Clerks II 2006

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: Though it will be of little interest to anyone who has never seen its predecessor, Clerks II should delight Smith's fans. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: Clerks II is more sentimental and ruder than its predecessor, though its brand of raunch tends to curdle halfway out of the characters' mouths. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: Smith won't win any new converts with Clerks II, but he'll satisfy the devoted core audience. Read more

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader: Kevin Smith's sequel to his 1994 indie classic about two aimless New Jersey buddies is as dead-end as their jobs. Read more

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: They say you can't go home again, but writer-director Kevin Smith didn't get the memo. Read more

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: I like these characters a lot. Read more

Bob Townsend, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Clerks II brings Smith back to his roots, and his strengths as a writer-director. Read more

Nathan Rabin, AV Club: ... Clerks II is mostly appealing in its familiarity, from the rat-a-tat cussing to the cameos from Smith's repertory company to the extended riffing on Star Wars and geek culture. Read more

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic: I don't think Smith could have made a worse movie if he tried, and keep in mind, I've seen Jersey Girl. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: Has Kevin Smith gone soft? Read more

Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Clerks II is neither the best nor the worst installment in Smith's Jersey-centric 'askewniverse,' but fans will find plenty to feed their obsession. Read more

Michael Booth, Denver Post: Clerks II repeats all the charms and flaws of the original with a far less forgivable outcome, since Smith is now in a position to do far better. Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: Clerks II is dumb. Clerks II is brilliant. Clerks II is a rehash. Clerks II is surprisingly fresh. Clerks II will disappoint you at the same time that it keeps you fully entertained. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: If you're a fan of Clerks... then you'll probably want to see Clerks II. Read more

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: Clerks II is not a return to the roots. It's just a cartoonish trip in the way-back machine outfitted with a questionable moral. Read more

Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly: This movie put a broad smile on my face, virtually from the start. Read more

Alexa Weibel, Newsday: The slackers of Clerks have lost their wiseass flannel-shirted charm in Kevin Smith's feeble attempt to translate his day-in-the-life-of '90s cult film to 2006. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: What [Smith] knows, better than anyone out there, is how rudely funny and deliriously self-deluding those types can be. Read more

Bob Mondello, NPR.org: Read more

Jack Mathews, New York Daily News: Though Clerks II is in color, the acting is just as amateurish and the directing just as awkward as the black-and-white original. Dawson gives the only competent performance, and only Becky and the abused donkey are sympathetic characters. Read more

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: Despite not achieving the level of the original...this is the most amusing comedy to arrive in months. Read more

Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: Smith, an inherent optimist, has made a movie full of crude humor that also manages to explore the enduring qualities of friendship. Read more

Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle: Whatever your expectations, they will almost certainly be exceeded by Smith's hilarious and creative return to low-budget cinema. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun-Times: OK, Kevin Smith. All is forgiven. Obviously, Jersey Girl was just a silly aberration. You not only have not lost your comedic touch -- you've taken it to new heights. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: For casual fans of writer-director Kevin Smith, his new film, Clerks II, feels a little like the new Pirates of the Caribbean -- a similar wet fizzle of a sequel for sequel's sake -- but what do we know? Read more

Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star: While it's the sadness of the aging geek that resonates most potently throughout Clerks II, the movie itself is far too glib to let anything that bleak get close enough to the surface to bubble over and stain the counter. Read more

Chris Tilly, Time Out: While the film is rude and raucous throughout, it doesn't have a bad bone in its body, providing a joyous, celebratory swansong for the beloved characters. Read more

Scott Bowles, USA Today: Kevin Smith has grown up, even if his films haven't. That might explain why Clerks II can't quite decide how old it wants to act. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: If Clerks II doesn't have quite the scabrous kick of its predecessor, the chance to revisit a classic premise must have renewed the writer in Smith, whose banter here often achieves a sharpness and quality. Read more

Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice: Smith's heart is in it, but it's sort of a broken heart now; Clerks II feels as though it was made by a man who needs a change but isn't permitted to make one. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: Clerks II finds Smith up to the profane, raunchy, profoundly humanist mischief of which he alone is the master. Read more