Clerks II
| Clerks II | |
|---|---|
| File:Dandrposter.jpg | |
| Directed by | Kevin Smith |
| Written by | Kevin Smith |
| Produced by | Scott Mosier Kevin Smith |
| Starring | Brian O'Halloran Jeff Anderson Rosario Dawson Trevor Fehrman Jason Mewes Kevin Smith |
| Cinematography | Dave Klein |
| Edited by | Kevin Smith |
| Distributed by | The Weinstein Company LLC Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release dates | July 21, 2006 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5,000,000 |
Template:Infobox Film rating Clerks II is the 2006 sequel to Kevin Smith's 1994 movie Clerks., and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The only characters from the original film are Dante, Randal, Jay, and Silent Bob. The film was released on July 21, 2006. It screened out of competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival where it enjoyed an eight-minute standing ovation from the crowd [1].
Plot
Template:SpoilerAfter a fire in their two stores, Quick Stop employee Dante Hicks and lazy and disrespectful RST Video clerk Randal Graves move on to work at a Mooby's fast food restaurant. A year later, Dante is planning to leave his minimum wage lifestyle in favor of a family life and a chance to run a car wash in Florida with his domineering fiancée Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach Smith). However, Dante slowly realizes that he's in love with his boss Becky (Rosario Dawson), with whom he had sex on the restaurant's prep table. Becky, (who took over the restaurant after her uncle fell ill) finds out she's pregnant, and in a moment of vulnerability tells Dante, forcing him to make a choice between Becky and Emma. Randal (Jeff Anderson) realizes he is not as happy with his position in life as he had thought, and is scared after seeing his long time friend finally make a change in his life. He quietly shrugs off this mid-life crisis throughout the film, but not without causing some trouble of his own in the store. 19-year-old Elias, a Lord of the Rings / Transformers geek and isolated Christian virgin, works at Mooby's with Dante and Randal. Jay and Silent Bob are now clean (to reflect Jason Mewes' sobriety) but still deal and are otherwise still up to their usual antics, following Dante and Randal from the Quick Stop to Mooby's.
In the climax, Randal throws Dante a going away party, which includes "Kinky Kelly's" Donkey Show. Dante, mistaking the fogger for another fire, calls the fire department. Soon, Becky and Dante kiss, but are discovered by Emma, who leaves Mooby's just as the fire department arrives with the police. Dante, Randal, Elias, Jay, Silent Bob, and the bestiality performer are taken to jail, where Randal confesses his insecurities and suggests that the duo buy the Quick Stop and RST Video and make it their own. Jay and Silent Bob lend them the money (presumably funds gained from their exploits in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back).
The closing scenes show Dante and Randal repairing the Quick Stop and hiring Elias to work with them while a visibly pregnant Becky looks on. Finally, Dante and Randal reveal a "I assure you, we're re-open!" sign. Finally, Dante and Randal are shown behind the Quick Stop counter. Randal says "And you know what? You weren't even supposed to be here today!" echoing the repeated line from Clerks. The movie ends with a reverse pan on Dante and Randal as scene goes from color to the black and white of the original film, with one of Dante's annoying "milkmaids" at work.
Production
Smith released production diaries (similar to those released by Peter Jackson during his remake of King Kong, and Bryan Singer during the making of Superman Returns) on the Clerks II website (see links below). They chronicle the entire making of the film from the first rehearsals all the way through to the final release.
Smith released a Web-only teaser trailer on the Clerks II website on 9 January, 2006 [2] and a web-only trailer on 2 April, 2006 [3]. As the clips are web-only, there are no imposed regulations, and they are uncensored.
After worrying the movie would be slapped with an NC-17 rating, Kevin Smith considered releasing the movie unrated. The MPAA rated the movie R though, much to Smith's shock (and, apparently, offense).
Controversy
At an advanced screening for critics film critic Joel Siegel walked out of the movie aproximately 40 minutes in during a scene where the characters attempt to procure a donkey for sexual purposes. On his own web site Smith claimed that as he left Siegel "bellowed" the phrase "Time to go. This is the first movie I've walked out on in thirty fucking years." [4] TV Guide film critic Maitland MacDonagh, who claims to have been sitting next to Siegel, largely confirms Smith's account but insists that Siegel did not curse or "bellow". However, she reports that he pointedly left from the farthest possible exit thereby making sure everyone noticed his departure. [5] On his blog Smith, in a profanity laced tirade in which he refered to Siegels mustache as a "cum catcher" and refered to the critic performing sexual acts on fellow director M. Night Shyamalan in regards to his praise for The Village (film) [6] before having seen it, Smith criticized Siegel for unprofessional conduct. Smith later confronted Siegel on the Opie and Anthony show where Siegel apologized for his conduct. [7]
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brian O'Halloran | Dante Hicks |
| Jeff Anderson | Randal Graves |
| Rosario Dawson | Becky |
| Trevor Fehrman | Elias |
| Jason Mewes | Jay |
| Kevin Smith | Silent Bob |
| Jennifer Schwalbach Smith | Emma |
| Jason Lee | Lance Dowds |
| Kevin Weisman | Hobbit Lover |
| Jake Richardson | Teen #1 |
| Ethan Suplee | Teen #2 |
| Ben Affleck | Gawking Guy |
| Scott Mosier | Concerned Father |
| Harley Quinn Smith | Kid in Window |
| Wanda Sykes | Wife |
| Earthquake | Husband |
| Gail Stanley | Elias' Mom |
| Bruce Macintosh | Elias' Dad |
| Walt Flanagan | Woolen Cap Smoker |
| Scott Mosier | Concerned Father |
Trivia
- The letters in the "Clerks II" logo all come from various fast food logos/products: the "C" from Carl's Jr., "L" from McDonalds Large Fries, "E" from Burger King's "Whopper" sandwich, "R " from the Burger King logo, "K" from KFC, and "S" from Popeye's (the "II" is simply text superimposed over a slice of cheese). A similar concept was undertaken with the first film's logo, which was created using letters from various convenience store items (magazines, candy bars, etc.).
