"Clerks" serves up a surprisingly delicious sequel

They say you can't go home again, but writer-director Kevin Smith didn't get the memo. He starts his lewd, crude, filmed-in-color sequel by burning down the Quick Stop convenience store, where "Clerks" began life as a low-budget, black-and-white comedy phenomenon 12 years ago.

With a $5 million budget — compared with $27,000 for "Clerks" — Smith could've burned his low-rent reputation, but "Clerks II" is a surprisingly happy homecoming. Fans of the 1994 original won't be disappointed.

Our favorite slackers Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) are now slaving away at Mooby's, the cow-themed burger joint up the street, where everything is "udderly delicious" and the nerdy new guy, Elias (Trevor Fehrman), is obsessed with "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Movie review

Showtimes and trailer

"Clerks II," with Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman. Written and directed by Kevin Smith. 97 minutes. Rated R for pervasive sexual and crude content, including aberrant sexuality, strong language and some drug material. Several theaters.

Welcome back to Smithville, where no joke is too crude, nothing is sacred (not even a donkey's modesty), and Jay and Silent Bob (returning "Clerks" buddies Jason Mewes and Smith himself) are still hangin' around and being obnoxious. Is this any way for 33-year-olds Dante and Randal to make a living?

Dante sure doesn't think so, which is why he's getting married and moving to Florida (his fiancée is played by Smith's wife, Jennifer Schwalbach), but there's a glitch in the plan: Dante's grown very fond of Mooby's manager, Becky (Rosario Dawson), and the feeling is surprisingly mutual.

Producer Harvey Weinstein insisted on casting a box-office draw, and Dawson is a welcome addition to Smith's "View Askewniverse" (which refers to his production company and its collection of "Clerks" spinoffs like "Mallrats" and "Dogma"). Her chemistry with O'Halloran is a sweet antidote to the barrage of puerile sex jokes, geek-boy debates (are The Transformers blasphemous?) and rampant profanity that are Smith's stock-in-trade, along with rudimentary filmmaking and enough in-jokes (like Jay's twisted tribute to "Silence of the Lambs") to keep film and comic-book buffs chuckling. Cameos by Smith-movie veterans Ben Affleck and Jason Lee are similarly amusing.

A lot of this would be dreadful were it not for the good-natured sincerity that prevents Smith's humor from being genuinely offensive. Would God appreciate Smith's end-credits gratitude? Well, let's hope He has a sense of humor, or Smith's gonna get the cold shoulder at the pearly gates.

Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net