On the Subject of Clerks II
I found myself at the movies today, mainly because I didn't feel like being very productive, and decided to see Clerks II. I have always been a huge fan of Kevin Smith and his movies, I find his sense of humor very funny, and I like the themes that he goes after.
Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy were amazing and I still watch them all the time today. The characters all being around my age and confronting what they want to do with their lives. Battling the pressures that society puts on them to do a certain job or pursue a certain way of life, and also dealing with dysfunctional relationships and friendships. It all appealed to me very much because I often asked myself the same questions about my life and dealt with the same kind of friendships/relationships.
The other great thing about Kevin Smith's movies were the recurring jokes that tied into all the movies. I always found the story about the girl that died swimming laps at the pool because she was going on a game show funny, and it was some how tied into all the movies. That being said, I felt this movie was not his style at all.
I'm not saying the movie wasn't very funny, because it was hilarious. The movie just felt different, and didn't have the same thing that the original had that made it a great movie. I was talking about this with my good friend Charlie, and he pointed out that Clerks was a great movie, while Clerks II was just made to be funny and for a little closure. I felt that statement pretty much summed it up and identified what I didn't like about the movie.
The problem seems to be the same thing that made his movies so great. People grew to expect the trademark jokes and stories that recurred throughout all the movies and then started to get a bit tired of the jokes. He needs to take a step back from all the media and create something new and different. In order to do this he needs to get back in touch with the culture of the youth and how they are feeling right now. That was what made his original movies so great, and what his new movies lack. He was writing relevant stories that many people identified with, but now it's just the same jokes in stories that don't get the viewer involved. If Mr. Smith can recapture that magic he once possessed, people will embrace his movies with the same fervor that they once did.
