''Clerks II'' is a 2006 American
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
written and directed by
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
, the
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to his 1994 film ''
Clerks
A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.
Office holder
Clerk(s) may also refer to a person who holds an office, most commonly in a local unit of government, or a court.
*Barristers' clerk, a manager and adminis ...
'', and his sixth feature film to be set in the
View Askewniverse
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent ...
. The film stars
Brian O'Halloran
Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film '' Clerks'' and its 2006 and 2022 sequels '' Clerks II'' and '' Clerks III' ...
,
Jeff Anderson
Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in ''Clerks,'' ''Clerks II,'' and ''Clerks III''. In between, he has appeared in other Kevi ...
,
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
,
Trevor Fehrman
Trevor Gregory Fehrman (born July 14, 1981) is an American actor and writer best known for his portrayal of Elias in the 2006 comedy film, ''Clerks II''.
Life and career
Trevor is most widely known for his role in the film ''Clerks II'' in which ...
,
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''.
Career
While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...
,
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith, Kevin Smith's films.
Early lif ...
, and Smith, and picks up with the original characters from ''Clerks'':
Dante Hicks
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
,
Randal Graves
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
and
Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produ ...
ten years after the events of the first film. Unlike the first film, which was shot in black-and-white, this film was shot in color.
The film screened out of competition at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official selection Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over t ...
and won the Audience Award at the 2006
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...
before receiving a theatrical release on July 21, 2006 to critical and commercial success, grossing $27 million worldwide from a $5 million budget. A
third film was released in 2022.
Plot
Ten years after
the events of the first film,
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...
opens the
Quick Stop
''Clerks'' is a 1994 American black-and-white buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith (in his feature directorial debut), produced and edited by Smith and Scott Mosier, and starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghiglio ...
convenience store to find that it is on fire as
Randal had left the coffee pot on after closing the night before. Because Quick Stop and the adjacent RST Video have been destroyed in the fire, Dante and Randal begin working at a
Mooby's fast food restaurant along with teenager
Elias Grover
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
and their manager
Becky Scott
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
.
A year later, Dante is planning to leave his
minimum wage lifestyle in favor of a family life in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
with his fiancée Emma Bunting, whose rich father will provide them with a home and a car wash business to run. Afraid of losing his best friend, Randal becomes resentful towards Dante and Emma's relationship.
Jay and Silent Bob
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively, in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse, a fictional universe created and used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produ ...
have followed Dante and Randal, and now loiter outside of Mooby's. Although they continue to sell drugs, Jay and Silent Bob have become sober after they were arrested for possession and sent to
rehab; they become devout
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
after their release.
Dante tells Becky that he is worried about dancing at his wedding, so she takes him up to the restaurant's roof to teach him some moves. Dante soon releases his inhibitions and begins dancing. When the song ends, Dante, caught up in the moment, confesses his love for Becky, and she reveals that she's
pregnant as a result of a
one-night stand
A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...
they had at work a few weeks prior. Becky tells Dante not to tell anyone about the baby; however, he tells Randal, and an angered Becky leaves when she finds out.
Randal encourages Dante to leave Mooby's in search of Becky, so he can set up a surprise going away party for him. Randal hires "Kinky Kelly and the Sexy Stud," a
donkey show
A donkey show is a type of live sex show in which a woman engages in bestiality with a donkey, which, according to urban legend and some works of fiction, were once performed in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, particularly in the mid-20th ...
, with a fog machine for the party. When Dante returns, he mistakes the fog for fire and calls the fire department, but upon discovering that it's not a fire, proceeds to watch with Randal, Jay, Silent Bob, and Elias.
The group discovers that "Kinky Kelly" is, in fact, the donkey, while the man, whom Randal thought to be the
pimp, is "The Sexy Stud". When Becky returns, she admits that she too loves Dante. As they kiss, Emma arrives with a cake she made for Dante. She throws her engagement ring at Becky, dumps the cake over Dante's head, knees him in the crotch, and storms off.
The fire and police departments arrive, and Dante, Randal, Elias, Jay, Silent Bob, and The Sexy Stud are arrested as a result of the show. Although they are informed they'll be released without being charged, Dante blames Randal for ruining his life and expresses his eagerness to start a new life without him, while Randal condemns Dante for his willingness to live his life under the standards of others and for abandoning their friendship.
