Jersey Girl

Have you seen Ben Affleck or Kevin Smith on the interview circuit promoting this movie? Unfailingly (well, at least usually), one of the first things either of them does is to note that this is not — I say, Not! — a Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez movie. Oh sure, Affleck’s ex-honey bunny is in the film, but (they say this very quickly, while trying to appear casual) she only appears in the opening 15 minutes or so.

Ben Affleck and Raquel Castro in ‘Jersey Girl’

When Jersey Girl started and Lopez first came on screen, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had added a countdown clock in the corner of the screen reading, “Only 14 minutes of J-Lo to go.”

Not that Lopez is some kind of pariah. It’s just that the guys are afraid that potential viewers will associate their movie with the Affleck/Lopez romance, the unbelievable overexposure given to the pair by the bottom-feeders in the media pool, the unfortunate coined word “Bennifer,” the aborted Affleck/Lopez wedding and the subsequent Affleck/Lopez breakup. But most of all, they are terrified that you might associate this production with the film Gigli.
Gigli. The post-breakup release that bombed worse than the Bush Administration.

The funny thing is that Gigli wasn’t all that bad. Certainly, the film had some major problems, but it also had parts that worked. Gigli failed more than it succeeded, but it didn’t come close to making my list of the 10 worst films of 2003. It was simply the victim of a movie critic feeding frenzy. That happens sometimes. An early reviewer pans a flick and works in a few choice one-liners. Then another critic, after reading the review, tries to write even funnier insults. Before you know it, a lot of writers go to the theaters not to fairly evaluate the movie, but to study it for opportunities to concoct new and better slams at the production.

It shouldn’t happen. Critics should always clear their heads of any preconceptions before seeing a movie, but people goof up, and this is the area where people with jobs like mine most commonly err.

Having duly noted the insanity, this might be a good time to actually say a few words about Jersey Girl. The latest from Kevin Smith (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) is a pleasant small movie about love, loss, coping and starting over.

The writing is fine, though nowhere near as dense, funny or challenging as most of Smith’s work. The directing, on the other hand, is exactly as leaden as what we’ve come to expect from the filmmaker. Thankfully, acclaimed cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond is able to make up for most of Smith’s failings.

The story begins in 1994, with Affleck playing Ollie Trinke, a whiz-bang publicist in NYC. While most of his time is spent giving commands to assistants like eager-to-please Arthur (Jason Biggs), he manages to meet, marry and impregnate the love of his life, Gertrude (Lopez).

When Gertrude dies in childbirth, Ollie and his infant daughter take refuge with his father, Bart (George Carlin), in the working-class town of Highlands, N.J. Awash in grief, Ollie starts acting like a jerk, dumping the baby with Bart and his pals (Stephen Root, Mike Star) while he dives into work. That is, until he gets fired for mouthing off about a notable client in front of a room full of reporters.

Cut to seven years later, with Ollie and young daughter Gertie (Raquel Castro) living a quiet life with Bart. Neighborhood video store clerk Maya (Liv Tyler) would love to become Ollie’s new squeeze, but the still-traumatized man keeps the relationship at the platonic level. All is well, or at least stable, until Ollie gets the itch to go back into public relations.

So there you go. The story is familiar, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. Smith’s script has enough spirited exchanges to keep the proceedings interesting most of the way. Cameos from Matt Damon, Jason Lee and Will Smith brighten up the surroundings.

The supporting casting is fine, with George Carlin reigning himself in nicely as Bart, Jason Biggs proving to be enormously likable as the PR assistant, Jennifer Lopez giving a solid effort in her 15 minutes and Stephen Root and Mike Star offering winning turns as Bart’s buddies (nice touch to have Root, best known as Jimmy James in the classic sitcom News Radio, essentially play the same character here as the one he voices in the animated series King of the Hill).

As for the big three, Raquel Castro is generally charming as daughter Gertie, only occasionally coming off like a Hollywood child actor; Liv Tyler starts off unusually tentative as potential love interest Maya, but finds her footing along the way and, as Ollie, Ben Affleck does his regular sensitive guy routine.

If you decide to see Jersey Girl, take a moment when the lights go down to sweep away your preconceptions about all things Ben, Jen and Gigli. Kevin Smith fans should do the same with their thoughts about his previous work. Only then can you enjoy the rewards of this sweet, clumsy little movie.