Jersey ends- or does it?
I should be sleeping. I traded Saturdays with one of the other guys so I can have next weekend off. But I can’t sleep yet; I just got back from watching Clerks II.
I am a big fan of Kevin Smith’s previous work. I’m also a huge fan of what is arguably his most underrated movie, Dogma. After watching that, I can see that same sense of desire to bash dogma while not bashing religion, which I find comforting. The dialogue is, of course, amazing; Joel Siegel aside, everyone seems to love this movie.
I saw one critic ask if Kevin had gone soft. I’d say that it’s unfair to say that this movie is “softer” than the first. It’s definitely less edgy - and no, not because it isn’t black and white. It’s because all of the characters in the first movie were so locked into their characters as to be almost one-dimensional - Dante as the straight man that always gets shit on, Randal as the hater of all things human who coincidentally does a fair bit of the shitting. In this movie, we get to see them as (ta-da!) people, instead of characterizations. Randal still hates everybody, but still cares what his friends think of him. Dante thinks he’s on an upswing, but in reality, he’s not. Or is he?
Jay and Bob are back again, too, adding just enough to the movie to be interesting. Their deus ex machina ending seemed a bit contrived, but hell, I’m not going to pick too many nits. Stay for the credits; you’ll never get through the thanks while the film is rolling, you won’t be able to read them fast enough. But it’s still cool.
The romance in this movie was interesting - all of these folks can act quite well, when given the appropriate vehicle. Schwalbach’s expression at the end in particular was perfect. Fucking perfect. Rosario Dawson’s (ahem) smile is contagious. Mewes is great, too, and the “Goodbye, Horses” scene will burn into your retinas and not let go. You’ll know the one I mean.
There are many parts of this movie that play out like an old joke. Not the kind that’s been rotting in the fridge and will eventually mutate into a lifeform that will destroy humankind; rather, the worn-in comfortable kind that comes back occasionally to remind you that it is still both funny and relevant. At one point, Dante expresses his reluctance to his fiance about moving from Jersey, which feels like an odd question to ask, given the nature of this movie. Sure, it’s possible to bring the same characters back again, but would it really make sense? In the end, this movie adds closure to something that might not have needed closing, but it sure feels good now that it is. It is, in many ways, a more fitting send-off to the Jersey series than J&SBSB could ever have been. After all, it started with Dante and Randal, it should end with them, too.
Also, Rosario Dawson’s tits are fucking amazing. Holy goddamn.