Review of Jersey Girl (2004) by Alexn. — 03 Jan 2006

I would start off by saying that while I have seen a large portion of Smith's body of work, I am in no way a "fan" of any of his prior View Askew films. I find his self-referential and often scatological humor to be trite, obscene, and pointless.

That said, he has skill in working actors to give performances in tune to the environment of the work. This piece may not be similar to Smith's earlier, less family-oriented work, but it is important to remember that Spielberg made both "Amistad" AND "E.

T.: The Extra-Terrestrial." A director has no responsibility to his earlier work, and Smith's "Jersey Girl" stands alone just fine as a dramatic piece about family, love, life, losses, and how adults cope with the world around them.

This is not, as so many people claim, a family film, but rather a film about family. It is intended for adult audiences - adult in both senses of the word - people who search only for Smith's juvenile humor will be sorely disappointed with this film.

This is a film for parents, for mature viewers looking for an easy watch, for people who want a film that has something to say, but also remembers its primary role as entertainment. Sure, it isn't Doctor Zhivago, but at least it isn't Mallrats.

It is moving, thoughtful, entertaining, and even if it is a little too sweet, that's better than the alternative. Worth the rental for you and your girlfriend, wife, partner, etc.