Jersey Girl

Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, George Carlin, Liv Tyler...
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Rating:


by Tom Working

Watched Jersey Girl over the weekend and it was likely the cure for Gigli. I say "likely" because I never bothered to see Gigli. J-Lo isn't a compelling reason for me to see a film. The 2000 film The Cell was the last time I actively sought out a J-Lo-related film and that was less for the J-Lo and more for the Sci-Fi. It was an interesting premise - entering the mindscape of a deranged Vincent Donofrio (Redundant? Perhaps) to extract life-saving information, only to have your own life endangered.

Honestly, what the hell did people want? Jersey Girl marked a step of maturity in Kevin Smith's film writing. The directing was typically Kevin Smith, in which Smith has a handle on pacing. The subject matter was a bit stilted at times. And while we don't look to Smith for maturity and more for brash socio-pop-culture commentary, I believe - nay - KNOW the two can mix. I really wish people had given Kevin Smith more a show of support for this film, because it might've encouraged him to go further and experiment more in this direction.

J-Lo took up very little screen time. Mercifully.

What DID take up a majority of the screen time was a "Boiler Room-ish" and "Good Will Hunting-ish" Ben Affleck and a gruffly affable (and at this point in his career, likely an affordable) George Carlin. The film was a lot of fluff but enough substance to warrant a view by anyone who wants a Jerry Maguire lite. Sadly, I think people are going to relegate Kevin Smith to the role of class clown, not listening to the meatier questions and commentary between yucks and pop reference.

The REAL question every film freak has asked themselves of Kevin Smith is: What would've Superman been like under Kevin Smith's pen and perhaps even directing?