Clerks 2 will be abig disappointment to fans of Kevin Smith. Shot in black and white in 1994,Smith's first feature was Clerks, an irreverent Generation-X comedyabout two twenty year old shop assistants in New Jersey who, when not beingrude to their customers, talk endlessly and explicitly about sex.

Clerks was arunaway success at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, where it garneredseveral awards for its lack of political correctness in a time of risingconservatism. It has since become a cult classic spawning numerous spin-offswhich include a Clerks animated series, comic books, and a 'View Askew'universe about the characters (named for Smith's production company) which canbe viewed online.

Now working atMooby's fast food restaurant after a fire destroys Dante's old habitat QuickStop (glimpsed briefly in the film's opening), he and Randall are back inbusiness slacking on the job and alienating the few customers that walk intothe shop. What passes for the plot are some passably funny encounters in whichRandall browbeats into submission a Lord of the Rings fan, insults a blackwoman by arguing the point as to whether the descriptor 'porch-monkey' isa racist term or not, and jeers at a former schoolmate (played by the film'sproducer Scott Mosier) who has managed to make a success of his life.

There is muchmocking of gays and Christians, most of it tongue-in-cheek, and an inordinateamount of time spent obsessing about the vulgarities (and considerablevagaries) of sex. But political incorrectness is no longer a novelty, and witha lacklustre script that struggles to be funny and relevant, the adventures ofDante, Randall, and their friends Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob(played by Smith himself), seem baldly coarse, and more inane than ever.

By midstream thestoryline focuses on Dante's success with two beautiful women, and this iswhere Clerks 2 falls into a heap. The beautiful and talented Rosario Dawson(Rent, Alexander) plays Becky, the boss's niece who manages Moombys and fallsin love with Dante. This defies belief, given the character that Dante is given(childish, nerdish, insecure, lazy etc).

There are hintsthat Dante's charm is his sexuality, which is likely to strain the averageviewer's suspension of disbelief to breaking point, and this is compoundedfurther by Dante being pursued for his hand in marriage by the gorgeous Emma(Jennifer Schwalbach), whose wealthy father wants to buy them a house inFlorida.

Schwalbach hams itup; she has been in Smith movies before (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back). ButDawson plays her character for real. This is where the film becomes silly inall the wrong ways – not cutting-edge rude and offensive (which is thefilm's brief, after all), but unimaginative and trite.

Clerks was asuccess because it posited a world where jock humour ruled, and little boysnever had to grow up. Clerks 2 tries to be both more of the same, and less.This is a recipe that won't deter View Askew die-hards, but it is unlikely towin new friends.

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