During the argument, Randal proposes that they buy the Quick Stop and re-open it themselves, although Dante says that neither have the money to do it. Jay and Silent Bob offer to lend them the money (from the royalties they collected from the ''Bluntman and Chronic'' movie in ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of h ...
'') provided that they can hang out outside of the store anytime they want without the police being called. Randal accepts their offer, but Dante is uncertain, prompting Randal to emotionally confess his fear of losing Dante.
Moved by Randal's confession, Dante agrees to the proposition. After the group are released, Dante proposes to Becky, who happily accepts. After the Quick Stop and RST Video are rebuilt, Elias applies for a job and is hired at RST Video.
In the very last scene, with the store open, Dante tells Randal, "Can you feel it? Today is the first day of the rest of our lives." The color evaporates from the film and the camera pulls back to reveal the milk maid from the first movie still going through all the gallons.
Cast
*
Brian O'Halloran
Brian Christopher O'Halloran (born December 20, 1969) is an American actor, producer, and podcaster best known for playing Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's debut 1994 film '' Clerks'' and its 2006 and 2022 sequels '' Clerks II'' and '' Clerks III' ...
as
Dante Hicks
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
*
Jeff Anderson
Jeffrey Allan Anderson (born April 21, 1970) is an American film and television actor, director, and screenwriter best known for starring as Randal Graves in ''Clerks,'' ''Clerks II,'' and ''Clerks III''. In between, he has appeared in other Kevi ...
as
Randal Graves
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
*
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include ''He Got Game'' (1998), '' Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
as
Becky Scott
This is a list of characters from the British soap opera ''Family Affairs'' listed in alphabetical order by the characters' surnames.
A
* Scarlett Anderson
Scarlett Anderson was played by Cat Simmons during 2005. She seduces Les Boulte ...
*
Trevor Fehrman
Trevor Gregory Fehrman (born July 14, 1981) is an American actor and writer best known for his portrayal of Elias in the 2006 comedy film, ''Clerks II''.
Life and career
Trevor is most widely known for his role in the film ''Clerks II'' in which ...
as
Elias Grover
This is a list of major and recurring characters in Kevin Smith's fictional universe known as the View Askewniverse.
''Clerks'' (1994)
Dante Hicks
Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is 22 (33 in ''Clerks II, 49 in Clerks III''), works at ...
*
Jennifer Schwalbach
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith (born April 7, 1971), sometimes credited as Jennifer Schwalbach, is an American actress, podcaster and retired reporter for ''USA Today''.
Career
While a ''USA Today'' reporter, Schwalbach met film director Kevin Smith ...
as
Emma Bunting
Emma Bunting (born September 2, 1881) was an American stage actress during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was known as being a petite but versatile actress, taking on roles of children and adults alike in stage plays across the c ...
*
Jason Mewes
Jason Edward Mewes (born June 12, 1974) is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith, Kevin Smith's films.
Early lif ...
as
Jay
A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...
*
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film '' Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, ...
as
Silent Bob
*
Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to:
Entertainment
*Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder
*Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor
* Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
as
Lance Dowds
*
Zak Knutson as Sexy Stud
*
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on '' The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertai ...
as Angry customer
*
Earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
as Angry customer's husband
*
Ethan Suplee
Ethan Suplee (; born May 25, 1976) is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' American History X'', '' Remember the Titans'', ''John Q'', '' The Wolf of Wall Street'', ''Without a Paddle'', and sever ...
as Weed customer
*
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...
as Gawking customer
*
Kevin Weisman
Kevin Glen Weisman (born December 29, 1970) is an American film, television and stage actor. Career highlights thus far include his lauded portrayal of Marshall Flinkman on the critically acclaimed J.J. Abrams television series ''Alias'', whi ...
as Lord of the Rings geek
*
Scott Mosier
Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''.
Early life
Mosier was born in Vanco ...
as Concerned Father
*
Walt Flanagan
Walter Flanagan (born October 23, 1967) is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book ''Silent Bob Speaks'') i ...
as Quick Stop Customer
Production
Development
In 1999, the original title was slated to be ''Clerks 2: Hardly Clerkin'' (cf.
