Nick Costanzo
Mar 29, 2004, 08:10 pm
<img src="http://filebox.vt.edu/users/ncostanz/jerseygirl_poster.jpg" align=left alt="Jersey Girl">Reviewer: Nick Costanzo
Quick Rating: Good
Title: Jersey Girl
Ow... sweetness overload...
Written and Directed by: Kevin Smith
Produced by: Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Raquel Castro, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Jason Lee, Matt Damon, and Will Smith.
Upon watching this movie, one word immediately springs to mind above all others...
“Awwwwwwww!”
Which, coming from a Kevin Smith movie, is pretty rare. Sure, there were moments of sweetness in Chasing Amy and Dogma, but they were usually forgotten in the face of the black humor and social commentary that fans have come to expect from Smith's films. Here, we don't get much of that. Instead we get what amounts to a story of a man who in gaining a family, loses everything else he had.
And right now, I just want to voice my own thoughts on this vibe I've picked up around the net and elsewhere that Smith somehow “sold out” in making this film. True, this movie is rated PG-13, and as such the number of f-bombs is down to nearly nothing. True, this movie doesn't cross any lines, and instead a very “safe” Hollywood flick. And true, Jay and Silent Bob don't show up ONCE in the entire movie. In short, this movie is nothing like anything we've seen out of Smith in the past, and this is the point that many of Smith's detractors seem to be missing. He wasn't trying to make a shocker comedy or anything like that here. In Jersey Girl, Smith is expressing what family means to him (and hopefully to all of us), and in the vein he succeeds wonderfully.
Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) had it all. He was rich, ridiculously successful as a music promoter, and through his engagement to Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), was with an amazingly beautiful woman whom he loved. Things are only supposed to get better with the birth of their baby girl, but tragically, Gertrude dies during childbirth, and the loss proves far more than Ollie can bear. Simultaneously neglecting his newborn daughter and burning out in work, Ollie eventually loses his job, and along with it all the perks of his former life. He moves back in with his father (George Carlin) in Jersey, and only then is he able to finally catch his breath and attempt to be a good dad.
Jersey Girl does an excellent job of fleshing out the extended family of Ollie, Gertrude, and the young Gertie (played by Raquel Castro). Sure, Gertrude died early on, but the movie took great care to show just how important she was to Ollie, and just how much influence she has on Gertie's life in the present. Now, I'll admit, when I first learned I'd be writing a review for this movie, I had this deliciously morbid joke planned out where I'd say that the best part of the movie came at the beginning when we got to see J-Lo die. But surprisingly enough, by the time that scene came around, I was actually sorry to see her go, and I heard more than one audience member in the theatre break into tears.
From here, the movie falls squarely on Affleck and Castro's shoulders. I loved Ben's character, but certainly out of admiration or anything. Ollie Trinke faces a very human inner conflict as his yearning for his old city life suffers in the face of his responsibilities as a father. Unlike the usual family movie where the parent figure is immediately made to see that the life they have with their family is somehow better than the one they had before, Ollie genuinely wants what he had before, and with the exception of Gertie, is genuinely unhappy with the way his life is now. Who can blame him for wanting to move back to a rich life in New York, or not wanting to be a street sweeper anymore, or even for wanting to give (at least in his eyes) a better life for his daughter? And though it was a huge mistake to say it out loud, its really hard to argue that Gertie's birth robbed Ollie of his former life, and at the heart of it all Ollie really just wants it back.
Raquel Castro does a great job of portraying... well, a kid. She's sweet, funny, and beyond innocent, which leads to quite a few hilarious scenes where Ollie is forced to try and explain more mature subjects to his daughter. From the above paragraph, you might be under the assumption that Ollie secretly hates his kid or something, but five minutes into her introduction as a seven-year-old will show you that this kid is impossible to hate, she's just too damn cute and lovable. Castro's character plays off Affleck's so well one could swear that they were really father and daughter.
Unfortunately, while Jersey Girl's main characters are developed very well, the supporting characters fall flat. George Carlin, who had such funny and memorable moments in Smith's earlier films, is completely forgettable in the role of Ollie's father, to the point where I can't even remember if he had a name or not. He comes across as little more than a slow-witted old man, a huge waste of such a great comedic talent. Equally wasted is Liv Tyler's Mya, who represents a new love in Ollie's life. Or at least, she's supposed to. Their relationship is put together so haphazardly that I can't for the life of me see what's between them. One minute, they're two strangers who meet under an embarrassing situation at a video store, the next they're acting like longtime friends. There's almost no development to their relationship at all, and I had trouble buying Mya's tears when it seemed like Ollie was going to move away. And then, we come to Stephen Root. Who, you ask? Root is the brilliant character actor behind such characters as Milton from Office Space and the eccentric station owner in News Radio. And as one of Carlin's buddies in Jersey Girl.... he gets like five lines. MAYBE. Once again I can't tell you this character's name, let alone anything about him. Root and Carlin in the same movie... my God the potential for greatness was enormous, and what we got were two quiet roles that could have been played by anyone. This is really the only place in the movie where I was truly disappointed.
At least the cameos by Matt Damon and Jason Lee, and then later on Will Smith, were funny and effective. But man, there was a lot more that could have been done here with this cast.
Jersey Girl is a movie that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, a coming of age family drama. Don't go to this movie expecting Clerks. Instead, bring a date, cuz you'll get some hugging time during the sad parts and some hand-holding time during the happy parts. Jersey Girl is by no means a perfect movie, but it is very sweet and comforting, and it'll be hard to leave the theatre without at least a reluctant smile on your lips. This is a feel good movie, and I felt pretty damn good after seeing it.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mnone.jpg
Quick Rating: Good
Title: Jersey Girl
Ow... sweetness overload...
