"Clerks 2": a quick review

I watched "Clerks 2" the other night and found it to be a satisfying meditation on, among other things, friendship and love. The flick was, in many respects, simply a bigger-budget version of the first movie, treating many of the same existential themes, featuring many of the same preachy monologues (Kevin Smith is a great scriptwriter, but he does lack subtlety) and the requisite cumload of sexual humor.

Highlights: Rosario Dawson's luminous presence. The donkey. The "going ass to mouth" discussion.

Freudian symbolism: the image of an unnaturally large clitoris, representing a masculine impulse toward possession, control, and quite possibly the destruction of one of the main characters.

Geek highlights: a running battle of Star Wars versus Lord of the Rings partisans.

The movie gets sappy toward the end, but those familiar with Kevin Smith's films know that he usually drops the vulgarity and cynicism to reveal the sentimental heart of the story he's telling. If you haven't seen "Clerks 2" yet, go rent it, download it, or steal it.


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