Jerry Lewis's ''
Hardly Working''), as seen in the credits of ''
Dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...
''. Smith later modified the title to ''The Passion of the Clerks'', lampooning the title of
Mel Gibson
Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apoca ...
's ''
The Passion of the Christ
''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film produced, directed and co-written by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, mother of Jesus, and Monica Bellucci as Mary ...
''. According to the DVD documentary, the title was changed to simply ''Clerks II'', due to negative reaction to the "Passion" title. The film was shot from September to November 2005. It was originally scheduled for a 2005 release, and then a January 2006 release, but the production was pushed back due to other projects and Kevin Smith's involvement in the romantic comedy ''
Catch and Release
Catch and release is a practice within recreational fishing where after capture, often a fast measurement and weighing of the fish is performed, followed by posed photography as proof of the catch, and then the fish are unhooked and returned ...
''.
Smith released production diaries on the ''Clerks II'' website (see
links below). They chronicle the entire making of the film from the first rehearsals all the way through to the final release. Some of these web diaries are also available on the two-disc
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
of the film. Smith released a Web-only teaser trailer on the ''Clerks II'' website on January 9, 2006,
[Clerks 2 - Teaser](_blank)
and a web-only trailer on April 2, 2006.
Smith also released several shorts featuring action figures from his previous films to promote the film.
Before the release of the film, Smith had mentioned releasing an
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
file commentary to be downloaded and listened to in movie theaters via
iPod. Ultimately, theater owners and exhibitors objected, and the plan was scrapped. The abandoned commentary, featuring Smith,
Scott Mosier
Scott A. Mosier (born March 5, 1971) is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, ''SModcast''.
Early life
Mosier was born in Vanco ...
and Jeff Anderson, is included on the DVD.
The bookend Quick Stop scenes are in black and white (to simulate the original visual style of ''Clerks''), while the rest of the film is in color. Smith has said that much of the film's color was
desaturated almost to the point where the film had a similar texture to the first film. The contrast in color saturation used can be seen in the "
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
" sequence in which a more vibrant and saturated
color temperature
Color temperature is the color of light emitted by an idealized opaque, non-reflective body at a particular temperature measured in kelvins. The color temperature scale is used to categorize the color of light emitted by other light sources ...
is used to give a warm and sunny look that adds to the playful nature of the piece.
On the film's
MySpace account, a contest was held in which the first 10,000 MySpace users who added ''Clerks II'' as a friend would have their name in the theatrical and DVD end credits; the list follows the View Askew and
Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...
logos. The names are not present in the credits on the
Region 2 DVD.
Locations
The Mooby's restaurant was a shut-down
Burger King at 8572 Stanton Ave in
Buena Park, California
Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mi ...
(near
Knott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...
), that has since been demolished. The final days of principal photography were filmed at the Quick Stop and RST Video store in
Leonardo, New Jersey
Leonardo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) within Middletown Township, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. , with some exceptions, the most notable being the go-kart scene, which was shot at Speedzone in
Industry, California
City of Industry is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is almost entirely industrial, containing over 3,000 businesses employing 67,000 people, with only 264 residents as of the ...
. The opening sequence where Randal and Dante are driving to work is a montage of Route 35, mostly in Middletown, New Jersey.
Casting
Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, and Kevin Smith all reprised their roles from the first film.
According to the DVD commentary, Kevin Smith originally wanted to cast his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as Becky. Executive producer
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films includ ...
objected, however, wanting a known actress to play the role for marketing reasons. Other actresses that Smith had met with were
Sarah Silverman
Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American comedian, actress, and writer.
Silverman was a writer and performer on ''Saturday Night Live'', and she starred in and produced '' The Sarah Silverman Program'', which ran from 2007 to ...
and
Bryce Dallas Howard who both declined. Smith recalls having lunch with Howard who said she was interested in the film but ultimately passed in order to do ''
Lady in the Water
''Lady in the Water'' is a 2006 American fantasy psychological thriller film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who produced with Sam Mercer. The film features the starring cast of Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard with Bob Balaban ...
''. Silverman said she didn't want to play the Becky character as she had been cast as girlfriends in numerous other productions and feared type-casting, but loved the script and would have been more than willing to play the part of Randal Graves.
Rachel Weisz
Rachel Hannah Weisz (; born 7 March 1970 ) is an English actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a BAFTA Award.
