"Clerks 2" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Captain Harlock]

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/custom/22/1159622.jpg
"No Experience Necessary"

Release Date: July 21, 2006
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Kevin smith, Trevor Fehrman, Rosario Dawson

Plot Summary: A calamity at Dante and Randall's shops sends them looking for new horizons - but they ultimately settle at Mooby's, a fictional Disney-McDonald's-style fast-food empire.

Comments?


I really loved and enjoyed Clerks II. After the horrific efforts of Jersey Girl, and to a lesser extent - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Kevin Smith has returned to his old form. While much of the comedy is based upon foul language and content matter, it all comes down to the wordplay and dialogue. Jeff Anderson returns as Randall, and didn't seem to miss a beat after ten years. Brian O'Halloran reprised his role as Dante and did it quite well also. The whole dynamic between Randall as a jokester and Dante as the straight man really held up and made for a funny movie. Jay and Silent Bob's screen time has been shortened a bit, but the material they do provide is quite hilarious. However, what might be the best part of the movie is newcomer Trevor Fehrman. His character was downright hilarious when interacting with Randall. With the Dante/Randall dynamic, they just sort of play off one another, while Randall/Elias just has Randall taking advantage of him and offering harsh insults. Rosario Dawson did much better than I thought she would. She fit right into the atmosphere of a Kevin Smith movie smoothly.

All in all, it was a very funny movie if you're a fan of the original. It was a great feeling to get some closure of characters that I loved in the first film. It was a perfect send off (I hope Smith leaves it alone). As a fan of the original, I really couldn't ask for more.

[The Dork Knight]

Well apparently Joel Siegel hated this movie. He actually walked out of the movie on the screening earlier in the week and shouted "First movie I've walked out of in 30 ******' years!".

Makes me wanna see it even more. :evil:

[Brent Long]

I was so looking forward to seeing it today, but as I should have been expecting the only theater in town isn't showing it.

[BrickTamland]

better than the first. i know thats an amazing feat. but this film is gold.

[blee337]

Absolutely funny as hell. If you like Smith's other movies, go see this now!

[DR.MID-NITE]

Saw it tonight...Theater and myself were constantly laughing. Not Academy Award material...But, thats not what it is. I am surprised Seigel walked out. It does help that the film is set 10 minutes from where I live. :p

[Terminatah]

It was all right, but I was underwhelmed. The relationship stuff felt really fake.

-Terminatah

[Sr.Infierno]

Oh man, I can't wait to see this.

[Tapout]

The movie was awesome, probably the funniest movie I've seen since Super Troopers.

Also, Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson were on the Opie & Anthony show Friday and revealed a genious move. I'm not sure when they're releasing it, but soon on the Clerks 2 website (http://www.clerks2.com) they're going to have a commentary track for the movie available for download. I'll definately be seeing it again once I can get this.

[Trent Lane]

This movie had me rolling the whole way through, I really enjoyed it, probably my favorite movie of the year so far, and that's saying something. If they don't do another "Askew-niverse" movie ever again, I can honestly say it's cool. This was a perfect bookend to the Jersey series, and Kevin Smith and co. should be more than proud of what they've done...

[Strollymonster]

Saw it Friday, loved it. I wasn't sure how well it could follow up the original, but Smith's still got it when it comes to dialogue.

Naturally, Randall got nearly all the best lines (Porch Monkey comes to mind), but the new Elias character was a welcome addition, playing an even more straight man than Dante can.

I can't wait to pick this one up on DVD.

[Jin]

YOU NEVER GO ASS TO MOUTH!!!!

Seriously, awesome movie. Better than the first (which I just saw on DVD for the first time last week).

HIGHLIGHTS


Rosario Dawson (Becky) was extremely hot (I knew Dante would dump Emma for that hot piece of ass). Seriously, wow.
Randall walking in on Dante painting Becky's nails and not even acknowledging what they're doing.

