Jersey Girl | |
---|---|
Directed by | Kevin Smith |
Written by | Kevin Smith |
Produced by | Scott Mosier |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Vilmos Zsigmond |
Edited by |
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Music by | James L. Venable |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $35 million [1] |
Box office | $35.5 million [1] |
Jersey Girl is a 2004 American comedy-drama film written, co-edited and directed by Kevin Smith. It stars Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler with George Carlin (in his final film appearance), Stephen Root, Mike Starr, Raquel Castro, Jason Biggs and Jennifer Lopez in supporting roles. The film follows a widowed man who must learn how to properly take care of his precocious daughter after her mother dies during childbirth.
It was the first film written and directed by Smith not set in the View Askewniverse as well as the first that didn't feature appearances by Jay and Silent Bob, although animated versions of them appear in the View Askew logo at the beginning of the film and the still version at the end. At $35 million, not including marketing costs, it was then Smith's biggest-budgeted film, and was a box office bomb, grossing just $36 million. [2]
Ollie Trinké is a young Anglo man who was born and raised in New Jersey. He now lives and works in New York City and is a powerful media publicist. Gertrude Steiney is an attractive young Latina woman. The two meet, fall instantly in love and get married. They are very happy and after several months together, Gertrude discovers she is pregnant. Ollie is obsessed with his work and doesn't lighten his workload, neglecting Gertrude in favor of his career. On her due date, Gertrude goes into labor, and Ollie has to force himself to leave his office to be with his wife in the delivery room. Tragedy strikes, however, when Gertrude dies from an aneurysm and complications during childbirth. Their daughter is named Gertie after her late mother.
Ollie is devastated and avoids his feelings of grief by burying himself in his work, spending even longer hours at the office. He denies he feels any grief, but spends very little time with his newborn daughter because she reminds him of his late wife and all he lost. His widowed father, Bart, steps up to take care of his grand-daughter, taking a month off from his job at the Jersey City Sanitation Crew. Bart later decides to return to work to force his son to face both his grief and his responsibilities as a parent.
Things don't go smoothly for Ollie in this new arrangement. Under the stress of a botched diaper change and a baby who will not stop crying, Ollie publicly insults his client Will Smith for starring in Independence Day because he doubts he has the credibility to be an action star. Because Ollie's outburst occurred in front of a large group of assembled reporters, it cost him his job. This causes more upheaval in his life because he and Gertie not only have to move to New Jersey, they have to live with Bart. There is more fallout and upheaval from Ollie's outburst. He is blacklisted by every NYC public relations firm, forcing him to take a civil service job in the borough where he now lives.
Seven years later, Gertie, now in elementary school, often begs her dad to rent films to watch. At the video store, they meet Maya, a graduate student and one of the store's clerks. Her uninhibited probing into Ollie's love life opens the door for her to become a part of his inner circle.
Another turning point occurs in Ollie's life when his employer schedules a major public works project that will temporarily close a street in the neighborhood. He must speak to a group of outraged citizens and attempt to win their approval. His successful and positive interaction with them makes him realize how much he misses public relations. Seeking a change, he contacts Arthur Brickman, his one-time protégé, who sets up a promising interview in New York City.
The prospect of moving back to New York creates tension between Ollie, Gertie, Bart, and Maya, especially when they learn his interview is on the same day as Gertie's school talent show. One night, during a big fight between the family, Ollie tells Gertie they're moving back to New York whether she likes it or not. Gertie angrily accuses him of yet again putting himself before her before stating that she hates him and wishes he had died instead of her mother. Enraged, Ollie tells Gertie he hates her, too, screaming that both she and her mother took his life away from him and that he just wants it back. This shocks everyone. Gertie then breaks down crying and runs to her room. A very disappointed Bart quietly chastises Ollie for what he said.
A few days later, father and daughter reconcile, apologizing for their hurtful words, and Gertie accepts that they will be moving to New York. While awaiting his job interview, Ollie has a chance encounter with Will Smith. Smith doesn't remember the past incident with him, but their conversation about work and children convinces Ollie to skip the interview and leave. Before leaving, he refers Smith to Brickman.
Ollie rushes to make it to Gertie's Sweeney Todd performance and arrives at the last moment. Ollie, Gertie, Bart, Maya and their friends then celebrate at a bar. There, he and Maya hint at possible feelings for each other, but are interrupted by Gertie.
Ollie then takes Gertie in his arms and tells her that they are staying in New Jersey because he decided not to take the job. She asks why, if he loved New York so much. He explains that he thought he did, but he actually loves his new life in New Jersey more. He tells Gertie that being a father to her was the only thing he was ever really good at.
