I’m not a fan of Kevin Smith’s movies, but I love Kevin Smith so I keep watching his movies. I watched Clerks II without rewatching Clerks. I enjoyed the majority of Clerks II because shooting the shit dialogue is Smith’s strength, and there is plenty of it in Clerks II. It also doesn’t hurt that Rosario Dawson, whom I love, is featured heavily in the movie. Rosario Dawson is at her most appealing just being herself and talking as shown in Top Five. One joyous dance sequence and the introduction of a new character, Elias, a sheltered teenager whose parents failed him by not meeting his coworkers, are worth the price of admission. There are only two scenes that almost ruined the whole movie for me. If you can get past them and love Smith and Dawson, then give Clerks II your attention.
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First, the opening scene bugged me for technical reasons. If the store was on fire and the shutters were lifted, the sudden introduction of more oxygen would have created an explosion that killed Dante, and Clerks II would not exist. Second, the Donkey Show was all fun and games predicated on teen boy humor of the double standard “Ewwww, I don’t want to watch a GUY do THAT” until the penetration scene, which made it rapey and not funny, which isn’t to say that both aren’t sexual violations and innately not funny, but one is more serious and could cause harm to the animal than the other.