Jersey Girl
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.32 You Save: $5.67 (57%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.18 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Jersey Girl
Movie Review: It's good. Don't rent it, Buy it.
Summary: 5 Stars
It is unfortunate the "Bennifer" publicity phenomena ruined this film's possibility for being Mr. Smith's greatest success. I am ashamed of myself (as ashamed as one can truly be when talking about movie opinions) for ever thinking the film's lack of success might have something to do with its quality.
I am a fan of Kevin Smith's work, I'll see a movie because he wrote it, and I'll buy a comic for the same reason. (But for "Batman" I would not have crossed over to DC, but I had to when he resurrected "Green Arrow.") That said, this is his best film to date. I loved "Mallrats," and his dialogue in "Dogma" is beyond impressive; but this film deserves an Oscar if only for the emotion he gets across in concise, fantastic dialogue this time around.
Mr. Smith did not waste a word in his writing this time around, and films this so we feel at home with this characters, the emphasis is on them and their lives, not the long hallway or the perfectly framed garden view through a window. It is his gift.
The story is sad, moving, and happy (though happy seems too trite of a word) and though it doesn't feel like a roller coaster, you realize you were on a sweet (or bittersweet) ride by the end of the film.
From the DVD extras, and from Kevin Smith's "An Evening with Kevin Smith," it appears they are friends; so you cannot be happy a friend's broken engagement hurt your film's success. If Kevin Smith ever employs Ben Affleck again it will be a true testament to their friendship. I hope he does, because the best performances I have even seen from Ben Affleck are when he is in Kevin Smith's movies - beyond "Chasing Amy," his performance as Bartleby in "Dogma" is his best IMO.
Mr. Smith dedicated this film to his father, and in the DVD Extras he mentions his father was able to see "Jersey Girl" after it was finished. I am glad for them both; there is a lot to proud of in this film.
Movie Review: Brilliantly Made Film!! Don't Miss Out!
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't understand it when critics and movie-goers alike slam an altogether terrific movie. What's not to like? The cast and their performances are amazing, the script is wonderfully and realistically written, and it tiptoes between humor and sadness at the same time. Kevin Smith did an absolutely amazing job putting this film together, a film that will make you laugh and cry-- a feat that oftentimes proves too difficult for movie makers to accomplish, but Kevin Smith pulls it off with charm and wit.
Jersey Girl stars Ben Affleck as Ollie. His wife Gertie (played by J.Lo, who is great in the fifteen minutes of the film she's in) dies while giving birth to their first child. Ollie is a publicist, a job that is hectic even when your own your own, but add a baby and that's chaos. Ollie's nerves are frazzled one day as he's trying to care for the baby, who he's named after his wife, and talk to the press about new star Will Smith. In utter frustration, Ollie does the unthinkable-- he says he can't believe the Fresh Prince will ever be a huge star-- in front of EVERYONE. This obviously gets him fired, and the rest of the film takes place in Jersey with Ollie still coping with his wife's death and raising an 8 year old girl.
Ben Affleck gives a stellar perfomance. I honestly didn't know he had it in him, but I have to give him credit. Raquel Castro, who plays little Gertie, is everything an 8 year old should be-- funny and completely candid. Liv Tyler and George Carlin also give great perfomances. With this movie, Kevin Smith proves that he doesn't need Jay and Silent Bob to make a great movie, and as much I love Jay and Silent Bob, I'm glad he's finally departed with the characters and is moving on.
I highly recommend this film. It's a great comedy, it's a great drama, it's just a great movie. Trust me-- it's much better than Gigli.
Movie Review: ANOTHER KEVIN SMITH CLASSIC
Summary: 5 Stars
What alot of people don't seem to get is that this was not meant to be your tyipical dick and fart jokes type film. This film is more of a pearsonal story for Kevin seeing that he wrote it because he had just had a baby girl. That's why this film is driven by more emotion then humor, but don't think that Kevin didn't add alot of that into the mix. This film could easily rival my favorite Kevin Smith film CHASING AMY as his best over all work. Moments make you laugh till tou can't no more, there are those tender moments that make you smile. Then of course there are those moments that make you cry, and the moments that leave you shocked like when he tells her that he hates her. This film has everything that a film needs, not to much of any, but just enough to make it seem real.The casting for the film was amazing, Ben did his best work I have ever seen him do. And Raquel Castro stunned me by showing her acting skills are far better then those of most adult stars today. The thing I was most pleased about was seeing the very funny George Carlin playing Ben's father. George is an amazing actor who can switch from humor to serious instantly. Even Liv Tyler who I'am not to fond of did an excellent job with her character. The two guys that played Carlin's best friends were amazing I wish I had the box here with me so I could mention thier names. Jason Biggs was great in his role in this film, and J.Lo did a surprisingly great job for her part. I was very pleased to see the great Jason Lee in one of the funniest parts of the film, who was along side Matt Damon.
I don't want to mention things from the film because I would be cheating you out of a great fresh experiance. All in all Kevin and company delivered a great classic film that will allways rank as one of my top favorites.
Movie Review: Jersey Girl shines!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, I am a Kevin Smith fan. Yes, I love all of his films (even Mallrats). This film is no exception. First, this movie has one of the best writer/director/producer team in recent history with Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. These two have pumped out several great movies and this is one of them. This is a very simple premise. Kevin Smith makes good movies. He is creative, he writes snappy dialog, and he is funny. From Clerks to Mallrats, from Chasing Amy to Dogma and back again to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back --- his movies are very solid.
Now, I am clearly a fan of the View Askew universe, and Jersey Girl clearly is not a part of that world (appearances from Ben Affleck and George Carlin notwithstanding) --- and it is extremely obvious that the "essence" of Jersey Girl is somewhat formulaic --- family unit disrupted by tragedy, self-centered character Affleck is forced to become a father to young daughter, and is ultimately redeemed and made whole through the love of his daughter and in theory, the intervention of the Liv Tyler character as his new love interest. Kevin Smith will continue to justify his work as a director of movies. Now did Kevin finally "sell out?" Well, I'd say he's maturing (being a family man and all) and leave it at that.
I also recommend "Chasing Amy" to everyone who enjoyed this film.
Movie Review: Insufferably Heart-Warming!?!
Summary: 5 Stars
Oh yeah, this flick is cute! This flick has a year's worth of cute in every scene, with the cutest seven-year-old girl stealing hearts and scenes, with George Carlin as everybody's ideal cute old alcoholic grandaddy, with Will Smith in a cute cameo appearance, with even the streets of Jersey showing their cute side, and overall, overarching overweening overtowering all, Ben Affleck! who is so blinking cute, so blanking good-looking and cute, that he can't NOT be cute, even in his moments of mean depression and/or uptown narcissism. This is a film in which even the raunchy humor is cute.
And you know what? It works. It's moderately funny, well-paced, upbeat ... a pretty good evening's entertainment.
I just learned, this week, that I have one of those "everybody-knows-everybody-within-the-sixth-degree" connections to Ben Affleck. His mother, Christopher Ann (Chris) Boldt and I were good friends and classmates in college. I met young Ben once, when he was a teenager in Cambridge MS, and I saw him in "Good Will Hunting" without making the connection. But I couldn't remember what he looked like, so I went to my local video nook and asked the video-wallah which Ben Affleck film he would recommend. "Jersey Girl" was his pick. Huh. Looks like Chris's boys - Ben and Casey - are doing okay.