Cameos
The film's budget included $10 million for Affleck and $4 million for Lopez. [3] In the original draft of the script, Bruce Willis rather than Will Smith was the cause of (and eventual resolution to) Ollie's problems. Smith wrote the first fifty pages of the script with Bill Murray and Joey Lauren Adams in mind. [4] The film was primarily shot in Highlands, New Jersey. [5] Academy Award-winning Vilmos Zsigmond, its director of photography, was said by Smith to have been "an ornery old cuss who made the crew miserable." [6] Paulsboro, New Jersey served as another of the shooting locations; scenes were shot there at its municipal building, Clam Digger Bar, and high school. Cut from it were scenes at Paulsboro's St. John's Catholic Church (now St. Mary the Queen Coptic Orthodox Church) [7] and Little League Field. The scene in the church was to show the marriage between Ollie and Gertie; it was cut shortly after Affleck and Lopez split up in real life and their scenes were reshot, reducing her part due to concern over the poor box-office reception of Gigli . [8]
It is the first major theatrical release to include a joke about the September 11 attacks: when Gertie asks to see Cats, Ollie refuses on the grounds that it is "the second-worst thing to happen to New York City." [9] On the second episode of the podcast "Blow Hard with Malcolm Ingram", Smith tells a story of Malcolm sending him lyrics to "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, trying to apologize for an earlier incident. He was so touched by the email that he included the song in the soundtrack. [10]
Jason Mewes, who plays Jay in the View Askewniverse films, was to have a part in the film as "Delivery Guy", but Kevin Smith had temporarily severed ties with him as part of a "tough love" approach to get him to quit using heroin following Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), making this so far the only film in Smith's filmography not to feature him, although archival audio of him is used for animated Jay during the opening "View Askew Productions" production logo. The role was given to Matthew Maher.
The film is Smith's first to have received a PG-13 rating, rather than an R. According to interviews with Smith in the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, it was originally given an R, [11] due to the dialogue with Ollie and Maya discussing masturbation in the diner, but the decision was overturned. An extended cut was shown at Kevin Smith's private film festival Vulgarthon in 2005 & 2006. The extended version included much more of the Jennifer Lopez section, Ben Affleck's full speech at city hall, a longer ending, and some music changes.[ citation needed ] On the film's audio commentary, Smith stated that a longer version would be released within the next year. At a Q&A session in Vancouver in early 2009, Smith said that a release of the extended cut on DVD and Blu-ray Disc is "very possible". It has not been released as of 2020. [12]
The film grossed $25.2 million in North America, and $10.8 million internationally, for a total gross of $36.1 million, against a $35 million budget. [1]
Jersey Girl received mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 43% based on 177 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A surprisingly conventional romantic comedy from Kevin Smith, Jersey Girl is warm but often overly sentimental". [13] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 43 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [14]
Smith was quoted saying his film was "not for critics". [15] Smith's reaction to Jersey Girl after its failure was dour. He referenced the film during his cameo appearance in Degrassi: The Next Generation , jokingly telling Paige Michalchuk, whom his character had cut out of his fictional film Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh!, that he cut Lopez out of most of Jersey Girl and wanted to cut Affleck out too, "but then it just would have been that little kid."[ citation needed ] In an interview on the Clerks II DVD, Smith noted "All these people were just trashing this movie's stars instead of looking at the movie itself. I get that a lot of people didn't like it but dude, I spent two years of my life on that movie." [16]
The film was nominated for three Razzie Awards: Worst Actor for Ben Affleck, Worst Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lopez, and according to the press release, "Ben Affleck and either Jennifer Lopez or Liv Tyler" for Worst On-Screen Couple. Raquel Castro won a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger, for her performance, and the film was nominated for Best Family Feature Film – Comedy or Musical, but lost to Christmas with the Kranks . [17]
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film Clerks (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob, characters who also appeared in Smith's later films Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), Clerks II (2006), Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), and Clerks III (2022) which are set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films have crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon known as the "View Askewniverse", named after Smith's production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
Dogma is a 1999 American fantasy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also stars with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, George Carlin, Linda Fiorentino, Janeane Garofalo, Chris Rock, Jason Lee, Salma Hayek, Bud Cort, Alan Rickman, Alanis Morissette in her feature film debut, and Jason Mewes. It is the fourth film in Smith's View Askewniverse series. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson, stars of the first Askewniverse film Clerks, appear in the film, as do Smith regulars Scott Mosier, Dwight Ewell, Walt Flanagan, and Bryan Johnson.
Jay and Silent Bob are fictional characters portrayed by American actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, respectively. They appear in the View Askewniverse, a fictional universe used in most of the films, comics, and television programs written and produced by Smith.
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written, co-edited, and directed by Kevin Smith and produced and co-edited by Scott Mosier. The film is the fifth set in the View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of Smith's cult-favorite Clerks. It stars Jason Mewes and Smith respectively as the two eponymous characters. The film also stars Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Will Ferrell, Eliza Dushku, Ali Larter, and Chris Rock, among many others, most of which make cameo appearances. The title and logo for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back are direct references to The Empire Strikes Back.
