Clerks II is a film that was directed by the comedic mastermind Kevin Smith. Responsible for creating a host of irresponsible adolescent comedies over the past decade, Smith has shown his remarkable sense of humor to the world time and time again with his realistic yet kooky characters. Clerks II is no exception to the rule.
Picking up where the original Clerks film left off, the film focuses on Randall and Dante, the employees of the Quik Stop convenience store and main characters in the first film. Little has changed in their lives, save the fact that they are a decade older; and now, they've found themselves working the same sort of irresponsible job, this time at a fast food restaurant known as "Mooby's". The film pays homage to Smith's legacy of recurring characters throughout the film; fans of his work will notice the guest appearances of several Smith mainstays. The film also adds a few elements on the last one: where Clerks I was shot completely in black and white, giving it a hip art-house feel, Clerks II is completely in color. And fans of Jay and Silent Bob, the notorious wisecracking drug dealers of the films, will be excited to know that the characters are back and in top form. All of the elements that pleased fans of the first film are here, with the characters killing time and lamenting over the woes of pop culture like they never left the convenience store.
While the film has everything necessary to blow audiences away, something just doesn't fit quite right in this film. The comedy is there, but it's a lot more sparing than the original film. Perhaps it's the climate of shock value being decreased over the years, but Clerks II just doesn't fully deliver on the laughs. Clerks I will be a timeless classic throughout the years; Clerks II seems to be more of a throw-away film that you can watch a few times and then ignore. While it's not exactly easy to decide where to place blame in the film, it's altogether possible that the characters have grown into stereotypes of themselves which we are already all too familiar of. Either way, it's not to say that Clerks II is without entertainment value. It can provide an evening's fun, without a doubt, but those expecting a monumental, life-changing moviegoing experience may be a little disappointed. The years of anticipation leading up to this film led it to sit on a very high pedestal amongst the fans of the series, and it hurts to see cherished characters in a tarnished film.