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So what happens when the indie guy decides to go mainstream? Well in Kevin Smith's case it's Jersey Girl. Will the fans of Star Wars monologues, jokes about weed and slackerdom be ready for a story about family? I doubt it but then they're not the intended audience.
It's the early nineties ... Read review
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Hollywood favourites Ben Affleck (Daredevil, Paycheck, The Sum Of All Fears) and Liv Tyler ... more
(The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, Armageddon) shine in this heartwarming all-star comedy about a guy who thinks he's lost it all only to discover he's got everythi...
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Amusing, Great Comedy Disadvantages: Smith Fans expecting another stoner romp will be peeved
...in Kevin Smith's case it's Jersey Girl. Will the fans of Star Wars monologues, jokes about weed and slackerdom be ready for a story about family? I doubt it but then they're not the intended audience.
It's the early nineties and Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a workaholic record executive, a hugely successful one at that. He meets Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez) and finds the love of his life, dating eventually leads to marriage and babies. ... ...father (George Carlin) in New Jersey for help and is soon leaving his daughter behind while he continues his work in the city. But one day he is forced to take his baby daughter with him to a music shindig, he says one wrong thing and his music career is finished. Ollie is left back in New Jersey with nothing but his family and a regular existence.
Years pass and with his daughter now at school, Ollie tries to get a job back in New ... more
"It's that kind of mentality that allows the cancer-producing industry to survive. Of course we're all going to die someday, but do we have to pay for it? Do we actually have to throw hard-earned dollars on the counter and say, "Please, Mr. Merchant of Death, sir, please, sell me something that will stink up my breath and my clothes and fry my lungs?"
Those words are among the cleanest lines you'll find in Kevin Smith's Clerks. A $25,000 black and white indie that shot the writer/director to cult fame and fortune. A spate of other films followed including Mallrats, Dogma and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. All were pretty adult in their comedy and all have a cult audience.
So what happens when the indie guy decides to go mainstream? Well in Kevin Smith's case it's Jersey Girl. Will the fans of Star Wars monologues, jokes about weed and slackerdom be ready for a story about family? I doubt it but then they're not the intended audience.
It's the early nineties and Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a workaholic record executive, a hugely successful one at that. He meets Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez) and finds the love of his life, dating eventually leads to marriage and babies. But during birth Gertrude dies and Ollie is left with a baby daughter and no clue about how to cope. He turns to his father (George Carlin) in New Jersey for help and is soon leaving his daughter behind while he continues his work in the city. But one day he is forced to take his baby daughter with him to a music shindig, he says one wrong thing and his music career is finished. Ollie is left back in New Jersey with nothing but his family and a regular existence.
Years pass and with his daughter now at school, Ollie tries to get a job back in New York but is forced to contend with the fact that he's no longer that successful hotshot and has other's to think about.
I watched Jersey Girl with some trepidation. I've been a fan of Smith's films and opinion on this had been mixed. Granted it's a bit of a sentimental sappy story that echoes many an afternoon TV movie. But Smith gives the film some heart and just about pulls it through.
I'm not a huge Ben Affleck fan but he does his best work with Smith. His performance here is actually pretty decent. Racquel Castro as his daughter is pretty charming and not like your usual Hollywood kid. Liv Tyler and George Carlin also offer solid support. As for J'Lo, well her role is pretty much a cameo but thankfully she and Affleck don't repeat the embarrassment known as Gigli.
There are some amusing moments throughout and a nice cameo from a very big name that sums up the movie nicely.
Smith does a good job of directing; in terms of style I'd say it's his best work. He certainly shows signs of breaking away from the stoner comedies he's known for.
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
- The DVD - 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
As mentioned this is probably Smith's best looking film. The image looks a little soft but generally it's good quality throughout. The soundtrack is very muted as you'd expect from a film of this nature. It's certainly not going to win awards for home cinema but it serves it's purpose well.
- Extras -
One thing that makes Kevin Smith DVD's worth the money is the extras. This isn't labelled as a special edition but the content is certainly good value.
'Roadside Attractions' is a collection of short segments Smith done for The Jay Leno Show in the USA. They're nothing to do with the film but they're very funny. In them, Smith visits some of the lesser-known tourist attractions in various states. Smith interacts with the guides to these attractions and makes amusing comments on the banality of the some of them.
