Review of Jersey Girl (2004) by Dann M — 30 Jul 2014

With Jersey Girl, Kevin Smith abandons his loyal fans and attempts to make a conventional/generic comedy. The film follows a music publicist named Ollie Trinke who moves back home to New Jersey to raise his daughter after his life is reduced to shambles by the death of his wife and loss of his job.

Newcomer Raquel Castro owns this film and is radiant; having great chemistry with Affleck as his daughter. However, Liv Tyler has no chemistry with anyone and gives a terrible performance. Some of the writing carries Smith's witty, sardonic style, but it's less focused than his previous scripts.

And, there are some tonal issues as the dramatic themes are often undercut by random bits of raunchy comedy. Jersey Girl has its moments and is a bit of fun, but it lacks Kevin Smith's voice.