Alfred Hitchcock makes suspense. Martin Scorsese makes drama. And Kevin Smith makes films dissecting deviant sex acts, pop-culture and handicapped blogging.
And like the two prior directors, he handles his forte extremely well, as exemplified in "Clerks II," the sequel to the 1994 indie hit that made Smith a household name.
For those who haven't seen the first film (or its short-lived animated spin-off) don't worry, it's not required material for the sequel's simple premise. Dante Hicks (Brian O'Hollaran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), once long-term employees at a New Jersey convenience store, find themselves unexpectedly unemployed one day. Within a year they're off flipping burgers at a deserted fast-food joint with Bible-thumping geek Elias (Trevor Fehrman).
Dante is once again confronted with a choice of two women in love with him: his safe-yet-controlling fiancé who's taking him to Florida with her (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith) or his foxy manager Becky (Rosario Dawson). Meanwhile, Randal is dealing with his best friend's move to Florida and realizing that he may not be as happy with his life as he's always put on.
Smith has always known that his camerawork was never great, and to compensate for that he's always spiced things up with some of the most memorable dialogue. The case is no different with "Clerks II." Smith's trademark ear for memorable dialogue is at some of its best here, despite some forced deliveries in the first act.
The conversations range from bedroom ethical questions (Where is it and where isn't it okay to put your mouth?) to "Lord of the Rings" versus "Star Wars" ("Flicks about walking" versus "Mannequin Skywalker") to why Elias must abstain from sex with his girlfriend (not to give anything away, but let's just say "Pillow Pants").
Despite the off-pacing of the first act, the performances in "Clerks II" are some of Smith's best. O'Hollaran and Anderson have had a decade to grow and to refine their craft, and it shows. Anderson especially comes up huge in the last act of the movie, and there is a torrent of cameos throughout the movie, including Wanda Sykes, Ben Affleck and Jason Lee of "My Name Is Earl" (lest to say several other Smith films, most notably "Mallrats"). Though Dawson doesn't play the most complex character ever written, she does so with finesse, even if the way she's written is a little transparent.
Of course, as any Smith fan already knows, drug dealers (but no longer tokers) Jay and Silent Bob return. The number of times they appear are limited like in the first "Clerks," however Jay may have the most hilarious and memorable moment in the film with his homage to "Silence of the Lambs." Oh, and there's definitely a song-and-dance number with them too.
When it comes down to it, "Clerks II" is a sequel the original "Clerks" didn't require, but Kevin Smith knows his characters well enough that he was able to pull off the impossible and make a sequel that not only wasn't terrible, but was nearly as quotable as the first. Let's just hope that Smith doesn't keep going back to the well and makes a "Mallrats II".
I give "Clerks II" 4 out of 5 stars.
Reach the reporter at shaun.capehart@asu.edu.