Affleck and Smith also have a 27-minute chat on camera about all sorts of things. They talk about how they met and how they came to do Jersey Girl. The pair are good friends and Smith is always good for a joke. It's a nice addition but if you've sampled other Smith DVD's then you may have already heard some of the stuff.
'Behind The Scenes' is the usual promotional fluff that get's thrown onto DVD's. It gives you the usual talking heads guff and doesn't do much more than promote the film. Considering you'll already have the DVD in your hands, promoting it more seems pointless.
A bunch of text interviews with Smith and various cast and crew are also included. These are actually pretty decent additions and better than I expected.
But by far the best extras on Smith DVD's are the audio commentaries. They're usually a real treat as they often prove more entertaining than the films.
The first track features Smith and Affleck together. They talk about the film, the ideas and all sorts of other stuff. During the opening scenes Smith recounts his press trip to the UK and his meeting with the gossip columnists at the Mirror. Using the 'a source said' get out clause, Smith makes a very funny comment about the 3AM girls and get's his own back after their comments about him. A great commentary track.
The second track again features Smith, producer Scott Mosier and Jason 'Jay' Mewes. The track is more formal in tone as they talk about the production. Mewes acts as the host and poses the questions.
- Finally -
Jersey Girl suffered a little from the Ben Affleck/J'Lo/Gigli affair and wasn't a huge success although in terms of Smith's other films it wasn't exactly a flop.
It's a nice little film with good performances, a nice line in humour and just stays the right side of being so sickly sweet it's unbearable.
The extras push it's rating up a star with the great Affleck/Smith commentary.
Advantages: Some good performances, easy going fun Disadvantages: Not Smith's best work, Weak script lacking Passion
...stayed true to his beloved Jersey but got rid of his regular characters and tried something different.
The story follows Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) a music publicist fin New York with the world his Oyster. That is until he meets Gertie (Jennifer Lopez) and his world starts to turn upside down. He proposes to Gertie after a weekend back at his dad’s in Jersey. Within hours of the engagement Gertie is pregnant and 9 months later she dies during child ... ...New York and back to Jersey to live with his father so that together they can raise little Gertie. It doesn’t prove quite as easy as Ollie and Bart would probably like but they manage. Ollie is enjoying live back home but finds his jobs a bit of a dead end so keeps trying to get back into music. Will he succeed or will he listen to his daughter’s will and stay in Jersey, well you’ll have to watch to find out.
The plot is a pretty basic single parents ...
Andy.mack 27.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Jersey Girl (DVD)
Advantages: Good performances, excellent wit, balances drama and comedy. Disadvantages: Largely cliched, nothing orginal, bland.
...curiosity when it came to Jersey Girl, even moreso after the announcement that it would be nothing like his previous films. The idea behind Jersey Girl was to shift away from the low-brow humor of the View Askew universe and make something that appealed to a wider audience. To many people, this instantly set off alarm bells with the fans claiming he had sold out by "going mainstream". Personally this didn't really bother me, I was just curious to ... ...says that he is viewing Jersey Girl as a failure, which is a shame, as while it is far from perfect, it was a good first attempt at trying something different.
As for the film itself, we follow Ollie (Ben Affleck), a New York publicist whose life is thrown into chaos after his wife (Jennifer Lopez) dies during childbirth. He moves back to New Jersey to live with his father (George Carlin) and slowly begins to accept the responsibilities of raising ...
eddie7sf 11.09.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Jersey Girl (DVD)
Advantages: kevin smith's sharp writing / good acting Disadvantages: it's more mainstream and therefore not really as good as smith's other films
...and has to move to Jersey to live with his father. It’s only then that he begins to re-evaluate what’s important to him.
Jersey Girl is the most understated film of Kevin Smith’s career. The humour is less adult and it lacks the vitriolic diatribes and caustic touch that epitomised his films Clerks, Chasing Amy and Dogma.
It’s confirmation of Kevin Smith taking a new direction. It’s also work that shows the writer/director in a more mature light. ... ...filmmaker.
To Smith’s credit Jersey Girl is well written and has his signature clearly stamped upon it. Considering how different it is to the rest of his work it’s quite an achievement. And despite occasionally relying on clichéd methods of plot development it remains enjoyable throughout. Affleck, Smith’s constant alter ego, plays a fairly complex role with an admirable degree of conviction and impresses as he is clearly just outside of his usual ...
