Saw it tonight. Kevin Smith did a Q&A after.
I really loved the first film. One of the first movies to get me interested in independent film. And it was damn funny. Clerks 2 is hit or miss. How it got 8 standing ovations at Cannes or whatever is beyond me.
There is a lot of funny stuff. But I don't think any of it is more clever than anything from the original. Sure, it's fun to watch people debate LOTR versus Star Wars. But what's sad is that their arguments are kind of obvious and old hat. The irony is that the reason they're obvious and old hat is because Smith started this kinda stuff 10 years ago.
Another big problem is that Smith's movies have been too broad since Mallrats and that continues here. Clerks was interesting humor. Almost Seinfeldian humor. It was crass, slacker commentary on the world around them. It was gritty and based in logic and reality (no matter how twisted). This movie has some very over the top characters who say and do things that nobody on Earth would consider as truth. Some of the ideas and actions are so far fetched that they're not worth discussing in the scene. Not to mention the brief musical number. Point is, Smith is stretching. It feels like he's short on ideas at times and throws everything he can in to fill the gaps.
O'Halloran and Anderson were never great actors, which we can all accept here because they're just funny guys. Smith doesn't help matters by casting his sh!tty actress wife as Dante's fiance. Rosario Dawson is the only shining star when it comes to performance. I was never a fan, but she charmed me.
The worst part is that there are some real ideas in this movie that don't get enough attention. Stuff about entering your 30s and analyzing your place in life and where you're headed. Some of the moments are actually touching, especially the late scenes with Dante and Randal. You can almost feel the dramatic "life-changing moment" stuff that he injected into Chasing Amy. Should've been more of this stuff. And the ending is a real keeper. It basically justifies why the sequel exists.
Anyway, it's an okay movie. You'll definitely laugh. I just wish Smith had a clearer idea of comedic style when shooting this.
Ele...
I really loved the first film. One of the first movies to get me interested in independent film. And it was damn funny. Clerks 2 is hit or miss. How it got 8 standing ovations at Cannes or whatever is beyond me.
There is a lot of funny stuff. But I don't think any of it is more clever than anything from the original. Sure, it's fun to watch people debate LOTR versus Star Wars. But what's sad is that their arguments are kind of obvious and old hat. The irony is that the reason they're obvious and old hat is because Smith started this kinda stuff 10 years ago.
Another big problem is that Smith's movies have been too broad since Mallrats and that continues here. Clerks was interesting humor. Almost Seinfeldian humor. It was crass, slacker commentary on the world around them. It was gritty and based in logic and reality (no matter how twisted). This movie has some very over the top characters who say and do things that nobody on Earth would consider as truth. Some of the ideas and actions are so far fetched that they're not worth discussing in the scene. Not to mention the brief musical number. Point is, Smith is stretching. It feels like he's short on ideas at times and throws everything he can in to fill the gaps.
O'Halloran and Anderson were never great actors, which we can all accept here because they're just funny guys. Smith doesn't help matters by casting his sh!tty actress wife as Dante's fiance. Rosario Dawson is the only shining star when it comes to performance. I was never a fan, but she charmed me.
The worst part is that there are some real ideas in this movie that don't get enough attention. Stuff about entering your 30s and analyzing your place in life and where you're headed. Some of the moments are actually touching, especially the late scenes with Dante and Randal. You can almost feel the dramatic "life-changing moment" stuff that he injected into Chasing Amy. Should've been more of this stuff. And the ending is a real keeper. It basically justifies why the sequel exists.
Anyway, it's an okay movie. You'll definitely laugh. I just wish Smith had a clearer idea of comedic style when shooting this.
Ele...
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