Written and Directed by: Kevin Smith
Produced by: Scott Mosier and Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Raquel Castro, Liv Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Jason Lee, Matt Damon, and Will Smith.
Upon watching this movie, one word immediately springs to mind above all others...
“Awwwwwwww!”
Which, coming from a Kevin Smith movie, is pretty rare. Sure, there were moments of sweetness in Chasing Amy and Dogma, but they were usually forgotten in the face of the black humor and social commentary that fans have come to expect from Smith's films. Here, we don't get much of that. Instead we get what amounts to a story of a man who in gaining a family, loses everything else he had.
And right now, I just want to voice my own thoughts on this vibe I've picked up around the net and elsewhere that Smith somehow “sold out” in making this film. True, this movie is rated PG-13, and as such the number of f-bombs is down to nearly nothing. True, this movie doesn't cross any lines, and instead a very “safe” Hollywood flick. And true, Jay and Silent Bob don't show up ONCE in the entire movie. In short, this movie is nothing like anything we've seen out of Smith in the past, and this is the point that many of Smith's detractors seem to be missing. He wasn't trying to make a shocker comedy or anything like that here. In Jersey Girl, Smith is expressing what family means to him (and hopefully to all of us), and in the vein he succeeds wonderfully.
Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) had it all. He was rich, ridiculously successful as a music promoter, and through his engagement to Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), was with an amazingly beautiful woman whom he loved. Things are only supposed to get better with the birth of their baby girl, but tragically, Gertrude dies during childbirth, and the loss proves far more than Ollie can bear. Simultaneously neglecting his newborn daughter and burning out in work, Ollie eventually loses his job, and along with it all the perks of his former life. He moves back in with his father (George Carlin) in Jersey, and only then is he able to finally catch his breath and attempt to be a good dad.
Jersey Girl does an excellent job of fleshing out the extended family of Ollie, Gertrude, and the young Gertie (played by Raquel Castro). Sure, Gertrude died early on, but the movie took great care to show just how important she was to Ollie, and just how much influence she has on Gertie's life in the present. Now, I'll admit, when I first learned I'd be writing a review for this movie, I had this deliciously morbid joke planned out where I'd say that the best part of the movie came at the beginning when we got to see J-Lo die. But surprisingly enough, by the time that scene came around, I was actually sorry to see her go, and I heard more than one audience member in the theatre break into tears.
From here, the movie falls squarely on Affleck and Castro's shoulders. I loved Ben's character, but certainly out of admiration or anything. Ollie Trinke faces a very human inner conflict as his yearning for his old city life suffers in the face of his responsibilities as a father. Unlike the usual family movie where the parent figure is immediately made to see that the life they have with their family is somehow better than the one they had before, Ollie genuinely wants what he had before, and with the exception of Gertie, is genuinely unhappy with the way his life is now. Who can blame him for wanting to move back to a rich life in New York, or not wanting to be a street sweeper anymore, or even for wanting to give (at least in his eyes) a better life for his daughter? And though it was a huge mistake to say it out loud, its really hard to argue that Gertie's birth robbed Ollie of his former life, and at the heart of it all Ollie really just wants it back.
Raquel Castro does a great job of portraying... well, a kid. She's sweet, funny, and beyond innocent, which leads to quite a few hilarious scenes where Ollie is forced to try and explain more mature subjects to his daughter. From the above paragraph, you might be under the assumption that Ollie secretly hates his kid or something, but five minutes into her introduction as a seven-year-old will show you that this kid is impossible to hate, she's just too damn cute and lovable. Castro's character plays off Affleck's so well one could swear that they were really father and daughter.
Unfortunately, while Jersey Girl's main characters are developed very well, the supporting characters fall flat. George Carlin, who had such funny and memorable moments in Smith's earlier films, is completely forgettable in the role of Ollie's father, to the point where I can't even remember if he had a name or not. He comes across as little more than a slow-witted old man, a huge waste of such a great comedic talent. Equally wasted is Liv Tyler's Mya, who represents a new love in Ollie's life. Or at least, she's supposed to. Their relationship is put together so haphazardly that I can't for the life of me see what's between them. One minute, they're two strangers who meet under an embarrassing situation at a video store, the next they're acting like longtime friends. There's almost no development to their relationship at all, and I had trouble buying Mya's tears when it seemed like Ollie was going to move away. And then, we come to Stephen Root. Who, you ask? Root is the brilliant character actor behind such characters as Milton from Office Space and the eccentric station owner in News Radio. And as one of Carlin's buddies in Jersey Girl.... he gets like five lines. MAYBE. Once again I can't tell you this character's name, let alone anything about him. Root and Carlin in the same movie... my God the potential for greatness was enormous, and what we got were two quiet roles that could have been played by anyone. This is really the only place in the movie where I was truly disappointed.
At least the cameos by Matt Damon and Jason Lee, and then later on Will Smith, were funny and effective. But man, there was a lot more that could have been done here with this cast.
Jersey Girl is a movie that doesn't try to be anything more than what it is, a coming of age family drama. Don't go to this movie expecting Clerks. Instead, bring a date, cuz you'll get some hugging time during the sad parts and some hand-holding time during the happy parts. Jersey Girl is by no means a perfect movie, but it is very sweet and comforting, and it'll be hard to leave the theatre without at least a reluctant smile on your lips. This is a feel good movie, and I felt pretty damn good after seeing it.
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/mnone.jpg