Kevin_Stanley 22.07.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Jersey Girl (DVD)
Advantages: Heart warming, good actors Disadvantages: Doesn't interest everyone
...the family have moved to Jersey and Gertie is growing up. Ollie meets Maya at a video store as he's renting out videos. As their relationship grows, Ollie decides he wants to try and make it back into the business, but it would mean leaving Jersey. Gertie hates the idea of moving and Ollie has to make a tough decision. It's quite an interesting story, i haven't really seen any films like it. It's quite emotional at times, so if you cry at films, ... ...too. Maya (Liv Tyler) provides an amusing scene were she interviews Ollie about how often he rents adult movies
Conclusion.
This is a great film to watch on your own, or with a few friends on a quiet night in. It's rated at 12, so it's fine to watch with your kids. Directed by Kevin Smith, who also directed Dogma. (He likes Ben Affleck and Matt Damon...).
It's a surprisingly good film. ...
amy_jay 02.08.2004 (03.08.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Jersey Girl (DVD)
This is a film that had me it tears at the beginning, but it has some really funny parts in it so by the end I was laughing, it's a great romantic comedy. In this film New York publicist Ollie Trinke played by Ben Affleck has the perfect life with a beautiful wife played by Jennifer Lopez and with a child on the way, However he soon learned that when you have everything planned out, it unfortunately does not always turn out the way that you planned. ... ...hard to accept that his wifr has gone.
Ollie then had to come to terms of being a dad and bring up a new baby in his own which he struggles to come to terms with at the beginning as he resents baby Gurtie for taking away the love of his life and leaving him on his own. Luckily Ollie snaps out of the frame of mind and becomes a great dad, although he has to give up his career and move in with his dad in Jersey. Where as Gertie grows up they becomes ...
jo_field26 08.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Jersey Girl (DVD)
A kind but workaholic husband, Ollie, finds his life thrown into turmoil when his wife dies during child birth. As his depression spirals down into the realms of a mental breakdown he loses his job and it is through his surviving daughter, Gertie and through the challenge of fatherhood that he must learn to rebuild his life. As he slowly learns to function again he meets Maya (Liv Tyler), also a single parent, and although he feels it is too soon for him to take romantic steps forward, the two form a cohesive bond of mutual support. In this mature departure from writer and director Kevin Smith's previous outing 'Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back' he returns to the themes of love and loss touched on in his third feature 'Chasing Amy'. Ben Affleck plays Ollie Trinkie.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
WALT DISNEY STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINM; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Release date
27/09/2004
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
BED 881343
Barcode
5017188813433
Screenwriter
Kevin Smith
Featured
Kevin Smith
Executive Producer
Kevin Smith
Director of Photography
Kevin Smith
Editor
Kevin Smith
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Commentary - 1. Kevin Smith Writer, Director, 2. Kevin Smith Writer, Director & Ben Affleck - Star, Featurette - 1. BEHIND THE SCENES, 2. KEVIN SMITH'S ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS from The Tonight Show, 3. Conversation with Kevin Smith & Ben Affleck, Original Text Interviews with Cast & Crew
Professional reviews
Review
"...It's a warm, unabashadly sweet film..." (Heat, )
"...A cracking comedy..." (News of the World, )
DVD Description
Breaking from his signature slacker-underdog films like CLERKS, MALLRATS, and CHASING AMY, Kevin Smith delivers the feel-good family movie JERSEY GIRL. While Smith's pert one-liners and wryly ironic sense of humour are clearly present in the script, his casting choices (Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck) and glossy aesthetic identify the film as a mainstream Hollywood crowd-pleaser. Affleck stars as Ollie, a powerful entertainment executive with a perfect wife (Lopez) and a beautiful Manhattan apartment. But when his wife dies in childbirth and his career fizzles to a halt, he humbly gives up his fast-paced Manhattan lifestyle for the benefit of his daughter Gurtie (Raquel Castro), who is 7 years old for the majority of the film. He moves to New Jersey to live with his father (George Carlin), finds a new romantic interest (Liv Tyler), and learns some lessons about what's important in life. A subplot about Will Smith keeps a string of Hollywood insider jokes and quick cameos (Matt Damon) running throughout the film, while a school play modeled after "Sweeney Todd" lends itself to some funny theatrical moments. An emotive pop soundtrack features music by Aimee Mann in addition to a handful of well-timed entries that help move the plot along ("Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" plays as Ollie sheepishly drives across the river from Manhattan to Jersey), rounding out JERSEY GIRL as a likeable comedy. Parents beware, Smith may have curbed his edginess for this one, but foul language abounds.
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