Clerks 2 (15)

IN the sequel to the 1994 low-budget feature which made his name, writer-director Kevin Smith proves that while he's grown a tad sentimental since, his mind is just as mucky as ever.

Beneath the gross-out humour, which clutters the second half of Clerks II, lurks a rather conventional and sweet romantic comedy about workmates who refuse to admit their attraction to one another.

That the characters will declare their true feelings is inevitable, but what is surprising is that Smith accomplishes his heartfelt declarations of love against the backdrop of bestiality.

And somehow, he gets away with it.

A pungent air of nostalgia wafts through every frame, from the frequent appearances from double act Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), to the banter between slacker workmates Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson).

Clerks II begins with a bang, or rather a roar, as Dante turns up to work at the convenience store from the first film, only to discover the building on fire.

Randal saunters by, late as ever, and immediately fears he is to blame. "I left the coffee pot on again, didn't I?"

The friends find low-paid employment at the local Mooby's fast food restaurant, which boasts the marketing slogan I'm Eating It' and describes its burgers as udderly delicious'.

Working under manageress Becky (Rosario Dawson), Dante and Randal run the gamut of demanding customers and deep fat fryers, while server Elias (Trevor Fehrman) wreaks havoc in the kitchen.

When Dante and his fiancee Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach) make plans to get married and leave town, Becky wrestles with her true feelings for her employee and resolves to reveal her heart to Dante before it is too late.

Smith litters his screenplay with the usual array of pop culture references, from a geeky argument about the relative merits of the Stars Wars and Lord Of The Rings trilogies There is only one Return and that's Of The Jedi') to the joys of plastic, shape-altering robot figures.

Gags hit their targets almost as often as they miss but Dawson and O'Halloran make a likeable couple, and the supporting cast bound goofily into shot when required, alongside superfluous cameos for Ben Affleck and Jason Lee.

Swearing, sex, violence Rating: Three stars