The beast... I mean, "interspecies erotica." Now, they didn't show anything (fortunately for us all), but the reactions on everyone's faces (especially Dante's and Jay's) were awesome. But what I really liked was when Becky came in and couldn't stop staring at the guy's wanger.
The fact that Jay and Silent Bob amassed $50,000 in drug dealing and gave it to Dante and Randall so they could open reopen Quickstop. Seriously, this is the second comedy movie I've seen this year that had a serious scene (the first film was Click with Adam Sandler).

Jay's female nude scene
The ending, which (aside from the dialogue) was a reference to the first film.Outstanding film. I hope they make a third one.

Oh, and check this out (it's the police chief from Gunsmith Cats):
http://www.glitterrock.org/caps16/dantehicksimnotevensupposedtobeinjapan.jpg

Notice anything?

Edit by Bird Boy: Spoiler for Jay's nude scene wasn't necessary.

[Captain Harlock]

Jay's female nude scene

If you haven't seen Silence of the Lambs, do so. It makes this scene all the more better - since that's what its from.

[JohnCrichton]

Eh.... I thought it was pretty good, but if it wasn't Kevin Smith... I would've said it was horrible. Felt forced, didn't flow, some parts (like the go karting) went for too long and they ignored all of Team Jersey Universe established continuity.

I mean, there should've been more acknowledgement of Jay & Silent Bob's adventures, and if they're going to use Ben Affleck and Jason... whatever, why not use 'em as Holden and Bankey or whatever.

Whole thing felt forced and the only reason why I'm forgiving is because I love the cast so much and like seeing them back in action.

But Jay & Silent Bob going clean... ick.

I dunno what I expected, but I totally didn't get what I wanted.

[DR.MID-NITE]

At first I kept thinking Elias was Hayden Christiansen. Thought it was funnier when they made fun of his Anakin acting. But, I was wrong. :D

[Terminatah]

Randall walking in on Dante painting Becky's nails and not even acknowledging what they're doing.She put her feet down quickly every time, so Randal never saw it.

-Terminatah

[Harley]

Did anyone else have the audience members go, "Awwww." when the guy said that he missed his donkey?

[Death58]

Well now. . .a gem.

Yeah, this movie actually surpassed the expectations I had set for it. I knew I was going to like it, but I never truly imagined how much. On a personal note, I liked it much more than the first 'Clerks', and being the hardcore Kevin Smith fan that I am, it's weird to say that. The movie kept me constantly laughing, had those moments that had me thinking, "What the hell?", but most of all I felt like it gave me an ending to Randal and Dante. The final lines of the movie summed that up perfectly. I'd also like to mention that the writing was brilliant when Dante and Randal had their conversation in the jail cell. It was an awkward balancing act between comedy and philosophical, serious stuff unlike anything that I've ever watched in a movie. . .or I probably saw it in another movie before, and I'm not mentioning the other movie just to make Clerks II sound that much better.

Whatever. I really enjoyed this movie, and I had some friends go with me that had never seen the first Clerks, and they still enjoyed it. This is for anyone that has a really sick sense of humor, I suppose.:evil:

[King_of_doom]

I totally dig this movie alot!!!!

I think that this one is far more funnier than the first one. Randal was the most hilarious of them all, Jay imitating Buffalo Bill and even Elias was funny.

The part of the donkey was the most disgusting but funnier scene of the movie.

[Noukon]

It definitely surpasses the mediocre look it had from most of the trailers and previews -- after watching it, I can see how it would be difficult to cut a decent trailer for it. Definitely one of Kevin Smith's best works.

[Isondill]

This movie was hillarious. All fans of Clerks should see this, it does not suck, it is an amazing sequel. I couldn't stop laughing.

[Dr. Daedalus]

This movie just felt so well-written, certainly helped by the natural acting of the cast. Definitely better acted than the first movie. The Star Wars vs. LOTR dialog scene was hilarious, especially the climax where the LOTR fan vomits. And I loved "Porchmonkey For Life" (it's OK, I'm taking it back!).

Better yet, though, the film (surprisingly!) has heart. You really felt for the characters' tough-to-make decisions, which I never expected. The jail cell scene was well done, as were some of the scenes in the office when Dante and Becky talked.

