I also didn't like the way he chose to have Dante and Randal still stuck in dead end jobs, even after the events of the first Clerks. At the end of the first I was left with a feeling that everything was going to work out, and that they would eventually move on to something different and hopefully better, only to find that they are both still stuck, albeit in a different dead end job, with no prospects and still not happy. Ten years later. There is never any mention of Dante's previous girlfriends from the first film, he just pops up in this one engaged to some girl that was little miss popular in high school and that I don't remember being mentioned in the first movie.
I do still like Randal and Dante, but they just feel too old now to be bitching and complaining and they should've learned their lesson from the first Clerks. I like the new characters of Elias, the holy roller Christian boy that is the antithesis of Randal; Becca, played by Rosario Dawson does a great job in her role and I really really like her character a lot in this; and the future Mrs. Hicks, who is played well, but the character is just annoying, but I suppose that was her purpose as she represents exactly the wrong girl for Dante. Jay and Silent Bob are present . . . again . . . and they really have nothing new to add. And this is coming from a guy that loves Jay and Silent Bob; hell, I share my name with one of 'em.
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The pacing is slow in some spots, and in others too fast. My favorite parts of this movie mainly involve any scene with the characters of Elias and Becca. Elias is the "everydork" character that loves LOTR and Transformers, is a Jesus "freak" and a virgin. He must endure Randal everyday, and no matter how horribly he is treated by Randal he still wants to be liked, and be a friend, to him. He is lovable and sympathetic and by the end is accepted as a part of the team. Becca is great because I like her storyline. She's the girl that really wants Dante for Dante and doesn't want to change him like his fiance' does. I especially like this part of the story because I just recently went through a bad break-up (one I didn't want, by the way) and it connected with me because of that reason. She's the girl we're all hoping is out there for us. The one that appreciates us; the one we can be ourselves around; the one that loves us unconditionally.
Bottom line: If you loved Clerks., I don't know if you'll like this entry, to be honest. I found it lacking in a lot of areas and I was checking my watch some of the time. I also found myself cracking up at most of the jokes and situations, but the boring parts definitely outway the laughs. I may have liked this more had it not been called Clerks II, had a new cast of crazy characters, and just left the Clerks crew alone. Is it worth seeing? Yes, if you are a fan of View Askew movies and even then you may walk out a bit disappointed as I and my friends did. It's not something I plan on seeing again anytime soon or even buying on DVD at the moment. I'm glad I saw it, but I'm also glad I didn't pay for the ticket.
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I give Clerks II a 6.5 out of 10 Not bad, but not great. Just meh.