After ten years of the world of Jay and Silent Bob, it’s refreshing to see that writer/director Kevin Smith has a voice that carried beyond the vulgarity ridden dialogue of film’s past. Now before you go off on a tear and send me evil little emails about my Mother or mention that my head is in a place normally unvisited by the rays of the sun, I’d like to make it quite clear that I love Smith’s ‘Jersey films’. From “Clerks” to “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”, I’ve seen them all and revere Smith as one of the top script writers of our time. In spite of the fact his scripts are normally full of all manner of expletives, there is no doubt he can write sharp, biting dialogue like nobody’s business. I was just glad to see he had something more in him. I couldn’t wait to see “Jersey Girl” from the moment I heard of it. I followed all the production notes that were being fed to the Internet. I lowered my head in sadness when I read that the abysmal Jennifer Lopez was in it, and then shouted with glee when I learned she wasn’t in it for long.

To add fuel to the fire, my wife and I had a baby girl around the time of its release, so I was finally feeling the familial connections that Smith claimed he felt after becoming a father which inspired him to write this film.

In “Jersey Girl”, Ben Affleck stars as Ollie Trinke (my only complaint about the movie is that this name is awful), a highly successful music PR guy who is at the top of his game. His world is turned upside following a tragic turn of events involving the birth of his daughter. He loses his job and decides to return to his hometown and stay with his father (George Carlin) for a little while. Of course, we all know in situations like this there is no such thing as a little while. Seven years later, Ollie is working with his dad and trying to raise his daughter the best he knows how. One day he meets Maya (Liv Tyler), and once again, his life turns on a heel.

While I didn’t find the script for “Jersey Girl” to be the best thing Smith’s ever written, I did think it was a darn site better than most of the romantic comedies that come out of Hollywood. His gift for dialogue wavered only slightly from the absence of harsh language, but the fine performances by all the cast covered up any of the rough spots. Affleck, who is often discounted as an actor, does a great job in the majority of this film. There are a few scenes that don’t ring true, but they are few and far between.

In terms of performances, “Jersey Girl” also offered up some real surprises. I had never really been a fan of Liv Tyler as an actress. Most of the films she has been in utilized her as little more than eye candy, and it was becoming doubtful that she even could act. But she really came into her own with her terrific performance in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. And where her portrayal there was an eye-opener, in “Jersey Girl” it is almost revelatory. She and Affleck also share a much stronger chemistry than they did in “Armageddon.” I was also shocked by George Carlin’s turn as Ollie’s dad. I tell you, the man’s talent goes far beyond that of being a stand-up comic. Given the right roles, he can make you stand up and take notice.

“Jersey Girl” is Smith’s most grown-up film to date, and that in part was its downfall. Fans of his earlier films… let me rephrase that… non-intellectual fans of his earlier films dismissed it as Smith’s ‘selling out’ and claimed it was too schmaltzy (well.. from those that actually know the word…). Those who don’t like Smith’s earlier films dismissed it as being just another crude and rude entry into the ‘Jersey’ series. Some of the people in the middle feared another ‘Gigli’ disaster. So, no one went to see it, and it closed fairly quickly.

Miramax is finally releasing the film on DVD, and though I’m glad to see it being given another lease on life, I’m a bit put off by their lack of faith in it. To be honest, I didn’t even notice this at first, but a good friend of mine pointed it out. He looked at the cover of the disc and commented that it looked nothing like the original marketing materials. He felt that studios did that when they wanted to distance the film from bad box office. Then I noticed some of the extra features that were on the DVD, and had mixed feelings.

The disc has all the features you would expect or hope for. There is an entertaining commentary by Smith and Affleck, as well as an obligatory behind the scenes featurette. These are great features and definitely belong on the DVD. However, they also included a secondary commentary track by Smith, producer Scott Mosier and ‘special guest’ Jason Mewes. They also included the ‘Roadside Attractions’ segments that Smith filmed for “The Tonight Show.”

It’s these special features that I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I enjoyed the extra commentary because of its humor and I was glad to see the ‘Roadside Attractions’ segments because I don’t watch “The Tonight Show” and never saw them. But on the other hand, they really don’t belong on this disc and are obviously included as a marketing ploy to get Smith fans to buy the disc. Again, it seems like a lack of faith in the film, because I can imagine the marketing guys saying,”…well if they won’t buy the DVD for the movie, at least they’ll buy it to get these extras…”

On the brighter side of that subject, they’re probably right and at least they will buy the DVD. Perhaps they’ll even take the time to watch the movie and be willing to admit how good it really is.

Directed by: Kevin Smith
Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, George Carlin, Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Raquel Castro, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez
Extras: Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Kevin Smith and Actor Ben Affleck, Feature Commentary with Kevin Smith, Producer Scott Mosier, and Jason Mewes, “From Mallrats to Jersey Girl” - Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck Talk Shop, The Tonight Show’s “Roadside Attractions” Featuring Kevin Smith, Behind the Scenes Special, Text Interviews with Cast & Crew
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Miramax
Release Date: 9/7/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Language and Sexual content Including Frank Dialogue)
Website

We'll give Jersey Girl an A.