I wasn't entirely crazy about the donkey scene, aside from the huge misunderstanding that... um... there WAS no woman!, but it made for some funny moments nonetheless, especially when the cops and firemen arrive.

On a side note, I finally saw the newer Snakes on a Plane trailer before the movie. When the title came on the screen, a few audience members laughed. Either they had never seen the ridiculously simple title before, or they knew it was coming and laughed for catharsis. Either way, it was funny to hear someone actually LAUGH at the end of a trailer, which has to be the first time that's happened for me.

[Mynd Hed]

Did I see the same movie as the rest of you?

The roughly 1/4 of the movie that was actually Clerksish was good, but far far too much of the screen time was eaten up by lame, sappy musical montages or one actor or another just kind of gazing soulfully into the camera. And y'know, Kevin Smith needs to stop trying to write female characters, because they all come across as props put there to cause conflict in his male characters rather than fully realized characters with desires of their own. Granted, this was a problem in the original Clerks as well, but it seemed much more pronounced this time around.

And yet... it was still better than Chasing Amy. Of course, so is a fire at a fertilizer factory.

[MajorTom]

I think that Chasing Amy is one of his best films. Could you explain a little more?

[Conekiller]

I enjoyed the movie alot, but one thing bugged me, I felt no real reaosn why Dante should ahve broken up with "Mrs Hicks" other than what the other characters were telling us. In most movies, when the main character is "supposed" to end up with someone else, they at least let us see that the person they're currently with is not up to fluff.

All we saw was a woman who loved Dante for who he was and was willing to take it upon herself to assist him through his shortcomings (IE decision making) So I end up feeling bad for her when she comes in, sees Dante kissing a woman who's known for being ..."loosely moraled" during a very...akward sequence of events.

The same thing happened to me when I saw "A Guy Thing" nothing in that movie proved to me "This guy should not end up with her"

oh, and I guess Kevin Smith hates Transformers fans too :sad:

[Dr. Daedalus]

I enjoyed the movie alot, but one thing bugged me, I felt no real reaosn why Dante should ahve broken up with "Mrs Hicks" other than what the other characters were telling us. In most movies, when the main character is "supposed" to end up with someone else, they at least let us see that the person they're currently with is not up to fluff.

All we saw was a woman who loved Dante for who he was and was willing to take it upon herself to assist him through his shortcomings (IE decision making) So I end up feeling bad for her when she comes in, sees Dante kissing a woman who's known for being ..."loosely moraled" during a very...akward sequence of events. I think what Smith was going for (and I could be wrong on this, but this is how I interpreted it) was a female love interest who wasn't exactly an "arch nemesis" but would still pose a tough decision for Dante to make. I would've rolled my eyes if Emma acted like a total jerk/evil incarnate to Dante, because then his decision would've been a no-brainer and we the audience would've gotten irritated with him taking the entire movie for him to realize what we knew should've happened in the first five minutes.

Of course, by doing this, he also runs the risk of making Emma fairly forgettable as a character, and she kinda was. Becky was more fleshed out, and it certainly didn't hurt that she got far more screen time.

[Mynd Hed]

I think that Chasing Amy is one of his best films. Could you explain a little more?

1.) Ben Affleck has never, will never, and can never work as a sympathetic character. I don't know what it is about him, but it just plain doesn't fly. Now, in his roles where he plays a total jerk (Dogma, Mallrats, Dazed and Confused), he's absolutely believable. I don't know what that says about him as a person, but there it is.

2.) Joey Lauren Adams doesn't tend to bring a lot to her roles, either, but she doesn't tend to ruin them if they're well-written. Unfortunately, Kevin Smith just doesn't seem able to write deep, believable female characters. Her character totally lost me at right about the moment when, thirty seconds after a vitriolic diatribe about how she's a lesbian, gosh darn it, and how dare Ben Affleck try to change her, she's kissing him in the rain. Blech. I just plain can't respect or particularly believe a character that goes from one extreme to the other that quickly.

