Clerks II

Ten years into writer/director Kevin Smith’s mythos, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) arrives to find the Jersey ’burb Quick Stop in flames. Without the hamster wheel they called their job for the past decade, he and his foulmouthed and seemingly sociopathic sidekick, Randal (Jeff Anderson), shift a few blocks over to work the counter at the friendly neighborhood fast food joint as Dante contemplates his imminent marriage to his Ann Coulter-lite fiancée. Absurdly complicating matters is Dante’s recurring drama of having to choose between two lovers, the absurdity being the other woman is his manager and the all-around ideal Becky (Rosario Dawson). All the expected members of Smith’s View Askew universe show up as former cast members drop by for a cameo and a shake and humorous riffs on pop culture ensue. Fans of Smith might want to knock the popcorn box score here up a notch, non-fans one down.