Weisz began acting in British stage and television in the ...
was another name the studio considered, but Smith figured she would turn the role down and never offered her the part.
Ellen Pompeo
Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...
expressed an interest but could not commit due to scheduling difficulties with ''
Grey's Anatomy
''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...
''. Finally, the role was offered to Rosario Dawson who loved the script. She later said that reading the "donkey show" scene sealed the deal for her. Schwalbach Smith was given the secondary female role of Emma. Smith also cast his daughter
Harley Quinn Smith
Harley Quinn Smith (born June 26, 1999) is an American actress and musician. Smith has appeared in the film '' Tusk'' and starred in its spin-off '' Yoga Hosers'', both written and directed by her father, filmmaker Kevin Smith. She is also the b ...
as the little girl Dante waves to in the window and his mother Grace as the Milk Maid, reprising her role from the first film.
Walt Flanagan
Walter Flanagan (born October 23, 1967) is a former comic book store manager, reality television personality, podcaster, and comic book artist. Flanagan is a long-time friend of Kevin Smith, and (according to Smith's book ''Silent Bob Speaks'') i ...
makes a cameo appearance as a customer who asks for a "pack of cigarettes" (after the scheme changes from color to black 'n' white), in a nod to the first film as well.
The character of Elias was played by Trevor Fehrman who had previously worked in Anderson's film ''
Now You Know''. Smith saw him in the film and was impressed enough to give him a part. In keeping with Smith's tradition of casting actors that he has previously worked with, both
Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to:
Entertainment
*Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder
*Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor
* Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
and
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...
had parts in the film. Lee played Lance Dowds and Affleck played a random Mooby's customer. After finding no one else who could pull off being the Sexy Stud, Smith turned to crew member Zak Charles Knutson to fill the role.
Release
Rating
The film was originally planned to be released without an
MPAA film rating, in order to avoid receiving an NC-17. Smith claimed "If we put it in front of the ratings board they'd be like, 'You're insane. We have to create a new rating for that.'" However, he later submitted it, and it received an R rating without any edits.
Box office
The film opened in 2,150 theaters and grossed $10.1 million domestically in its first weekend.
The film's theatrical gross was $24.1 million domestically, plus an additional $2.8 million from other territoires foreign, against its production budget of $5 million.
Critical response
The film holds a 63% approval rating on review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 166 reviews with an average rating of 6.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "''Clerks II'' dishes up much of the graphic humor and some of the insight that made the 1994 original a cult hit."
On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Audiences polled by
CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.
In a review for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'',
A. O. Scott wrote that "What makes ''Clerks II'' both winning and (somewhat unexpectedly) moving is its fidelity to the original ''Clerks'' ethic of hanging out, talking trash and refusing all worldly ambition. If anything, the sequel is more defiant in its disdain for the rat race, elevating the white-guy-doing-nothing prerogative from a lifestyle choice to a moral principle." Justin Chang's review at ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called it a "softer, flabbier and considerably higher-budgeted follow-up to Kevin Smith's 1994 indie sensation that nevertheless packs enough riotous exchanges and pungent sexual obscenities to make its 97 minutes pass by with ease."
At an advance screening for critics,
Joel Siegel
Joel Steven Siegel (July 7, 1943 – June 29, 2007) was an American film critic for the ABC morning news show ''Good Morning America'' for over 25 years. The winner of multiple Emmy Awards, Siegel also worked as a radio disc jockey and an adverti ...
walked out of the film approximately 40 minutes in, during a scene in which the characters attempt to procure a
donkey for sexual purposes. Smith claimed on his website that Siegel "bellowed" the phrase "Time to go! This is the first movie I've walked out on in thirty fucking years!" ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
'' film critic
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh () is an American film critic and the author of several books about cinema.
She is the author of ''Broken Mirrors/Broken Minds: The Dark Dreams of Dario Argento'' (1991) and works of erotic fiction and erotic cinema, as well ...
, who said she was sitting next to Siegel, largely confirms Smith's account but insists that Siegel did not curse or "bellow." However, she reports that he left from the farthest possible exit, thereby making sure everyone noticed his departure. On his
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order s ...
