Now working at a fast food joint, Dante experiences one setback after another on his last day before he leaves for Florida with his fiancee.
COMEDY
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Clerks II (2006)Written and Directed by Kevin Smith
Starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith Sequel to 1994's Clerks |
Before Jay and Silent Bob rebooted, Clerks II was the final flick in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse. And what a fitting end it was. Smith's original characters, the ones that made him an indie film darling, all get a happy ending. Clerks II is one of the best comedy sequels ever made. It builds on the original film's foundation, letting the characters grow as people while also not causing them to lose that spark that made them so hilarious in the first place. It's a fine line to straddle that not a lot of comedy sequels are able or willing to do. But Smith has always been great at character building and over the top scenarios, both of which you'll find tons of in Clerks II.
After accidentally burning down the Quick Stop, Dante (O'Halloran) and Randal (Anderson) get jobs at local fast food joint Mooby's. They work there for a year, hating their jobs and the customers just like before. Dante is about to be married to a girl he doesn't really love, and is planning to move to Florida to start his life anew. It's his last day at Mooby's, so Randal wants it to be special, and tons of crazy shit goes down because of course it does. Through all this, Dante is harboring feelings for his down-to-earth, sexy boss Becky (Dawson), whom he had a drunken fling with one night. Smith is surprisingly really good at crafting heartfelt, realistic relationships (Look at Chasing Amy for proof of that), and the way he builds the love between Dante and Becky is just plain sweet. Clerks II could've and should've completely sucked, but it's a great watch. It does justice to the first film and, at the time, worked as a fitting ending to Kevin Smith's universe. I never thought I'd be praising a film that features a homosexual donkey show in its climax, but here we are. Anyone out there who's seen the rest of Smith's films knows that there is no line he won't cross, but it almost always works comedically or for the story. Clerks II is another win for him, and if he is serious about doing Clerks III, then I can't wait. I know he'll do it justice. |