Review of Clerks II

Clerks II

Sequels are a tricky subject. On the one hand are movies that are incomplete stories, intended to have sequels finish telling the tale. Superhero movies, and especially the Lord of the Rings trilogy are prime examples of this. On the other hand are movies that tell a complete story, but for reasons unknown to anyone but accountants, the characters are pulled out of storage to make a quick buck. Finally, you have the third type of sequel, the sequel of love. The first movie tells a complete story, but the creators of said movie knew there was more they could tell. A prime example of this is Toy Story 2. Sure Pixar made a fortune on this, but it was made simply because the creators knew another worthwhile story existed in that world. And such it is with Clerks II.

Clerks II joins Dante Hicks and Randal Graves (both roles resumed by Brian O'Hallaran and Jeff Anderson, respectively) after the Quck Stop convenience/video store has burned down and both men have taken jobs at a Mooby Burger fast food joint. It's the last day of work for Dante because he is moving down to Florida with his fiancee. She will provide him with a marriage (of course), a house, and a respectable job. Though Dante has some misgivings, he seems to be on board for his changing life. Of course, no one else is, but that's what makes a plot. Randal obviously doesn't want his best friend to leave him. Becky (Rosario Dawson), the Mooby Burger manager is afraid of losing a close friend. Perhaps a very close friend. And Elias (Trevor Fehrman), the squeaky clean Christian stereotype at the drive-thru window is mostly just afraid of losing the buffer between himself

and Randal. But, as this is Dante's last day in New Jersey, his friends let the day unfold as combination going-away-party and average-boring-day. The day culminates with one final look at Dante's and Randal's lives and what they want out of them. And then a montage!

First, to make sure you understand, the only thing you have to know about Clerks is that Dante and Randal worked at the Quick Stop together for years before it burned down. The rest is new story. And what about this new story? At times it's a bit outlandish. At times it's a bit predictable. But for the most part, Clerks II is a hilarious, and highly entertaining story. It's nothing really noteworthy in the grand scheme of things,