Capsule Reviews - Girl Most Likely (2012), Clerks II (2006), and Galaxy Quest (1999)

Galaxy Quest (1999) - It is hard to believe that it has been 15 years since this outstanding entertainment was released. It remains remarkably fresh and, given the budget even for the time, looks pretty darn good - of course smartly using the fact that some of it is supposed to look cheap. While the film doesn't exactly spend a lot of extra time fleshing out the character backgrounds, if you're at all savvy about film and TV it won't matter. A fun story with hints of wit dropped throughout, this is an outstanding comedy well worth a refresh for those that haven't seen it in a while.

Girl Most Likely (2012) - If this were intended as an experiment in seeing what happens when filmmakers mash up a Todd Solondz film with a Farrelly Brothers movie, it might be interesting, if only to prove it doesn't work. Wild tonal inconsistency and characters that don't add up in the least are problems, but the cardinal sin is that it isn't funny - either as a dark comedy or as a broad one. I suspect part of the problem is that the filmmakers intended satire but really didn't have a clear sense of what they wanted to satirize. It also has a really mixed message - suggesting that the lead character, played by Kristen Wiig, needs to stop believing she's entitled to her princess fantasy, only to kind of let her have it anyway. Just go watch the superior Muriel's Wedding instead.

Clerks II (2006) - The sequel to Kevin Smith's DIY indie classic keeps the amateurish direction and poor acting but loses the original's chaotic, punk sensibility and sharp sense of humor. Most of the bits fall flat here and the story feels really forced. There's actually a bit too much story here, departing from the original's slice-of-life feel. Even Smith's stand-up tour videos work best as the witty raconteur delivering unstructured, off-the-cuff anecdotes that are more or less Smith going off on tangents about things that have happened in his life. That doesn't come through here. Because this one is packed with more by-the-books plot drama, it needs actors that can sustain it and that can provide depth beyond just reciting the (amply packed) words. Rosario Dawson mostly gets that done, but that is, unfortunately, about it, and she is really a sideline player here. It just doesn't work, although perhaps Kevin Smith die-hards will disagree (and it is really only for them).

All three were screened on Amazon Prime Instant.