Jersey Girl (2004)

Réalisateur:

Kevin Smith

Scénariste (WGA):

Kevin Smith (written by)

Release Date:

26 mars 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedie | Drame | Romance

Accroche:

Forget about who you thought you were, and just accept who you are.

Plot:

After his career is sidelined from an unexpected tragedy and a personal blowup, a single man must take care of his precocious daughter.

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Single Father | New York City | Piano | School Play

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Avis des utilisateurs:

Very sweet, charming and funny, although it is obvious Kevin Smith isn't entirely at his ease with the tamer humor

Ensemble

Betty Aberlin	...	Teacher
Matt McFarland	...	Boy #1
Sarah Stafford	...	Girl #1
Paulie Litt	...	Bryan (as Paulie Litowsky)
Christian Fan	...	Boy #3
Victor Chavez	...	Boy #4
William Mace	...	Boy #5
Raquel Castro	...	Gertie Trinke
Ben Affleck	...	Ollie Trinke
Jennifer Schwalbach Smith	...	Susan (as Jennifer Schwalbach)
Jennifer Lopez	...	Gertrude Steiney
George Carlin	...	Bart Trinke
Stephen Root	...	Greenie
Mike Starr	...	Block
S. Epatha Merkerson	...	Doctor #1

Autre(s) titre(s) :

Fatherhood Project (USA) (working title)
Untitled Kevin Smith Project (USA) (working title)
Père et fille (Belgium: French title) (dubbed version) (France) [fr]
Fille du New Jersey, La (Canada: French title) [fr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 on appeal for language and sexual content including frank dialogue.

Durée:

102 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Son:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Classification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Portugal:M/12 | Germany:6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG (original rating) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (re-rating on appeal) (certificate #39360) | USA:R (original rating) | Brazil:Livre

Emplacements De Pelliculage:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Anecdotes:

"Angelloti's" the firm where Ollie Trinke gets an interview near the end of the film is director Kevin Smith's own publicist.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Ollie Trinke exits the Holland Tunnel circa 1995, three American flags are suspended over the tunnel entrance. These flags were not put up until after 11 September 2001.

Guillemet:

[first lines]
Teacher: Everyone, please take your seats. You heard the bell. You know what it means. Last week, the assignment was to write an essay about your family. Who they...
Teacher: [class: "Are!"] And what they...
Teacher: [class: "Mean to us!"] Excellent droning.

Connexions De Film:

Referenced in Clerks II (2006)

Soundtrack:

Lets Stay Together

Very sweet, charming and funny, although it is obvious Kevin Smith isn't entirely at his ease with the tamer humor

Back in 2001, Kevin Smith promised Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back would be the last film in his acclaimed View Askew series, and that he intended to move to more mature territory. Fortunately, he didn't keep his promise, and made the hilarious Clerks II (arguably the top achievement of his career thus far), which doesn't mean Jersey Girl (2004), his attempt at "mature film-making", was a disaster. Okay, it was received quite frostily on its original release, but despite a few flaws it's absolutely watchable.

Similarly to Chasing Amy and Dogma, the main role is played by Ben Affleck, who can be appalling when cast in the wrong film (Pearl Harbor, anyone?), but always manages to be convincing in Smith's films. And after playing a lesbian-loving cartoonist and a rebellious angel, it's time for him to tackle a fairly normal role, that of Ollie Trinke, a Jersey-born PR-guy who has it all: great job, a nice apartment in New York and a beautiful wife (Jennifer Lopez). Sadly, these things were never meant to last: Ollie loses his job after offending one of his clients and his missus dies in childbirth, forcing him to move back to New Jersey and ask his dad (George Carlin) for help with the newborn girl. Seven years later, Ollie is working with his father, fixing roads and stuff, and while he enjoys spending time with the old man and daughter Gertie (Raquel Castro), he obviously misses his old life. So when he's given an opportunity to return to the PR business, he's more than happy to do so. If only it weren't for Gertie, who doesn't want to move to New York. And Maya (Liv Tyler), the video store clerk with whom he has begun a friendship that could turn into something deeper. Career or family? what's more important?

Given the weird situations he has come up with in the past (girl having sex with a corpse in Clerks, 15-year old participating in orgies for a school project in Mallrats), it's kind of surprising to see Smith handle a "conventional" romantic comedy with such ease, his most loyal fans probably expecting something extreme to come around. That's not the case, though: for the first time in his life, the cult director has made a film that's suitable for family viewing (as confirmed by the PG-13 rating). Apart from a single use of the F-word, the most offensive expression used in the movie is "sh*thead", while the only scene that sort of reminds of Smith's earlier work is a conversation between Affleck and Tyler regarding masturbation. That scene, however, is not gratuitous, its purpose being to underline the different approaches to life the two leads have, and therefore be the first step in constructing a believable, meaningful connection between them.

Of course, moments like that would fall apart if the actors didn't have chemistry: thankfully, Tyler and Affleck lend something special to their scenes together, the latter in particular showing an intensity and charm many thought was beyond his abilities. Also impressive is the young Castro who, surprisingly for a child actor, almost manages to steal the whole film, her character being consistently smart and charming, never annoying.

There are a few times when the sweetness hits overdrive, to be honest, and that's when Smith emphasizes the characters'feelings (particularly with the occasionally predictable soundtrack) when it isn't necessary, as if he doesn't trust his audience to understand on their own. In addition, the lack of swearing can be felt in some sequences which, while undeniably wisecracking (a cameo by Jason Lee and Matt Damon most of all), would perhaps have been truly unforgettable had they been "spiced up" with the director's trademark dialogue.

Nonetheless, Jersey Girl holds up pretty well as an evident showcase of Smith's range. Those willing to give him a chance will probably enjoy the movie. As for the others, well, there's always Jay and Silent Bob.