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Clerks II Review . . . . . . returning to the ViewAskewnivers!

#1 User is offline   Jedi_Arco Icon

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Posted 22 July 2006 - 10:28 PM

Just saw Clerks II tonight and I must say I was pretty disappointed. Of course, this is a sequel to a film that didn't need or call for a sequel to begin with. There are funny moments throughout the film, but there are also tedious stretches of dialog between characters that just felt unnecessary. It also mirrors the first film in many scenes; I understand Smith's reason for doing this and it is a lot of fun to see them in similar situations (Dante ends up back on the rooftop in a very sweet scene) and it mostly works, but some of them just feel like he put them there to make you remember that this is a sequel to the first film (Randall and Dante up and leaving work in the middle of the day to do something completely unnecessary). It's very reminiscent of the way that Superman Returns mirrored scenes from the Donner movie and in both cases it just feels a little forced.

I also didn't like the way he chose to have Dante and Randal still stuck in dead end jobs, even after the events of the first Clerks. At the end of the first I was left with a feeling that everything was going to work out, and that they would eventually move on to something different and hopefully better, only to find that they are both still stuck, albeit in a different dead end job, with no prospects and still not happy. Ten years later. There is never any mention of Dante's previous girlfriends from the first film, he just pops up in this one engaged to some girl that was little miss popular in high school and that I don't remember being mentioned in the first movie.

I do still like Randal and Dante, but they just feel too old now to be bitching and complaining and they should've learned their lesson from the first Clerks. I like the new characters of Elias, the holy roller Christian boy that is the antithesis of Randal; Becca, played by Rosario Dawson does a great job in her role and I really really like her character a lot in this; and the future Mrs. Hicks, who is played well, but the character is just annoying, but I suppose that was her purpose as she represents exactly the wrong girl for Dante. Jay and Silent Bob are present . . . again . . . and they really have nothing new to add. And this is coming from a guy that loves Jay and Silent Bob; hell, I share my name with one of 'em. smile.gif Silent Bob doesn't even add his usual sage-like wisdom to this entry, not that it would've helped a whole lot.

The pacing is slow in some spots, and in others too fast. My favorite parts of this movie mainly involve any scene with the characters of Elias and Becca. Elias is the "everydork" character that loves LOTR and Transformers, is a Jesus "freak" and a virgin. He must endure Randal everyday, and no matter how horribly he is treated by Randal he still wants to be liked, and be a friend, to him. He is lovable and sympathetic and by the end is accepted as a part of the team. Becca is great because I like her storyline. She's the girl that really wants Dante for Dante and doesn't want to change him like his fiance' does. I especially like this part of the story because I just recently went through a bad break-up (one I didn't want, by the way) and it connected with me because of that reason. She's the girl we're all hoping is out there for us. The one that appreciates us; the one we can be ourselves around; the one that loves us unconditionally.

Bottom line: If you loved Clerks., I don't know if you'll like this entry, to be honest. I found it lacking in a lot of areas and I was checking my watch some of the time. I also found myself cracking up at most of the jokes and situations, but the boring parts definitely outway the laughs. I may have liked this more had it not been called Clerks II, had a new cast of crazy characters, and just left the Clerks crew alone. Is it worth seeing? Yes, if you are a fan of View Askew movies and even then you may walk out a bit disappointed as I and my friends did. It's not something I plan on seeing again anytime soon or even buying on DVD at the moment. I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I didn't pay for the ticket. biggrin.gif

I give Clerks II a 6.5 out of 10 Not bad, but not great. Just meh.
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#2 User is offline   MyPantsAreOnFire Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 01:16 AM

*SPOILERS*





















It is what it is. I enjoyed it.

I read a review that summed it up best..."here's the good news: if you're a Kevin Smith fan, it's everything you expect it to be. And here's the bad news: if you're a Kevin Smith fan, it's everything you expect it to be."

Personally, I loved that they still had shitty jobs and the same shitty lives. That's life. Hell, that's MY life, running my crappy bookstore, obsessing over the same pointless pop culture nonsense with my friends. And I sure don't keep in touch with girlfriends from failed relationships a decade or more ago. They failed for a reason...

