CLERKS II (2006) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Trevor Ferhman and Jennifer Schwalbach. Written and directed by Kevin Smith. Rated R. Running time: 97 mins.

       
Kevin Smith opens Clerks II with a black-and-white sequence of Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) arriving to open the Quick Stop.

        What he finds alters not only his life, but that of his best friend Randal (Jeff Anderson).

The 20-something slackers from Smith's break-out feature, Clerks, are back. They are older, but not much wiser.

        Clerks II is almost two movies in one. The first two-thirds are hilarious, politically incorrect, profanity-laced comedy with jibes, most courtesy of Anderson, poked at The Lord of the Rings trilogy, sexual practices and preferences, race, religion and marriage.

        However, the movie suddenly takes a sharp turn into the mushy field of romantic comedy — and with all the trimmings, albeit from Smith's askewed perspective.

        Dante and Randal, now in their early 30s, are still in New Jersey. But they are working a Mooby's fast food restaurant.

        Where they work is inconsequential. They continually argue about the most inane things, while ignoring their jobs and customers.

        The dialogue, jokes and obscene observations fly fast and furious.

        But then comes that sudden twist. To tell more would ruin the fun.

        Suffice it to say that the finale involves a donkey act from Tijuana, a heartfelt soliloquy by Randal and the realization of a dream for the two friends.

        It's difficult to imagination what Smith was thinking as he wrote his script. The movie plays as if he is telling his fans, 'All right, you wanted more about Dante and Randal, well, here it is.”

        But after a while, it seems he is forcing them — and the audience — to grow up and face the responsibilities of adulthood.

        Get out of your parents' basements, people. You can't be slackers all your lives, he seems to be saying.

        At various junctures, Clerks II plays like an expensive home movie, with surreal excursions into a homage of The Silence of the Lambs, a dance number to a Jackson Five hit and cinematic references to earlier Smith movies.

        Clerks II is a lot of low-brow fun; a uniquely Smith experience that will keep you in stitches. Even the romantic complications are subverted by that donkey.

        Plus, Jason Mewes and Smith return as a sober, born-again — but still pot-selling — Jay and the bemused Silent Bob.

        The movie feels as if Smith the writer-director is saying farewell to some old friends, that it is time to move on to other adventures and pack away those childish things.

        With Smith, you can never tell.

        Bob Bloom is the film critic and DVD reviewer at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bbloom@journalandcourier.com or at serialhero48@yahoo.com. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com.