally honest first film, as it just captures vignettes of true-to-life slackers in Anytown, USA. Our favorite dead-end jobbers Dante & Randall are back, along with other staples such as Smith & Jason Mewes' Jay & Silent Bob. That 20-something malaise that set in with the first "Clerks" has never truly left the now 30-something crew, just been put into an older, wiser and more bitter frame of mind. The guys are now forced to take a job at the crappy fast food chain Mooby's, deal with each other's shortcomings, wax poetic about women, life & pop culture, and somehow try not to die of boredom. When Dante's impending engagement may force him to relocate from Jersey, Randall is forced to question the magnitude of their friendship and (perhaps even his sexuality) how they could never make it without one another. In what is definitely full of rude & crude dialogue and snippets of degrading action, Smith still manages to create a mature world of feelings and thought-provoking social commentary with his work. A true testament to a regular guy who has escaped the doldrums of minimum-wage hell, to become someone larger than life today, Smith is the ultimate comic book geek hero. How can you resist this stuff? The usual suspects of Ben Affleck, Ethan Suplee, and Jason Lee show up...along with newcomer to the comical debauchery Rosario Dawson. Impassioned debates over the homo-phobic nature about which "Return Of" is better..."The King" of "The Jedi." Pillowpants...don't ask don't tell. He gives homage to his own original script, but doesn't rely solely on old gags & jokes to get through, creating a solid sequel (and perhaps end to a franchise dork dynasty?)...and did anyone mention the donkey show yet?! Oh dear God.

5 out of 5 stars