I don't agree that the ending of first film is weakened since in this new one we do actually see them making their future as opposed to just talking about it. If anything, this movie does shit and get off the pot, whereas the first one just talks about how great that pot-shitting might someday be. Both films can peacefully co-exist, and the ending of the first still works for me. We've just now seen that it took these characters 10+ years to turn things around...and really, is there anything wrong with that? Who's to say they were going to change things right after the first film ended? I thought it rang very true for myself and people I've known that they had these big plans and nothing came to it, or school fizzled out, or you find yourself stuck in a crappy job for far longer than you had ever planned.

I did notice one HUGE flaw...when Dante breaks up with his fiance, she's bringing him a cake at work. Now isn't appreciating having a girlfriend who'll take the time to bring you a homecooked meal while you're working the big bit of wisdom Silent Bob shares with Dante in the first film? If he was trying to tell us something, I'm not getting it...I think he just flubbed big time.

This post has been edited by MyPantsAreOnFire: 23 July 2006 - 01:24 AM

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#3 User is offline   Jedi_Arco Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 03:06 AM

I didn't say I didn't like it. I did. Just not as much as I would've liked to. If that makes any sense. It's very late here (4:00am; can't sleep; damn break-ups!! blush.gif )

I just think I would've enjoyed it more if it wasn't a sequel to a movie that I feel ended where it should've. Sometimes these creators need to know when to just walk away from an idea. I think that this was one of those times. I liked things about it, but as a whole movie it just fell a little short for me. I thought it was just okay. Not bad, not great, just meh.
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#4 User is offline   MyPantsAreOnFire Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 09:27 AM

But the cake, man, the CAKE! The more I think about it, the more it bugs me...how could Smith miss something that big in his own films?
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#5 User is offline   Otal Nimrodi Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 10:57 AM

Just a quick question.

Is it Jay or Silent Bob you share a name with? tongue.gif
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#6 User is offline   Jedi_Arco Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 11:30 AM

Yeah, the cake bugged the hell out of me too. He completely did a 180 from his previous statements in the first Clerks. Nothing can be done. Maybe it was supposed to be a metaphor in this movie to show that the one that brings you food to work isn't always the one you're meant to be with; especially if she's trying to change who and what you are. ??? Maybe? I don't know. It's bad though, I agree.

And my name is Jay. biggrin.gif
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#7 User is offline   MyPantsAreOnFire Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 03:34 PM

QUOTE (Jedi_Arco @ Jul 23 2006, 12:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yeah, the cake bugged the hell out of me too. He completely did a 180 from his previous statements in the first Clerks. Nothing can be done. Maybe it was supposed to be a metaphor in this movie to show that the one that brings you food to work isn't always the one you're meant to be with; especially if she's trying to change who and what you are. ??? Maybe? I don't know. It's bad though, I agree.

And my name is Jay. biggrin.gif


I've talked it over with my friends, and we can't figure out any possible twist or analogy or metaphor that works with that damn cake. I really think Smith just wanted a prop that could be literally thrown in Dante's face after he has the big reveal with his fiance. Very sloppy filmmaking...
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#8 User is offline   Zewb Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 07:22 PM

QUOTE (MyPantsAreOnFire @ Jul 23 2006, 03:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I've talked it over with my friends, and we can't figure out any possible twist or analogy or metaphor that works with that damn cake. I really think Smith just wanted a prop that could be literally thrown in Dante's face after he has the big reveal with his fiance. Very sloppy filmmaking...


It's sloppy filmmaking to have a cake thrown into someone's face?
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#9 User is offline   MyPantsAreOnFire Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 07:49 PM

QUOTE (Zewb @ Jul 23 2006, 08:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
It's sloppy filmmaking to have a cake thrown into someone's face?


In a literal sense, sure...

