Clerks 2 film review

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CLERKS 2

If you've never read Peter Biskind's excellent Down and Dirty Pictures then you are missing out on one of the best film books of the last ten years. Biskind's account of the rise and rise of Miramax Pictures under the auspices of the Weinstein Brothers may occasionally paint a scabrous picture of two of Hollywood's most colourful characters, but it does at least underline their loyalty to anyone who makes them money.

Kevin Smith has benefited hugely from this. The budding filmmaker was nowhere - well, in New Jersey to be exact - when the Weinsteins took his ultra-low budget debut Clerks in 1993 and made it the indie hit of the decade. Smith's career took off with films like Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and when it came to make a sequel to his first film, it seemed natural that he should turn to Harvey and Bob once again, this time free of the shackles of Disney (who now own Miramax) and working under their own production shingle, The Weinstein Company.

Clerks 2 (working titles The Passion of the Clerks) may not be a great date movie. It's definitely not a film to take you mother to. But if you derived pleasure from the antics of the first film's Randall and Dante - largely taking the mickey out of customers in their video store - then they are back to sate a twelve-year-old hunger.

After the shop unexpectedly burns down, Randall (Jeff Anderson) and Dante (Brian O'Halloran) are forced to seek work in Mooby's, a local fast food restaurant managed by the unfeasibly sexy Becky (Rosario Dawson). Meanwhile, outside, Jay and Silent Bob have taken up their familiar positions as low-level drug dealers and commentators on the world at large.

The film mainly consists of puerile observations by Randall and Dante which are likely to offend women, animal-lovers, women, Lord of the Rings fans, women, priests, women and bigots. There's a plot of sorts, involving an improbable romance, and it's all rather shoddily shot and edited. Lots of it is really very funny and Smith fans will no doubt be delighted. Whether anyone else at all will actually get it is highly unlikely.

Paul Hurley