Clerks II

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

After 12 years, slackers Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) are back behind the counter in Clerks II. Purists beware: There are some changes, and not all of them are for the better. This time the Quick Stop is history, and the boys are working in a cow-themed fast food joint (“Mooby’s burgers are udderly delicious!”). Unlike the black-and-white original, this one has been Technicolored, which takes some of the edge away. But the Clerks franchise lives and dies by its words, and the dialogue here is just as scabrous as ever, ranging from pickle sex to the culinary pleasures of the asshole. The plot surrounds Dante’s impending move to Florida with his freakish fiancée and his romantic interest in store manager Rosario Dawson. Although the material is hilarious, this sequel lacks the shock value and indie integrity of the first. Writer-director Kevin Smith clearly has a sentimental side (see Jersey Girl), and when it creeps in between dick jokes, it seems jarringly out of place. But thank the Lord for Jay and Silent Bob, who still drop in and out like a geek chorus. They are effortlessly amusing, just like this pretty good follow-up to a great original.

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