- The only true sequel in the View Askewniverse cycle (though the other films do maintain a form of continuity throughout).
- The working title of the film was The Passion of the Clerks but was scrapped for the simplified title of Clerks 2 before releasing the web-only teaser trailer featuring the Roman numeral title of Clerks II. The studio tried to attach a subtitle of "The Second Coming" but test audiences were against the subtitle and it was dropped, much to Kevin Smith's relief.
- Kevin Smith's reason for doing the film was because the original Clerks was a film about what it was like to be in his 20s, and he wanted the sequel to be about what it's like to be in his 30s, and he thought revisiting these characters would be the way to go [8]. It's also because he promised Jason Mewes if he conquered his drug problem, he would do another film with Jay and Silent Bob.
- The film was shot on a single set in Buena Park, California and at the Quick Stop and R.S.T. Video stores in Leonardo, New Jersey.
- While the bookend Quick Stop scenes are in black and white (to simulate the original visual style of Clerks) the rest of the film is in color. However, Kevin has stated that much of the film's color was desaturated almost to the point where the film had a similar texture to the first film.
- Smith planned to release the film without submitting it to the MPAA ratings board (which he expected would assign the film an NC-17 rating). Smith has stated "If we put it in front of the ratings board they'd be like, 'You're insane. We have to create a new rating for that.'" Kevin has stated it is not because of sex or violence but because of language and dialogue. He later submitted it, and received an R rating, without making another edit. This somewhat reflects the situation of the first Clerks, which was first given an NC-17 rating, but was later given an R rating on appeal, without making another edit.
- The budget was roughly $5,000,000, 185 times the budget of the original movie, which cost only $27,000 to make.
- The end credits of Dogma stated that Jay & Silent Bob would return in "Clerks 2: Hardly Clerkin'", but the fifth film in the 'Jersey Trilogy' ended up being Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. Kevin Smith has stated that Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back was the conclusion to the Askewniverse cycle and Clerks II is the epilogue, although in the end credits it states "Jay and Silent Bob will probably return but right now they're taking a break". Smith has stated on his website that should he ever wish to do a film displaying his feelings on fortysomething life, he would most likely use Clerks characters Dante and Randal again to do so.
- Jason Lee's character (Lance) is based on Lance Chernow, a raised-collar-wearing friend of Smith's from high school.
- Smith let Jason Mewes direct a couple of insert shots.
- There is a scene where Jay dances (simply out of boredom), in a parody of a scene from Silence of the Lambs involving Buffalo Bill, the transgendered serial killer. Jay dances to the song Goodbye Horses by Q Lazzarus, the same exact song Buffalo Bill dances to. This scene was used in most previews.
- Clerks II's Myspace account held a contest in which the first 10,000 Myspace users who added them as a friend before July 21, 2006 and put them in their top 8 friend's list, would be rewarded by having their Myspace profile name appear in the theatrical and DVD credits.
- All cars in the film have the registration sticker date as December (the 12th month) signifying the 12 years between films.
- A Leonardo fire truck seen in the climatic scene bears the number "37," a nod to the number first popularized in Clerks and used at least once in each of Smith's subsequent films.
- In the last shot of the movie, as the camera pans back from Dante and Randal at the counter of the Quick Stop, a piece of paper can be seen taped to the side of a shelf which reads, "JUST BECAUSE WE SERVE YOU DOESN'T MEAN WE LIKE YOU." This was the tagline from the first film, with the word "they" in place of "we".
- As Dante and Randal repair the Quick Stop, Becky is seen atop a stepladder, replacing the same overhead flourescent light bulb that Dante replaced in Clerks (when approached by the elderly man).
- When the camera fully zooms all the way out, a woman is seen by the store's refrigerated section, pulling out and inspecting several gallons of milk. This is a reference to the "milk maid" character from the original Clerks, whom Dante despises because they "go through every gallon of milk, as if somewhere behind all the other gallons there's a gallon of milk that won't go bad for a decade." In both films, the woman is not only wearing the same jogging suit, but is also played by the same actress: Smith's mother Grace Smith.
- Both Clerks and Clerks II end with a Soul Asylum song. Clerks ends with the song "Can't Even Tell", a song written specifically for the movie (which Kevin Smith directed a Clerks-related music video for), and the second film ends with "Misery", a song from Soul Asylum's 1995 album Let Your Dim Light Shine. Soul Asylum's lead singer Dave Pirner also wrote the score for Chasing Amy.
- In an early scene in which the audience meets Dante's fiancee' for the first time, she tells Dante how great a life is coming up, with a new job, a new home, a new life, ending with "Face it, Tiger, You've hit the jackpot." This was also the famous opening line when reader's were introduced to the love of Spider-Man's life, Mary Jane Watson.
- Throughout the film, Jay's tank top displays the phrase "Got Christ?" underneath an image of the Buddy Christ statue, first seen in Smith's Dogma.
- While possibly coincidental, the outcome of Clerks II mirrors that of the ending of the second episode of Clerks: The Animated Series. In a Stand By Me parody, an elder Jay mentions that Dante "is married now" and Randal "owns the video store". The concluding scenes of Clerks II feature Dante handing an engagement ring to Becky and Randal co-owning the RST Video and Quick Stop building complex.
- The movie itself is 1 hour and 37 minutes long, a small reference again to the number 37.
