Starring: Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Raquel Castro
Directed by: Kevin Smith

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a Kevin Smith fanboy. So upon hearing that his next movie would be a father-daughter relationship movie, I had doubts. I had doubts when I heard JLo would be in it with Ben Affleck. I had more doubts when I heard it would be rated PG-13 (in the US, of course). This means the movie would be limited to at most one F-word. Can Kevin Smith be funny when writing a story with limited profanity? My doubts were without foundation, as Jersey Girl turned out to be a nice little comedy that managed to stay away from the cheesy, sentimental stuff...for the most part.

Firstly, the only time you see Jay and Silent Bob is in the new animation for Smith's production company, View Askew. They are NOT in the movie. The plot concerns Ollie Trinke (Affleck) whose wife (JLo) dies during labour, leaving him as sole parent of his daughter, Gertie. Ollie is a high powered, Manhattan PR man and explodes one day, trashing his client (Will Smith) in front of the gathered celebrity craving media. He moves back to his hometown in New Jersey and joins his father in city works (cleaning the streets, picking up garbage, etc). Eventually, he meets up with a nice video store clerk named Maya (Liv Tyler). When things seem to be working out nicely, he seriously considers moving back to the city and getting back in the public relations game, despite his now 7 year old daughter's protests. Will take her out of her familiar surroundings? Will he leave Maya, who obviously has a thing for him?

I didn't know how funny this movie could be. I mean, the advance word was that the character's wife dies in the beginning. I thought I'd actually enjoy JLo dying on screen, but when it happened, it really was sad. Also, with a lack of profanity, would I laugh. Actually, yes. There are many places where I laughed out loud. Smith has an odd brain that works in odder ways. This led to some truly funny situations, as when he has an interview at a PR firm, conducted by longtime Smith buddies, Jason Lee and Matt Damon. A story about a man's relationship with his daughter (and his own father) could also prove to be sappy, but the syrup was limited. The movie had to walk the tightrope of pleasing Smith's fans and try to bring in new people. While it is more mature than previous Smith films, it's also not as original. Should you rush out and see it? It is pretty funny but not necessarily a "theatre" flick unless you're a Smith fan or on a date. Actually, I'd go as far as to say this movie can potentially be watched with your family (there are a few sections of dialogue of a...sexual nature, but by and large, it's the first Smith film you can let your parents see).

DroopyMcC
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