, Smith criticized Siegel for unprofessional conduct, in a profanity-laced tirade in which he referred to the critic performing sexual acts on director
M. Night Shyamalan in regard to his praise for ''
The Village'' before having seen it. Smith later confronted Siegel in a live interview on ''
Opie and Anthony
''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...
''; Siegel apologized for cursing and causing a scene, and told Smith that he thinks he is a "fine filmmaker," while still defending his decision to walk out.
British entertainer and film-critic
Jonathan Ross has been largely critical of the film, saying he disliked it even more than the first film; he expressed distaste that the film was voted by viewers of his ''Film 2006'' show into the top ten of the year, in which it ranked sixth. It made other Best of 2006 lists, including being named movie of the year by
MTV India
MTV India is an Indian pay television channel specialising in music, reality and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 as the Indian version of MTV and is owned by Viacom 18, a joint venture operation between MTV International ow ...
, being voted the third-funniest film of 2006 by
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
users and the ninth-best reviewed comedy by Rotten Tomatoes.
The film received an eight-minute
standing ovation
A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim. In Ancient Rome returning military commanders (such as Marcus Licinius Crassus a ...
at the
2006 Cannes Film Festival
The 59th Cannes Film Festival was held from 17 to 28 May 2006. Twenty films from eleven countries were in competition for the Palme d'Or. The President of the Official selection Jury was Wong Kar-wai, the first Chinese director to preside over t ...
.
Soundtrack
''Music from the Motion Picture Clerks II'', the soundtrack to the film, was released on August 22, 2006 by Bulletproof Records. It includes songs from the film, which are of various artists and genres, as well as many soundclips of dialog from the film. One notable exception is that
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Ch ...
' "
1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...
", which was featured in the film, is not included. It has been replaced by All Too Much's "Think Fast", which was not featured in the film.
# ''Dialogue'': "
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank (, ; 12 June 1929 – )Research by The Anne Frank House in 2015 revealed that Frank may have died in February 1945 rather than in March, as Dutch authorities had long assumed"New research sheds new light on Anne Fra ...
vs.
Helen Keller" – 0:27
# "
(Nothing But) Flowers
"(Nothing But) Flowers" is a song by rock band Talking Heads. It appears on the band's final album ''Naked'', released in 1988. It was released as the album's second single. In addition to the band, the song features Kirsty MacColl on backup vocal ...
" –
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.[Talki ...](_blank)
– 5:33
# ''Dialogue'': "Regret" – 0:28
# "
Welcome Home" –
King Diamond
Kim Bendix Petersen (born 14 June 1956), better known by his stage name King Diamond, is a Danish rock musician. As a vocalist, he is known for his powerful and wide-ranging countertenor singing voice, in particular his far-reaching falsetto ...
– 4:36
# ''Dialogue'': "Of Parts Enlarged" – 0:17
# "Neckin' on the Swing" –
James L. Venable – 3:49
# ''Dialogue'': "The First of the Fallen" – 0:55
# "
The Invisible Guests" – King Diamond – 5:04
# ''Dialogue'': "The Unholiest Act" – 0:52
# "
Goodbye Horses
"Goodbye Horses" is a song recorded by American singer Q Lazzarus. It was written by Q Lazzarus's bandmate, William Garvey, and released in 1988, with an extended version being released three years later. It is a synth-pop, dark wave, new wa ...
" –
Q Lazzarus
Diane Luckey (December 12, 1960 – July 19, 2022), known professionally as Q Lazzarus, was an American singer. She is best known for her 1988 song " Goodbye Horses", which became a cult classic after being prominently featured in a scene from ...
& Garvey – 6:27
# ''Dialogue'': "On Knowing Pickles" – 0:17
# "
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1969 film ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid''. The uplifting lyrics describe somebody who overcomes his troubles and worries by realizing that "it w ...
" –
B. J. Thomas
Billy Joe Thomas (August 7, 1942 – May 29, 2021) was an American singer widely known for his pop, country and Christian hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Popular songs by Thomas include "Hooked on a Feeling" (1968), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' ...