Benjamin Géza Affleck is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984–1988). He later appeared in the independent comedy Dazed and Confused (1993) and several Kevin Smith comedies, including Chasing Amy (1997).
Mallrats is a 1995 American buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Priscilla Barnes and Michael Rooker. It is the second film in the View Askewniverse following 1994's Clerks.
Jason Edward Mewes is an American actor, comedian, film producer, and podcaster. He is best known for playing Jay, the vocal half of the duo Jay and Silent Bob, in longtime friend Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse franchise.
View Askew Productions is an American film and television production company founded by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier in 1994. Actors Ben Affleck, Jeff Anderson, Matt Damon, Chris Rock, Walter Flanagan, Bryan Johnson, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Brian O'Halloran and Ethan Suplee are people that frequently appear in projects under the View Askew banner.
Scott A. Mosier is an American film producer, director and editor best known for his work with director Kevin Smith, with whom he occasionally co-hosts the weekly podcast, SModcast.
Clerks II is a 2006 American black comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the sequel to his 1994 film Clerks, and his sixth feature film to be set in the View Askewniverse. The film stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Rosario Dawson, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Jason Mewes, and Smith, and picks up with the original characters from Clerks: Dante Hicks, Randal Graves and Jay and Silent Bob ten years after the events of the first film. Unlike the first film, which was shot in black and white, this film was shot mostly in color.
Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith is a collection of essays written by screenwriter, director, and comic book author Kevin Smith. The collection comes from sources including Arena Magazine, Details, New Jersey Monthly, and Film Comment. Topics range from polemic assaults on pop culture figures to reflections on Spider-Man and his diagnosis with morbid obesity.
Raquel Castro is an American actress and singer. She is known for starring in the 2004 film Jersey Girl as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ollie Trinké and Gertrude Steiney, for which Castro won the Young Artist Award for the Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger. She was a contestant in the American version of The Voice.
Star! is a 1968 American biographical musical film directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews. The screenplay by William Fairchild is based on the life and career of British performer Gertrude Lawrence.
Liv Rundgren Tyler is an American actress. She began her career as a model before making her film debut in Silent Fall (1994). She went on to receive critical recognition and attention after her starring roles in various films including Heavy (1995), Empire Records (1995), Stealing Beauty (1996), That Thing You Do! (1996), Inventing the Abbotts (1997), Armageddon (1998), Cookie's Fortune (1999) and One Night at McCool's (2001). Tyler achieved worldwide recognition after appearing as Arwen Undómiel in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001–2003), which became one of the highest-grossing film series of all time.
The Razzie Award for Worst Screen Combo is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film pairing or cast of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of the awards, along with the film(s) for which they were nominated.
Bennifer and Bennifer 2.0 are the names given by the media to the high-profile relationship between American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck and American singer Jennifer Lopez. The pair had a widely publicized 18-month romance from 2002 to 2004, and were engaged to be married. After their breakup, they maintained a friendship. They rekindled their romantic relationship in early 2021 and got married in July 2022. However, Lopez filed for divorce after only two years, on August 20, 2024. They have starred in two films together, Gigli (2003) and Jersey Girl (2004), and appeared in two music videos together, "Jenny from the Block" (2002) and "Marry Me" (2022).
American actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck began his career as a child, appearing in several television shows, including the PBS educational program The Voyage of the Mimi (1984). He played an antisemite in the sports film School Ties (1992) and featured as a regular on the television drama Against the Grain (1993). He gained attention for playing the supporting part of a high-school senior in Richard Linklater's cult film Dazed and Confused (1993), after which he had his first leading role in Rich Wilkes's comedy Glory Daze (1995). In 1997, Affleck played a comics artist in Smith's art-house success Chasing Amy. He co-wrote the script and starred with Matt Damon in Gus Van Sant's drama film Good Will Hunting, for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
Live by Night is a 2016 American gangster film written, directed, produced by and starring Ben Affleck. Based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane, the film follows an ambitious Ybor City bootlegger (Affleck) who becomes a notorious gangster. The film also stars Elle Fanning, Brendan Gleeson, Chris Messina, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldaña, and Chris Cooper.
The Accountant is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Gavin O'Connor, written by Bill Dubuque and starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J. K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor, and John Lithgow. The storyline follows Christian Wolff, a certified public accountant with autism who makes his living (un-)'cooking the books' of criminal and terrorist organizations around the world that are experiencing internal embezzlement.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a 2019 American satirical buddy stoner comedy film written, directed, edited by, and starring Kevin Smith. A sequel to Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, it is the eighth film in the View Askewniverse. The film also stars Jason Mewes, and features cameos from Brian O'Halloran, Jason Lee, Justin Long, Shannon Elizabeth, Rosario Dawson, Val Kilmer, Melissa Benoist, Craig Robinson, Tommy Chong, Chris Hemsworth, Matt Damon, and Ben Affleck.
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