Jason Lee tried his darndest to redeem the film with his trademark snarkiness, until the very end when Smith tosses in some contrived gay sexual tension between his character and Affleck's. Smith's inability to envision a close friendship between two men in a non-homosexual way gets old after a while; it's okay when it's played for laughs, but not in a movie that's going for seriousness like Amy.

[Conekiller]

Smith's inability to envision a close friendship between two men in a non-homosexual way gets old after a while; it's okay when it's played for laughs, but not in a movie that's going for seriousness like Amy.

Completely agreed!

Also: I'm surprised Randall didn't make a "Something smells like toenail polish" to sort of keep that gag running from the first movie.

oh, and the Animated style CG versions of Jay and Silent Bob after the credits were great.

[Captain Harlock]

I enjoyed the movie alot, but one thing bugged me, I felt no real reaosn why Dante should ahve broken up with "Mrs Hicks" other than what the other characters were telling us. In most movies, when the main character is "supposed" to end up with someone else, they at least let us see that the person they're currently with is not up to fluff.

All we saw was a woman who loved Dante for who he was and was willing to take it upon herself to assist him through his shortcomings (IE decision making) So I end up feeling bad for her when she comes in, sees Dante kissing a woman who's known for being ..."loosely moraled" during a very...akward sequence of events.

We got to see how much of a controlling woman Dante's fiance was with the wedding invitations scene. She pushed ahead the date before Dante wanted to, but being the character that he is - couldn't do anything to stop it. Dante's fiance in a sense was a bad person for him. Remembering from Clerks, Dante is a man who doesn't really take any action and is stuck in the same place in life. The only way he could get out of this rut would to have someone make his choices and deceisions for him (i.e. "Mrs. Hicks"). Personally, I don't think that makes his fiance an ideal woman. Especially since he's moving away from his home and taking a job in Florida that he's lukewarm about. Dante even said in a conversation with Becky that only one woman could get him to stay in Jersey, and that'd be her. I really didn't think it was too much of a stretch. Dante's fiance was the "safe bet", something he could just fall into without much effort, but in choosing Becky - it shows that he actually made a meaningful choice in his life and has grown as a person.

That's what I took it as.

[MajorTom]

1.) Ben Affleck has never, will never, and can never work as a sympathetic character. I don't know what it is about him, but it just plain doesn't fly. Now, in his roles where he plays a total jerk (Dogma, Mallrats, Dazed and Confused), he's absolutely believable. I don't know what that says about him as a person, but there it is.

2.) Joey Lauren Adams doesn't tend to bring a lot to her roles, either, but she doesn't tend to ruin them if they're well-written. Unfortunately, Kevin Smith just doesn't seem able to write deep, believable female characters. Her character totally lost me at right about the moment when, thirty seconds after a vitriolic diatribe about how she's a lesbian, gosh darn it, and how dare Ben Affleck try to change her, she's kissing him in the rain. Blech. I just plain can't respect or particularly believe a character that goes from one extreme to the other that quickly.

Jason Lee tried his darndest to redeem the film with his trademark snarkiness, until the very end when Smith tosses in some contrived gay sexual tension between his character and Affleck's. Smith's inability to envision a close friendship between two men in a non-homosexual way gets old after a while; it's okay when it's played for laughs, but not in a movie that's going for seriousness like Amy.

Oh, okay. Just wanted some sort of explaination.

[Eddie G.]

2.) Joey Lauren Adams doesn't tend to bring a lot to her roles, either, but she doesn't tend to ruin them if they're well-written. Unfortunately, Kevin Smith just doesn't seem able to write deep, believable female characters. Her character totally lost me at right about the moment when, thirty seconds after a vitriolic diatribe about how she's a lesbian, gosh darn it, and how dare Ben Affleck try to change her, she's kissing him in the rain. Blech. I just plain can't respect or particularly believe a character that goes from one extreme to the other that quickly.The whole point of the character was that she hadn't found happiness in anything. She wasn't an actual lesbian, she was only experimenting with women because she thought that it might be something that works for her. It wasn't, Holden was.