The sloppy part is that it flies directly in the face of one of the main character climaxes in the first film. Dante doesn't appreciate his girlfriend and wises up when Bob tells him it's not often you find a woman with a busy schedule who still loves you enough to bring a homecooked meal to you at your shitty job. Now Smith has Dante dump his fiance when she's doing that exactly? Didn't he just negate something hugely important from the first film?
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#10 User is offline   Zewb Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 08:03 PM

Well, maybe it's making another point; you should be with a woman based on how you feel about her, not how convenient she is.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Kevin's decision to break away from reality with the scene where everyone bursts into song and dance.

Personally, I think everyone's being a little too hard on the film. It was much better than that shitty act of appealing to the masses known as Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

This post has been edited by Zewb: 23 July 2006 - 08:08 PM

"It's gettin' to be re-goddamn-diculous. If you guys don't start thinking as men, we're gonna have a lousy country."

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#11 User is offline   Jedi_Arco Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 09:04 PM

While I agree that it is sloppy writing, I'm going to play devil's advocate. Let it be noted that I totally agree with you, MyPantsAreOnFire, that it makes no sense and is merely a device used to get a cheap laugh by having her throw it in Dante's face at Jay's insistance. Here is a possible defense/explanation for the "cake scene":

She only baked a cake. An instant cake if I saw the box on the counter correctly. So, she's making an instant, out-of-the-box cake commemorating the move to Florida that Dante doesn't want, to a job he won't like, with a woman he only kinda likes a little, and she's making all the decisions and calling all the shots. She's taking a short cut and not making something "from the heart" like the previous girlfriend of whom Silent Bob was speaking in the first Clerks. And she's giving it to a man she only "loves" because she can control him.

Don't know if that flies or not, but it kinda makes sense . . . Maybe a little? Probably not though. Bad scene.
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#12 User is offline   MyPantsAreOnFire Icon

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Posted 23 July 2006 - 10:22 PM

I really think that he just forgot about the lasagna line from the first film. In no way does it come across that that point in the first one is meant to imply Dante's girlfriend was "convenient"...it was to slap some sense into him to pay attention to the woman who was in love with him and was showing it day in and day out as opposed to the one who abandoned him before, and yet he still pines for her instead.

And I still enjoyed the film. I just think that's a pretty big hole in the plot/character arc.
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Posted 24 July 2006 - 06:35 AM

I wonder if we need two topics for this subject.

Anyway I haven't seen CLERKS II. I'm pretty sure it sucks.
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#14 User is offline   Jedi_Arco Icon

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Posted 24 July 2006 - 11:55 AM

It sucks, but not outright. Like I said, just okay. 'Meh', if you will.

Wait for the DVD if you don't want to waste the time and money at the theatre. It's not like it's a movie that you have to see on the big screen or else you'll lose out on some experience. It's not LOTR or anything like that. "One Ring to rule them all . . ." tongue.gif

This post has been edited by Jedi_Arco: 24 July 2006 - 11:56 AM

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#15 User is offline   Slade Icon

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Posted 24 July 2006 - 04:13 PM

I think you're both overanalyzing the damned cake thing by a long shot. How about this one: The cake's just a cake that his fiancee baked to commemorate the move. THE END. Or if you simply must attempt to weave your webs of meaning (in the middle of a scene involving "inter-species erotica", no less) why not just see that it takes more than baking a cake to indicate a successful relationship? He clearly wasn't happy with her and was only there out of convenience in the first place, and I think that's more important than whether or not she takes the time to bake a cake for him.

My thoughts on the movie: It was silly, crude, vulgar, dorky, swam around in circles along with its central characters, and made me realize just how bad Jason Lee looks in a mustache. That being said, I thought that it was pretty funny, though I found my intelligence occasionally insulted by cheap laughs (essentially half of the interactions of the characters with Elias). I didn't feel like I wasted any time seeing it last week, and got my share of laughs in.

Last things: If you're going to try to be pretentious and artsy about the film, at least arch an eyebrow at the pointless dance number. tongue.gif And a sucky movie shouldn't recieve anything above a 4/10. 5 is average, which is also equivalent to a "meh." Above average is a "woo!" and below average is "bleh" or sometimes "Blech."
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