Clerks II
- Thread starter caudio51
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Cannot wait. I watch Clerks once a month usually.
Huge Kevin Smith fan. Might be anti-climactic. Fearing he ran out of other ideas and had to resort to a sequel.
On the other hand - heard it had good reviews at Cannes - although the French think Jerry Lewis is funny so that's not much of an endorsement.
... and it's in color.
Huge Kevin Smith fan. Might be anti-climactic. Fearing he ran out of other ideas and had to resort to a sequel.
On the other hand - heard it had good reviews at Cannes - although the French think Jerry Lewis is funny so that's not much of an endorsement.
... and it's in color.
A friend of mine from college who works now for CNN got to see an early screening of it at the end of June. Here's his take on the film that he sent me.
Got to see a very early screening as this movie does not open for 3 or 4 weeks.
By way of background, I feel like Kevin Smith is my generation's Woody Allen-- the masses may not "get him" but he has a sense of humor that really strikes home with some people (and with critics) and his movies are usually quite funny-- even if they are not commerical successes. Kinda amazing to think about the fact that he is yet to direct a movie that makes more than 30 million dollars at the boxoffice. For a well-known and successful director he sure has not had very much actual success in terms of ticket sales
Anyway, because of my great affection for Smith's movies (especially Dogma, Chasing Amy, and the original Clerks which remains a real favorite of mine), I had high hopes for Clerks II. I think Kevin Smith generally manages to be very fresh and original in his films. Sure, they are sophomoric and quite often very crude but he seeks out humor in unusual places and I admire that.
You may be able to guess from all this background conversation, I was disappointed in the film. That might be putting it mildly. The first half of the movie feels really stale and is just not all that funny. The characters, Dante and Randall, look every bit the decade and a half older than they were in the original-- they have aged enough so that it is almost painful to look at them and recall the original characters. The story-- if you can call it that-- is extremely tired and unoriginal. Humor that felt clever in the early 1990s, now seems crass and vulgar. There is a scene with Jason Lee that falls so flat, I almost walked out.
But, a couple minutes after that the movie starts to turn around a bit. If nothing else, it gets funnier. While there is nothing as funny or memorable as the best moments in the original Clerks, the final third of the movie is an above average comedy. The movie the ends on a really sappy note, but at least it gets the characters where they need to be.
I left wondering why Kevin Smith had made this movie. Did his actor friends from Clerks need the money (they have certainly not shared in his post-Clerks fame except for Jason "Jey" Mewes)? Did he need a commercial success after Jersey Girl tanked so badly? I dunno.
I recall hearing him say after Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back that he was done with all the characters that he introduced in Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. I guess he felt there was somethign more to do. I hope that now he decides there is nothing left and he moves to new ground.
My advice-- if you are still reading-- is that Kevin Smith fans will find this movie tollerable, but probably no one else will. Its extremely crass humor may be tough for some folks to take. Its not a total waste of your entertainment dollar-- not by a long stretch-- but not until the final third of the movie is it anywhere close to Kevin Smith's usual standards.
So not sure how much y'all will like this but then again sequels rarely are as good as the first one.
Got to see a very early screening as this movie does not open for 3 or 4 weeks.
By way of background, I feel like Kevin Smith is my generation's Woody Allen-- the masses may not "get him" but he has a sense of humor that really strikes home with some people (and with critics) and his movies are usually quite funny-- even if they are not commerical successes. Kinda amazing to think about the fact that he is yet to direct a movie that makes more than 30 million dollars at the boxoffice. For a well-known and successful director he sure has not had very much actual success in terms of ticket sales
Anyway, because of my great affection for Smith's movies (especially Dogma, Chasing Amy, and the original Clerks which remains a real favorite of mine), I had high hopes for Clerks II. I think Kevin Smith generally manages to be very fresh and original in his films. Sure, they are sophomoric and quite often very crude but he seeks out humor in unusual places and I admire that.
You may be able to guess from all this background conversation, I was disappointed in the film. That might be putting it mildly. The first half of the movie feels really stale and is just not all that funny. The characters, Dante and Randall, look every bit the decade and a half older than they were in the original-- they have aged enough so that it is almost painful to look at them and recall the original characters. The story-- if you can call it that-- is extremely tired and unoriginal. Humor that felt clever in the early 1990s, now seems crass and vulgar. There is a scene with Jason Lee that falls so flat, I almost walked out.
But, a couple minutes after that the movie starts to turn around a bit. If nothing else, it gets funnier. While there is nothing as funny or memorable as the best moments in the original Clerks, the final third of the movie is an above average comedy. The movie the ends on a really sappy note, but at least it gets the characters where they need to be.
I left wondering why Kevin Smith had made this movie. Did his actor friends from Clerks need the money (they have certainly not shared in his post-Clerks fame except for Jason "Jey" Mewes)? Did he need a commercial success after Jersey Girl tanked so badly? I dunno.
I recall hearing him say after Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back that he was done with all the characters that he introduced in Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. I guess he felt there was somethign more to do. I hope that now he decides there is nothing left and he moves to new ground.
My advice-- if you are still reading-- is that Kevin Smith fans will find this movie tollerable, but probably no one else will. Its extremely crass humor may be tough for some folks to take. Its not a total waste of your entertainment dollar-- not by a long stretch-- but not until the final third of the movie is it anywhere close to Kevin Smith's usual standards.
So not sure how much y'all will like this but then again sequels rarely are as good as the first one.
I recall reading somewhere that K.Smith was going to retire Jay and Silent Bob.
The reason Clerks II was made was a promise by Smith to Mewes that if he managed to kick his drug habits, Smith would write another film with the charachters.
I am always dissapointed with sequels, but from what I have seen from the previews and online, I am prepared to go see this.
The reason Clerks II was made was a promise by Smith to Mewes that if he managed to kick his drug habits, Smith would write another film with the charachters.
I am always dissapointed with sequels, but from what I have seen from the previews and online, I am prepared to go see this.
snoochie boochies
I watched a interview the other day and he said Clearks II was made because Mewes quit drugs and if he stayed clean for 5 years (Its been 3 now) that Jay and Silent Bob 2 would be made.Rank_Tyro said:I recall reading somewhere that K.Smith was going to retire Jay and Silent Bob.
The reason Clerks II was made was a promise by Smith to Mewes that if he managed to kick his drug habits, Smith would write another film with the charachters.
I am always dissapointed with sequels, but from what I have seen from the previews and online, I am prepared to go see this.