Jersey Girl

Kevin Smith 2004

Ben Affleck plays high flying, city living, big haired publicist Ollie Trinke. Ollie meets Gertrude (Jennifer Lopez), they marry and Gertrude becomes pregnant. While in labour Gertrude dies (going so soon J-lo, shame), leaving Ollie literally holding the baby. Life is turned upside down and Ollie has to face up to new responsibilities.

Kevin Smith seems pretty desperate to be taken seriously as a director, no Jay and Silent Bob, no stoner jokes, no toilet humour. Instead a comic tragedy exploring modern relationships and parenthood.

If this film was by anyone other than Kevin Smith I would think it was a neat little film. However this is quite different to the majority of Smiths work (maybe in a similar vein to Chasing Amy) and it just wasn’t up to his past glory. Smith might have matured and be seeking wider recognition for his work, but I’m guessing that most of his fans, like me, were sitting through the film hoping for a Jay and Silent Bob cameo.

The acting is exceptional, as ever Affleck is perfectly cast, and it’s a testament to Smith that I can’t actually watch Affleck in any other movies without his smugness becoming unbearable. Liv Tyler is horribly underused though, her quirky character giving welcome relief to some of the more sugary moments. Raquel Castro treads a fine line between annoyingly precocious and cute as Affleck’s daughter and George Carlin gives new meaning to the word ‘curmudgeon’ as Affleck’s father.

My main bone of contention with this film came with Will Smith. After being mentioned at every opportunity within the plot he then turns up at end. His cameo being there to point out to Ollie Trinke how he should stop striving to better his life and embrace fatherhood. All very amiable, but surely someone other than Will ‘Fresh Prince’ Smith could have delivered the sentiment.

Is this a good film? Yes. Is this a good Kevin Smith film? Not by a long shot. Too sugary, too clichéd, not funny enough and far too self-indulgent. According to Smith this film was made as a Valentine to his wife, maybe next year he could just get a card like everyone else.