Jason Lee tried his darndest to redeem the film with his trademark snarkiness, until the very end when Smith tosses in some contrived gay sexual tension between his character and Affleck's. Smith's inability to envision a close friendship between two men in a non-homosexual way gets old after a while; it's okay when it's played for laughs, but not in a movie that's going for seriousness like Amy.Banky's obvious gay though, that was his whole story arc. It's stated pretty early in the film.

Of course Smith has explored the idea of man-love and non romantic love in a lot of his movies (Clerks, Clerks II, Chasing Amy, and Jersey Girl). Randall's relationship with Dante is true. Randall isn't supposed to be gay, he just doesn't have any other friends or really care about anything else. All he's ever enjoyed is being Dante's friend. The gay comments are just true to how people act. The reason Randall says, "In a totally heterosexual way" after he says that he loves Dante is because he's a mildy homophobic guy from Jersey, it's what he would say. I think you're reading way too far into it if you're suggesting that he can't envision love between two men where they're not homosexual with the Dante/Randall relationship.

[Mynd Hed]

The whole point of the character was that she hadn't found happiness in anything. She wasn't an actual lesbian, she was only experimenting with women because she thought that it might be something that works for her. It wasn't, Holden was.

Riiiiiiight. So the moral of the story is that all a lesbian needs to "cure" her is the right man? Yeah, THAT makes it a good movie then. (-:

[Eddie G.]

Riiiiiiight. So the moral of the story is that all a lesbian needs to "cure" her is the right man? Yeah, THAT makes it a good movie then. (-:Dude, she's not a lesbian. She started dating girls because she hadn't been happy with men. She was searching for a place where she belonged and while she was not actually a lesbian (In that she was only attracted to women) she did find some happiness. Then she meets Holden and she actually finds someone who can provide her a true and meaningful relationship. She's not a lesbian and not cured by Holden, she merely found love in a gender she had abandoned as a possible romantic/sexual interest. Holden was perfect for her but he messes it up by not being able to accpet things as they are and she goes back to women because for her it's the second best thing. One of the whole themes of the movie is that sex and love aren't black and white. There are no rules and lines in the sand, and it's arrogant to think there are. You're putting a simplistic view on a movie where the whole point is that sex is something where there shouldn't be a simplistic view.

[Conekiller]

Banky's obvious gay though, that was his whole story arc. It's stated pretty early in the film.


See, I didn't see that tho, I only saw a friend who was genuinely concerned with his best friend's well being. Sure he might have been a little jealous, since now his buddy was giving less and less time to him and more to the girlfriend, but that's not "OMG! Gay indicator!" Smith may want it to be, but it isn't.

[Eddie G.]

See, I didn't see that tho, I only saw a friend who was genuinely concerned with his best friend's well being. Sure he might have been a little jealous, since now his buddy was giving less and less time to him and more to the girlfriend, but that's not "OMG! Gay indicator!" Smith may want it to be, but it isn't.Okay I don't get this. In Jersey Girl, Smith never implied that Ollie had romantic love for his daughter. In Clerks II, Randall isn't gay. Kevin Smith has explored non-romantic love in two movies. In Clerks the idea of two guys loving eachother automatically leads to comments about homosexuality is because it takes place in New Jersey and stars two potheads and Randall. It's a realistic reaction. Smith understands non-romantic love exists, your taking his work out of context to prove some weird point that he thinks guys can't hang out together too long or they'll totally become gay.

With Chasing Amy, Banky really had no reason to be concerned. Hell, he actually likes and gets along with Alyssa at the gay club. It isn't till she threatens his relationship that he gets pissed off at her. She's not threatening their friendship either, she's threatening the fake boyfriend relationship that Banky had built. Beyond that his homophobia is a pretty good hint as well as a gay character saying that he really thinks Banky is gay. He's not saying that having a close guy friend makes you gay, just in this situation.

[turbomog007]

leave it to smith to make a good sequel that surpasses even the original