Clerks II

Stars: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes

Director: Kevin Smith

They're back, more foul-mouthed and gutter-minded than ever, but running a fast food joint instead of their convenience store, which has been burned down.

There's an amateurish feel, and not an endearing one either, to Kevin Smith's film (even with Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee from TV's My Name is Earl doing guest spots), and the main guys - O'Halloran and Anderson as Dante and Randal, with Mewes and Smith himself returning as uber-slackers Jay and Silent Bob - seem to be giving line readings instead of creating characterisations.

As the cafe's owner, Dawson is head-and-shoulders above the rest, and has some nice reaction moments when Randal 'treats' Dante to a night of bestiality as a going-away present, featuring a guy and a donkey.

Over-familiar characters, then, in comfortingly obscene situations. As a colleague of mine used to write: those who like this sort of thing will find that this is the sort of thing they like. It is what it is.

David Quinlan

USA 2006. UK Distributor: UIP. Technicolor.
97 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 2, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 1, Swearing 3.

Review date: 17 Sep 2006