Review 1
Blunt humour surrounding un-pc subjects sets the tone for CLERKS 2, with teeth-grinding moments aplenty. Coupled with rather misguided stabs at mainstream Hollywood drama and sentimentality, this film is assuredly not suitable for those of nervous dispositions; however Jay and Silent Bob do provide some light relief. The all-out American brashness, complete with chronic expletives, can be received according to taste, but there are some genuine laugh-out loud moments, cue the One Ring versus STAR WARS confrontation!
Review by LiveWire Critic, Colette Talbot (Sep ’06)
Review 2
Kevin Smith returns to familiar territory after the lacklustre success of JERSEY GIRL, with CLERKS 2. We meet Dante and Randal after Quick-Stop has burnt down but that isn’t going to stop Dante from slaking. By centring the film around a fast food restaurant, it would seem that Kevin Smith is not going to explore new ground but this is not strictly true.
Dante is definitely the protagonist of this movie, going away to get married to Emma (played by Mrs Smith) but the screen is still filled with the lovable characters of Jay and Silent Bob and newcomer, transformer obsessed Elias.
The film juxtaposes itself between mid-life crises and all out toilet-humour, and it is here that Smith falters. Too many scenes linger on interaction between Dante and his one-night stand Rosario Dawson, that ultimately build character but lack in any kind of feeling.
Jay and Silent Bob’s screen time is also lacking. Overall CLERKS 2 is a welcome return to Smith’s old characters but the film never quite hits the heart with its imbalance of comedy and drama, but you will be laughing so much it probably won’t matter.
Review by LiveWire Critic, Greg Jones (Sep ’06)
Review 3
After watching CLERKS 2 I was absolutely delighted. I am personally a big Kevin Smith fan. I have all of his films on DVD (except JERSEY GIRL) and I was glad to see the return of Jay & Silent Bob, and the main characters of the original CLERKS, Dante and Randall.
Dante is the serious character and the story is based around him. Randall is the character with the most comic relief and he provides the most laughs. I would have liked to have seen more of the two funniest characters, Jay and Silent Bob but this wasn’t to be.
The film includes debates over such things as STAR WARS versus LORD OF THE RINGS, TRANSFORMERS and other indecent things which I will not discuss, and there was a dance scene which I did not expect. It was funny but it didn’t quite work for me. Overall I really enjoyed the film. It was what I expected and more.
Review by LiveWire Criric, Ryan Done (Sep ’06)