Jersey Girl is writer/director Kevin Smith's first "grown-up" film outside his "viewaskewniverse" or "Jersey Trilogy" that encompassed his first five films and centered on stoner layabouts Jay and Silent Bob. Kevin Smith at a comics convention in 2005 Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is a American screenwriter, film director and comic book writer. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... The New Jersey films are five motion pictures, written and directed by Kevin Smith with his View Askew production company, and partially or completely set in New Jersey. ... Jay and Silent Bob are two fictional characters who exist in the View Askewniverse created by actor/writer/director Kevin Smith which figure prominently in most of his films. ...

Plot outline

Ollie Trinke (Ben Affleck) is a powerful media publicist in New York City, who loses his wife (Jennifer Lopez) in childbirth. To avoid his grief, Trinke buries himself in his work and ignores his new daughter, Gertie; leaving her in the care of his father (George Carlin). His father finally forces Trinke to live up to his responsibility as a parent. Under the stress of job and fatherhood, Trinke lashes out in front of a room full of reporters. The public outburst costs Trinke his job and he is forced to move in with his father in New Jersey. Trinke is humbled by the experience and finally looks upon his daughter with approval and conviction. Ben Affleck Benjamin Geza Affleck (born August 15, 1972), is an American actor. ... Public relations (PR) deals with influencing public opinion, through the presentation of a clients image, message, or product. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York and abbreviated NYC) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... Jennifer Lopez on the cover of her Rebirth album. ... George Carlin in the film Jersey Girl George Dennis Carlin (born May 12, 1937 in New York City) is an Irish American (I used to be Irish Catholic, now Im an American. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ...

Now blacklisted by all the New York public relations fims, Trinke has tried unsucessfully for years to get work as a publicist. He finally takes work as a civil servant in the borough where he now lives to get by. Gertie (Raquel Castro), now in elementary school, often coaxes her father to rent movies to watch. At the video store, they meet Maya (Liv Tyler), one of the store's clerks. Maya soon becomes a good friend and part of their lives. A blacklist is a list or register of people who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, or mobility. ... Pronounced Burrow, or Bo-raw. ... Liv Tyler in Wellington (New Zealand) Liv Tyler (born Liv Rundgren on July 1, 1977 in New York City, New York, USA) is an American actress most famous for her role in the 1998 blockbuster movie Armageddon and the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003). ...

As part of his job in the borough, Trinke finds he has to speak to a group of outraged citizens to win over their approval for a major public works project he proposes that will temporarily close a street in the neighborhood. He is successful and realizes how much he misses the public relations work. He contacts Arthur (Jason Biggs), his onetime co-worker, who sets up a promising interview. Jason Biggs (born May 12, 1978) is an American actor who is a native of New Jersey. ...

The real prospect of moving to New York creates tension between Trinke and his daughter, his father and Maya, but Trinke is absolutely resolved to regain his old status. However, while waiting to be interviewed, Trinke has a chance encounter with Will Smith (playing himself), who Trinke had trashed at his public outbust years before. Smith has no idea who Trinke is but their conversation about work and children makes Trinke decide to sacrifice the former for the latter. Trinke is able to make to his daughter's musical performance at the last second (she was assigned to do a musical number, which, as it turned out, was the only one not to be "Memories" from Cats). Will Smith For the geologist who invented fossil correlation, see William Smith. ... CATS The Musical is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) in 1981 based on Old Possums Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. ...

Critical response

The critics were generally unimpressed with the film and seemed incensed that "maverick" director Kevin Smith had gone "mainstream." The film was not a commercial success at the box office either. Mainstream is, generally, the common current of thought. ...

Smith has blamed at least part of the film's reception on public exhaustion from the Lopez-Affleck romance and their widely-panned previous joint venture Gigli. DVD cover of Gigli Gigli (pronounced zhee-lee) is a film released in 2003 which was written and directed by Martin Brest, starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. ...

Some critics of Smith see the negative reaction on the film as the reason for his quick retreat back to the View Askewniverse with "Clerks 2", but that screenplay had been floating around for some time before "Jersey Girl" premiered. View Askew is the film production company created by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier responsible for such cult films as Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (together the New Jersey films), Drawing Flies, and Jersey Girl. ...

External links

• Jersey Girl at the Internet Movie Database
• Box Office Mojo statistics on Jersey Girl
• Jersey Girl at Rotten Tomatoes