Clerks II: Still slacking

In 1994, a film came along that made Hollywood sit up and think. It was a small independent production, directed by an unknown filmmaker, shot in black and white, with no big name cast and no real plot as such..The film was 'Clerks'. The movie tracked a day in the life of two clerks - shop workers - in a convenience store in New Jersey. One of them, Dante Hicks, called to work in his day off, and that's when his problems start. His girlfriend wants to leave him, his friend Randall, who works at the video store next door, constantly embarrass him in front of his customers, his ex-girlfriend is getting married, he needs to play in a hockey game at noon and no one can replace him, he has to go to a friend's wake and a pair of drug dealers outside his store - Jay and Silent Bob - keep antagonising him. 'Clerks II' picks up a decade on from where the original left off - and it would appear never before have so many still done so little while having so much fun doing it.Dante and Randal have managed to maintain, and even hone, their in-your-face attitudes, agile skill with vulgarities and unbridled love of screwing with the customers, but now they're also faced with such shocking new prospects as marriage, leaving Jersey and finding real careers.

For Kevin, making 'Clerks II' was almost therapeutic - a checkpoint in his own life.He explained: "When I made the first film it was basically I snapshot of where I was personally at that time. When I started making 'Clerks II' I approached it in the same way - a snapshot of where I am now.

"Maybe I'll check back in with the characters again when they're 50... maybe not."

Kevin added: "For me though I think there was a real sense of closure doing 'Clerks II'. I feel like I've taken those stories to their logical conclusion. Now I can feel free to jump out and do something else."

Despite the anticipation and favourable reviews surrounding 'Clerks II', Smith insists 'Clerks' is the only movie he is likely to return or add to - despite repeated calls from fans for a sequel to his second film 'Mallrats'.

He explained: "If I was ever to do that, I think it would be in comic book form rather than as a film. We have actually talked about it but that's as far as it's gone so far."

The onscreen Butch to Kevin's Sundance - Jay - who is played by Jason Mewes has had a rough few years caused by a serious drug addiction.

The actor-director admits watching his friend slowly self-destruct was sheer hell.

Smith explained: "Jason had some pretty deep drug abuse problems. He found himself hooked on heroin and all sorts of other stuff but it has been three and half years now that he's been totally clean and sober.

"I remember when I told people that he'd cleaned up and they all thought he probably wouldn't be nearly as funny but let me tell you, there's nothing funny about being a drug addict."

He added: "When we were making the other movies he was barely touched the stuff but as soon as shooting was finished and we were in the editing suite, BOOM, he would slip back into his old ways."So this is the first film where I didn't have to clean him up or worry about him. His performance is so much stronger for it too.

Smith says he tried everything to get Mewes straight - but nothing seemed to work.

He revealed: "I tried for seven years to get him to clean up and we tried everything from taking him to rehab to just flat out sitting on him for weeks at a time, babysitting him, watching his every move. None of that worked though and basically he just woke up one day and decided to get clean and stay clean.

"Some people have been telling me what a great thing I did by sticking by him but what else was I going to do? He's my friend."

The battle has paid off with Smith even claiming 'Clerks II' - which is every bit as innovative as the original - is his best work yet.

He confirmed: "I used to say that 'Chasing Amy' was my finest hour but I think now it's this film. I kind of regard my decision to do it as one of my top five good decisions of all time.

"Most critics are on my side too - they've been giving it four or five stars out of five. I was delighted with the critics' responses."

However, Kevin hopes that moviegoers won't try and compare the sequel to the much-loved original.

He confessed: "There is always that danger but to be honest I don't think there's anything to compare. 'Clerks' was completely brand new and no-one had ever seen anything like it before but the genie is out of the bottle now.

"When we announced the film online there were a few people who thought it was a stupid idea and that it would f***ing suck, but when they've seen it they have turned their view around and liked it. I think they were just worried that we wouldn't do the characters justice and that we'd just rehash the same old jokes.

"As a movie I think 'Clerks II' stands well alongside the first."

Another key element of Kevin's 'Clerks' universe that stayed at the heart of the sequel is the creative swearing. In fact, if there was an Oscar for cussing, he'd walk away with it hands down.

And he's so proud of his brilliantly blue mouth, that Kevin is even getting his seven-year-old daughter, Harley Quinn, in on the act.

He revealed: "I'm already teaching her to curse because if she learns to does it well she can make a good living out of it.

"My wife and I won't really watch what we say around her. The first words she picked up at three-years-old were s**t and bulls**t. She quickly stopped it when I told her what s**t meant, that it meant poop. She was like, 'Ew!'"

Kevin added: "I'm not one of those people who says, 'I don't want my kid to see my movies until she's 30 because they're full of cursing.'

"The bad language just washes over her. She doesn't know what a c**k-smoker is."

Whether you're already a fan of his work or not, it's impossible to deny that Kevin Smith makes some of the most interesting and entertaining films to come out of Hollywood. 'Clerks II' is not only a worthy sequel to the original film, but it is one of the most refreshing films of the year and one of the finest of his career. A classic.