Smith Brings It All Together With "Clerks II"

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Clerks II - In Theaters July 21, 2006

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


Even before it hit the theaters this past Friday, Kevin Smith's latest film, "Clerks II," received alot of attention in the press. Following a critic's screening of the film in New York City, reports began to surface that long-time ABC television critic Joel Siegel had endured 40 minutes of the feature before storming out of the theater. His exit was a loud one, making the bold claim that it was the first film he had walked out on in his thirty-odd years of judgmental viewing. In a later confrontation between Smith and Siegel on XM Satellite Radio's "The Opie and Anthony Show," the critic revealed that his main reason for leaving the screening early was his taking offense at a sequence in the film that he considered overly vulgar and offensive. Siegel made the assumption that the remainder of the film would be similarly vulgar and low-brow and opted to leave before it got to the point he assumed it would be arriving at.


After viewing "Clerks II," it seems that the joke's on Joel Siegel. By ducking out on the film so early in the proceedings, Siegel missed what would shape up to be Kevin Smith's most poignant, touching and flat-out hilarious film to date. By examining the concept of what happens to the angry twenty-something when he's midway through his thirties, Smith provides glimpses into the human condition that nearly every viewer will be able to relate to. Any adult has reached a point where they have feelings of regret, failure and loss of direction in their life, wondering if their whole means of existence has been a waste of time. Now while this may not be a fresh concept in filmmaking or storytelling, Smith handles it in a truly unique way. Rather than attempting to get too deep on the subject, Smith allows his characters to present the aformentioned emotions in several varied yet thoroughly realistic ways.


Take Randall Graves (expertly portrayed by Jeff Anderson), the cynical loner that was the breakaway character of the original "Clerks." A decade later, Graves is still the ascerbic cynic that he was in the first film, yet Smith allows him to gradually show over the course of the story his disillusion with the direction his life has taken. It is a difficult feat to pull off, given the fact that Randall Graves was popular with viewers because he was such an unlikeable character. But Smith is sure to retain the qualities that drew fans to Randall Graves while simultaneously revealing the fact that he, like all of us, has a human side. It is a difficult feat to pull off, but Smith does it flawlessly. But the credit really belongs to Anderson, who has come a long way from "Clerks" in terms of ability and performance and really brings the proper dimension to his older-but-wiser character.


The other character that makes "Clerks II" such a success is Becky (played by Rosario Dawson). The manager of Mooby's, the fast food restaurant that takes in the orphaned Dante and Randall following a fire that demolished their Quick Stop home, Becky is initially portrayed as a laid-back, independent spirit that has life all figured out. She and Dante are the best of friends, so much so that she good-naturedly knocks him for getting engaged and moving with his fiancee (Jennifer Schwalbach) to Florida. The truth, which everybody but Dante seems to be able to figure out, is that Becky does not want to lose Dante because she loves him. But being the free spirit that she wants to be, Becky only reveals these feelings through subtle looks, quick remarks and expert reactions, all courtesy of the massively talented Dawson. Although initially coming off as somewhat cliched, Dawson's performance can make even the most die-hard "Clerks" fan endear Becky just as much as any of their favorites from the original picture.


Make no mistake about it, though: the humor Smith fans have come to expect is still right there at the forefront. In between all the meaning and substance come jokes about eating flies, candid talk about sex and pop culture and an elaborate sequence involving a surprise donkey show. The laughs are definitely delivered ten-fold and viewers that are solely looking for Smith's unique brand of "stoner humor" will not be disappointed on iota. But the fact is that those looking for more will also find it in "Clerks II," proving it to be one of the most universally appealing films to hit the screens this year.


There is so much more about "Clerks II" that easily makes it the best film released this summer. While very little else can be addressed here without entering spoiler territory, one thing is abundantly clear throughout the entirety of the film: Smith loves these characters just as much as his fans do and he goes to great lengths to ensure that their iconic memory is not tarnished. The biggest compliment that can be paid to the director is that his characters, old or new, do not survive sequelizing because they remain exactly as they were in the first installment but rather because they have grown in a way that brings their story to a perfect and touching end. "Clerks II" is the perfect ending to what began as "The Jersey Trilogy" and to the first chapter of what will surely be a lengthy and successful career for Kevin Smith. One can only hope his next project is as substantial and meaningful as this film.