– 3:02
# ''Dialogue'': "Twelve Step" – 0:20
# "
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
" –
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
– 2:58
# ''Dialogue'': "The Perfect Gift" – 0:54
# "Think Fast" – All Too Much – 3:24
# ''Dialogue'': "Party Planning" – 0:31
# "Goin' Away Party" – James L. Venable – 1:44 - This contains segments of the "Clerks" animated series' theme song, also by Venable
# ''Dialogue'': "I'm Gonna Miss You, Man" – 0:39
# "
Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)
"Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)" is a song recorded by English singer Samantha Fox for her self-titled second studio album (1987). It was released as a single in 1988 and was a collaboration between Fox and hip-hop group Full Force. It describes ...
" –
Samantha Fox
Samantha Karen Fox (born 15 April 1966) is an English pop singer and former glamour model from East London. She rose to public attention aged 16, when her mother entered her photographs in an amateur modelling contest run by ''The Sunday Peopl ...
– 3:21
# ''Dialogue'': "Abstinence" – 1:01
# "
Everything
Everything, every-thing, or every thing is all that exists; the opposite of nothing, or its complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some subject matter. Without expressed or implied limits, it may refer to anything. The univers ...
" –
Alanis Morissette – 4:36
# ''Dialogue'': "Semantics" – 0:31
# "
Misery" –
Soul Asylum
Soul Asylum is an American alternative rock band formed in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their 1993 hit "Runaway Train" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.
The band was originally called Loud Fast Rules, with a lineup consisting of Dav ...
– 4:24
# ''Dialogue'': "Battle of the Mega-Geeks" – 0:31
Home media
The ''Clerks II'' DVD was released on November 28, 2006.
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' reported that the film opened to #4 in terms of rental and DVD sales, and made approximately $6 million in rentals, or a quarter of the total box office gross of $24.2 million.
''Clerks II'' was released on
HD DVD
HD DVD (short for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc) is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the ...
on January 16, 2007. The release featured the film in
1080p
1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen ve ...
high definition on one disc and the same extras as the DVD, also presented in 1080p, on a second disc. After the conclusion of the
high definition optical disc format war in February 2008, ''Clerks II'' was released on
Blu-ray Disc on February 3, 2009 with two additional special features.
Sequel
On February 9, 2017, Smith revealed on Facebook that although a script had been completed, ''Clerks III'' had been cancelled as "one of the four leads opted out of the flick". He later revealed that Jeff Anderson was the one who opted out. On October 1, 2019, Smith announced on
Instagram that ''Clerks III'' was happening and that Anderson agreed to reprise his role as Randal. "It'll be a movie that concludes a saga. It'll be a movie about how you're never too old to completely change your life. It'll be a movie about how a decades-spanning friendship finally confronts the future. It'll be a movie that brings us back to the beginning - a return to the cradle of civilization in the great state of #newjersey. It'll be a movie that stars Jeff and @briancohalloran, with me and Jay in supporting roles. And it'll be a movie called CLERKS III!"
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began on August 2, 2021 in
Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...
. Filming wrapped on August 31, 2021. The film is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2022 by
Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
(whose film studio acquired the catalogue of
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...
from
Spyglass
Spyglass may refer to:
* Another term for a hand-held refracting telescope
A refracting telescope (also called a refractor) is a type of optical telescope that uses a lens as its objective to form an image (also referred to a dioptric tel ...
.) and
Fathom Events
Fathom Events is an entertainment content provider that broadcasts entertainment events in movie theaters throughout the United States including Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, the performing arts, major sporting events, and music concerts.
Th ...
.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
View Askewniverse
The View Askewniverse is a fictional universe created by writer/director Kevin Smith, featured in several films, comics and a television series; it is named for Smith's production company, View Askew Productions. The characters Jay and Silent ...
:
*
Kevin's thoughts on the Project*
2006 interview with Dante and Randalfrom ljworld.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clerks 2
2006 films
2006 black comedy films
2000s buddy comedy films
American black comedy films
American buddy comedy films
American sequel films
Color sequels of black-and-white films
Films about criticism and refusal of work
Films directed by Kevin Smith
Films produced by Scott Mosier
Films scored by James L. Venable
Films set in 2003
Films set in 2004
Films set in New Jersey
Films shot in Los Angeles
Films shot in New Jersey
Films with screenplays by Kevin Smith
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
View Askew Productions films
View Askewniverse films
The Weinstein Company films
Workplace comedy films
Zoophilia in culture
2000s English-language films
2000s American films