Coty Geek
I have just recently watched the first Clerks film, the debut of director Kevin Smith. It’s kind of a miniature right of passage for an aspiring filmmaker, slacker, or popculture junkie to see the film, and I happen to fall into all three of those categories. I had felt that cutting off the View Askewniverse with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was sort of a flat way to end it. After all, as much as I like those characters, I felt that it was the wrong way to go out. So now we have the story of Dante and Randall in their thirties, and how has the situation changed?
Well, not a whole lot as it turns out. Randall has accidentally burned down the Quik Stop and video store so now they are forced to work in a fast food store with Becky, played by Rosario Dawson, and a sheltered 19 year old named Elias. Dante (still played by Brian O’Halloran) is about to marry a girl he only vaguely likes and leave for Florida, which Randall (still played by Jeff Anderson) isn’t too happy about. The film spans a whole day in their lives, just like the first film did, and shows exactly what happens when a person hasn’t done anything with their lives.
I felt like this movie was great. This was exactly what a sequel should do. It genuinely had something to say. I felt that this was a prime example of how a sequel should be made, and why sequels like Spider-Man 3 fall short. The stories just don’t make sense. There was no need for a third film if there wasn’t really anything that needed to be said. It just made sense for Clerks 2 to happen because fans genuinely wondered what would have happened after the first film when Dante declares he’ll take charge of his life. And of course we find he hasn’t. And Randall’s just as funny as he ever was. I was surprised that the character of Becky didn’t seem thrown in. The minute she comes on screen, you feel like you know the character already. It felt good to see Jay and Silent Bob be background characters again, too. Although you see a little too much of Jay in one scene (just watch the movie). And the donkey show scene was easily the most disturbing thing I’ve seen in my life, but it was still funny.
The DVD is great, with nearly six hours of extra features, and a very in depth making of feature that was entertaining. I completely recommend the movie to fans of Smith’s previous works, and to the newcomers: Go see the first, then Clerks 2.
If you want to pick it up on DVD, which I heavily recommend you do, you can do so here!
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
