First Clerks II Reviews

The first reviews of Clerks II are in from Cannes, and they are... positive!

Granted, this was sent to us by the PR firm working on promoting Clerks II, but the review itself was made by the non-partisan Film Magazine Empire Online.

Another film that some thought should not have been made is Clerks II by Kevin Smith. After Jersey Girl, some felt that Smith had spunked his mojo, and heading back to Clerksworld could so easily have been a mad dash back to the comfort zone. It's good to report, then, that Clerks II is what Smith does so well; it's a tender, scabrous and very, very funny comedy that picks up 12 years after the original. After Randal (Jeff Anderson) accidentally burns down the convenience store, he and Dante (Brian O'Halloran) move on to the Mooby fast food joint. Dante has met a girl he plans to marry, and she's hoping to whisk him off to Florida to run her family's car wash business.

The fly in the ointment is Becky (Rosario Dawson), Mooby's foxy manageress, and an ill-advised late-night tryst with the boss compromises Dante's intentions. Will he leave Jersey or not? It's a big question that sustains a small movie with a huge heart.

Perfectly recapturing the original film's provincial whimsy, Clerks II successfully folds in the romanticism of Jersey Girl but this time with Smith's familiar, unique voice. And after so long, it's not only a pleasure to see O'Halloran and Anderson back on screen again, it's a positive joy to see how well they work together… so much so, you wonder why they don't make more movies, and not just for Smith. Jay and Silent Bob pop up (Jay's, er, nude scene is truly eye-popping), and some of Smith's celebrity mates make entertaining cameos (Ben Affleck, Jason Lee), but the best thing about Clerks II is that Smith doesn't rely on the regulars to carry the movie.

It'll be interesting to see how it fares in the marketplace but Smith's loyal fanbase will flock to this; it's as good as they could hope for and maybe even better. It's a film about friendship, loyalty, love, sex and donkey shows. The Jacksons, trilogies, Jesus-freakery and pillow trolls.

You'll never feel bad about going ass-to-mouth again. Start counting the days…

Check out the Clerks II trailer.