Jersey Girl

Review by Clint Morris

Ollie Trinkie (Ben Affleck) is a hot-shot NY publicist whose world suddenly cracks down the middle, swallowing up his wife (Jennifer Lopez) and career - but leaving him a baby.

Seven years later, Ollie's living with his father (George Carlin) in suburban Jersey - where he's working in the public works department - where he's doing his best to raise an inquisitive young daughter on his own.

At the end of the day, Ollie's going to come to crossroads, ultimately having to decide between being the doting dad or the wealthy businessman he desires to be again.

Sooner or later everyone's got to grow up. And that includes filmmakers with a proclivity for lewdness and fart gags - regardless of how enjoyable those films are to make, and heck, to watch.

Jersey Girl marks director Kevin Smith's graduation into commercial dramedy, having cut his teeth as the writer/director behind indy classics Clerks, Chasing Amy and Mallrats. It isn't a slight revolution either, Smith's gone the whole way, immediately making it clear that the chances of seeing smokers Jay and Silent Bob in this film are nil to none.

But if you've seen the cutesy trailer, poster or even read a synopsis of the film, you'll know that already. Here's a film that's clearly operating in a different world from Jay, Bob, Banky, Alyssa, Dante and company. Some might even find that refreshing.

The question is: Are Kevin Smith's large legion of fans (and there's plenty of them, just do a search on the internet any given day of the week, or try rent out Clerks on a Saturday night from Blockbuster) ready to make the jump into the mainstream with him?

Even before the film was in the can, Kevin Smith had two big fat clouds hovering over his film. The most palpable was that it was a daring picture for the director to make, having established himself as anyone but a helmer of syrupy family films.

Secondly, it marks the second film (a couple at the time) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez appeared in together in a short amount of time, and after the first, Gigli, earned a position as one of last year's biggest box office flops, the ground Jersey Girl was perched on became a little shaky.

But… if we can just forget all that and look at Jersey Girl as a film on it's own - oblivious to the hoopla surrounding it, it's stars, or even it's director - it's a much more enjoyable experience.

It's a much better film than Gigli, there's no doubts about that, but it's also a very different type of picture, not the least of which is because Affleck is the star here, not Lopez.

In fact, she leaves the picture before the first reel needs changing. And as a sweet film about a father struggling to come to terms with his role as sole provider, it delivers on many counts.

Affleck is the best he's ever been as the empathetic, but slightly lost Ollie, giving the most adult performance of his career. He absolutely shines in the scenes with his on-screen daughter, giving it his all when the script calls for a wallop of emotion.

But the best thing about the film is Director Smith.

This is perceptibly his most personal film to date. From the topic of raising a daughter to the differences between living in a small town and a big city - he clearly knows what he's talking about. Best of all, he injects a sense of level-headedness and kindness into proceedings here, which is about as welcome as it is surprising.

The same person that enjoyed Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Mallrats isn't going to enjoy Jersey Girl the same way as those films. But if said person has a heart, can appreciate some solid storytelling and a bravura couple of performances, then he should enjoy it just as much.

3.5 out of 5

Jersey Girl
Australian release: Thursday August 12th
Cast: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro, George Carlin, Jason Biggs, Jennifer Lopez.
Director: Kevin Smith.
Website: Click here.

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