20 Years Ago, Kevin Smith Made His Last Great Film
This article marks the 20th anniversary of Clerks II, Kevin Smith's 2006 sequel to his low-budget 1994 cult classic Clerks, which the writer argues remains the last genuinely great instalment in the View Askewniverse series. Despite scepticism that a sequel to such a scrappy indie original could work, Clerks II is presented as an early and successful example of the "legacy sequel" format, notable for ageing its characters meaningfully rather than simply trading on nostalgia, in contrast to later franchise entries such as Jay and Silent Bob: Reboot and Clerks III.
The film picks up the story ten years on, with Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) now working at a Mooby's fast-food outlet after a fire destroys the original QuickStop, joined by manager Becky (Rosario Dawson) and young colleague Elias (Trevor Fehrman), alongside Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith). It centres on Dante's final day of work before relocating to Florida with his fiancée, and Randal's struggle to accept life without his best friend. The piece praises the film for largely avoiding direct callbacks to the original until its closing scenes, when a return to black-and-white footage and familiar references make the nostalgia feel earned rather than forced.
- Clerks II turns 20; hailed as Kevin Smith's last great film
- Sequel to 1994's Clerks, set a decade later at a Mooby's
- Praised for character growth, unlike later View Askewniverse sequels
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Clerks II arrived in 2006, more than a decade after Kevin Smith's debut film Clerks became a surprise indie hit in 1994. Smith is a US filmmaker known for building an interconnected series of comedies, often called the View Askewniverse, featuring recurring characters and a scrappy, dialogue-driven style. The sequel reunites store clerks Dante and Randal, along with stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, years after the original.
The film matters to fans and critics because sequels to beloved low-budget cult films are often viewed with suspicion, seen as risking the charm of the original for a cash-in. Clerks II is frequently cited as an example of getting this balance right, letting its characters grow up rather than simply repeating old jokes, which set a benchmark against which later instalments in the series have been measured.