Jersey Girl directed by Kevin Smith

Wait a second? Does the title really say Kevin Smith directed this film? Really? And he wrote it? Come on, someone's pulling my leg, no? After watching Smith's first five movies, and then watching Jersey Girl, I couldn't believe that the same man wrote and directed them.

And I must admit, I was hesitant going into Jersey Girl. It came and went in theatres, was bad mouthed as another bad Affleck/Lopez comedy, and then disappeared into somewhat obscurity over the last few years. Hesitant as I was, I popped in the movie and was rather surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Right from the first scene, it feels different from other Kevin Smith films and that feeling stays throughout the picture.  Gone is the crude and vulgar humor that was present in all his other films, gone are Jay and Silent Bob, and gone are the poop jokes that so far have been scattered throughout his filmography.

Instead we get a mature, well written comedy-drama about a widowed man and his daughter.  There are some very funny moments throughout Jersey Girl, some amusing moments and then there are the dramatic moments.  The story revolves around Ben Affleck and his daughter and the ideas of family and home and the choices we make. Smith's screenplay is, as usual, littered with great dialogue and funny scenes but this time he gives his characters more to do than laugh and say funny things. They have motives, they make choices that effect other people, they are more real than anything he has done, save for Chasing Amy (although this is less of a comedy than that).

And then look of the film, again, right from the start doesn't look like a Kevin Smith film.  Right away the camera is moving, following characters, moving through city skys and zooming in through windows.  The cinematography is crisp and colourful and glitzy. Lights sparkle, metals glisten, the sun radiates and tears shimmer in the gloriously framed shots that Smith and his team have captured.  Except for Dogma, Jersey Girl is the only film in Smith's oeuvre that isn't static, flat and unimaginative.  It is beautifully shot and captured by the legendary and talented Vilmos Zsigmond, giving more life to the picture than it rightfully deserves.

Smith, who edits his own films with partner Scott Mosier, when watching the footage must of been inspired to do a better job editing than he has previously.  In the past his editing worked but was slightly jumpy and shots didn't necessarily flow together so well, but here along with the gorgeous photography we get the most professional and well put together film of Kevin Smith's career, giving me reason to once again believe that Smith does have quite a bit of talent other than being a great writer.

That's not to say Jersey Girl is a phenomenal movie that deserves rave reviews and plenty of awards. To start with, the story is wholly unoriginal. The story of a single parent raising their child has been done too many times to count on the big screen. And there are a few overly sentimental scenes in the movie, not too many, but enough to warrant their mention.

For a comedy, and for Smith, the humour is somewhat lacking.  There are amusing bits and funny bits but nothing that makes you laugh out loud, something Smith is very good at making the viewer do.  He goes for a more adult tone in Jersey Girl, more than any previous attempt, but in doing so he neglects his skills in comedy writing, which is all the more upsetting when you think about the cast he gathered for this film.  It would of been great to see George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Stephen Root and others delivering some of that trademark Smith wit, but ultimately their characters are a big let down as they remain too much in the background.

When Jersey Girl is over it will leave you with a smile on your face. It's an enjoyable movie with some nice humour, tender and likeable characters and some truly stunning (for a comedy) cinematography.  It's sweet and touching and very likeable, but it's lack of strong side characters and unoriginal story will make Jersey Girl a distant memory sooner than it rightfully should.



Film Rating: 72%

Breakdown (How Jersey Girl scored 72%):

Production Design: 7 out of 10
Cinematography: 9 out of 10
Re-playability: 7 out of 10

Originality: 5 out of 10
Costumes: 7 out of 10

Directing: 7 out of 10

Editing: 8 out of 10

Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 7 out of 10
Script: 7 out of 10