Jersey Girl represents a big departure from the Askewniverse in a few ways: It’s the first Jay and Bobless film, the first PG-13, and the first family-friendly flick . That being said, in tone and delivery it’s a lot like Chasing Amy, still my personal favorite of all of the View Askew films. We’d been lucky enough to catch an early test screening of the film, yet held off on writing full thoughts on the flick until it made it to final form. When I had the opportunity to see the final cut of the film at the premiere, I wrote an extended review explaining why I dig the film so much. Since then, I’ve had the pleasure of referring many others to the film and have heard nothing but praise for it. It was nice to finally hear co-workers and relatives knowing about and actually showing interest in seeing a View Askew film. Jersey Girl is very audience-accessible, and should find some nice legs on video and television in the years to come.
 The disc starts with the obligatory forced trailers, though the menu button on your remote will skip you right to the main menu screen. Once there, a nifty, yet subtle animated menu begins with a drawn cityscape and then turns into the Jersey Girl logo and state outline we’ve all grown to know. Live scene collages play on the left and right boxes as some gentle guitar music plays in the background.
A very quick dissolve from the main menu takes us to the scene selection screen. Scenes are shown in stills (not live video), and split among 18 scenes on 5 pages. Another familiar icon, the baby, indicates which of the 5 scene pages you’re viewing. There’s no music or animation on these screens at all, but a nicely hued photo of Liv buried in a book in the background.
With the help of veteran cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond, Kevin again went with the 2.35 aspect ratio on this one, opening up most shots and giving us what many have referred to as the best looking View Askew film to date. I’m no expert on all the eccentricities of DVD video, stuff like flesh tones, artifacting, and the like, but from what I watched, I can say that this is certainly another great transfer from Buena Vista. As Jersey Girl is a very bright, well-lit film, it would be easy to see flaws in this transfer. I occasionally noticed a slight bit of fuzziness in the background of some scenes, but overall the film appears very crisp and vibrant. The picture is of course enhanced for widescreen televisions, which more and more of us are bringing into our homes these days.
Jersey Girl continues the tradition of being dialogue-driven, thus the majority of the sound in the film sticks to the front and center of the soundstage. Music tracks bring all of the 5.1 channels to life, along with the occasional surround effects (crowd and outdoor city scenes come to mind). The Dolby Digital track is crisp and clear, no complaints. Just not the kind of flick that you’ll use to showcase your boomin’ sound system, of course.
As you select commentary tracks, you’re greeted by a warning screen letting you know that there’s profanity on board and that the track ain’t rated, along with the usual disclaimer statements. This Jersey Girl DVD includes TWO brand new commentaries, one more casual track with Kevin and Affleck, and another more scene-specific with Kevin, Mosier, and Mewes. Lest you think these are PG-13 rated commentary tracks, fear not — This disc could win an award for the most lewd commentary tracks to ever be heard on a PG-13 release. For example, Jason Mewes actually spends about 10 minutes of the group track talking about his masturbation techniques and sexual history. So fans of previous tracks, never fear — The guys are all in true form here as well, and don’t let the lighter rating interfere with that. Commentary tracks on a View Askew disc are amazing in that they add to the whole mythology that is the company. Things are revealed that fill in gaps from both past and present, and stories are told that become forever a part of our knowledge of the relationships between all of these actors, producers, and, of course, Kevin himself. These aren’t people that show up to work then don’t talk again until it’s time to record the audio track — These are friends who are being open and honest about the movie as well as anything else that comes to mind, and they remain one of the few teams that actually make you feel like they’re sitting there in the room watching the film with you. Kevin has suggested he may do a “live” commentary track when Clerks runs at the west coast Vulgarthon later this year — That’d be worth the price of admission alone.
The Affleck/Kevin track is listed first on the disc, but actually the second recorded commentary track for this set. Kevin Smith and Ben Affleck provide us with an incredibly candid, often off-topic (but never boring) succession of stories and observations, both about making Jersey Girl and the industry in general. You’ll enjoy listening to this one from start to finish, but here’s some of the highlights of interest that you’ll hear:
— The track doesn’t get scene specific right from the start, as Kev and Affleck trade a few jabs then get into the UK press debacle with Affleck’s bronchitis, and the “3 AM girls” from their tabloids who just had it in for Kevin. After about 10 minutes, it’s into the film discussion…Starting with the “Coked-out whores” line which has been a personal favorite since it appeared in the rarely seen international teaser trailer for the film. — It’s not long before the whole Affleck/J-Lo discussion is broached and covered straight away…Kevin even relates to the time when things between he and Joey were on the rocks and he had to break the news to her that she wouldn’t get the lead in Dogma. Affleck is very open and honest about the relationship, and this track will likely be eaten up by the press as this is the most he’s said regarding the relationship, possibly ever. Jump in to around the 20 minute mark if you’re curious. — There’s a lot of honest discussion about the film and business in general in this one, likely because the particular scene-specific stuff is covered in the other commentary. A few minutes, for example, are spent on movie budgets and profitability. Next, it’s onto the way that the film was received by critics. Kevin again expresses his disdain for a few of them, praise for the others, but admits that it’s still tough to read the bad reviews. Affleck, apparently, doesn’t read them at all anymore. — There’s a great philosophical discussion about film today almost an hour in as well. Again, off track with Jersey Girl, but a lot of interesting conversation none the less. — In this track, Kevin also reveals that a 2:20 version of the movie WILL be out on DVD in 6 months to a year, and that music clearances are what was holding up the release of this extended cut. Again, this can change, but at least at the time this track was recorded, Kevin seemed quite confident that another Special Edition DVD of Jersey Girl would arrive in under a year. — Kevin and Ben go into detail on the long pullback scene when his character learns of Gertrude’s death early in the film. As Kevin had originally mentioned, they didn’t let Affleck out of the moment in a long pullback from a hospital hallway where he has a breakdown. Unfortunately, some test audiences were unconfortable and thus laughed at the scene. This powerful scene will return in the extended cut on DVD. — The test screening process is then discussed at length between the two. — Get this, folks…Even “Name” gets brought up! Kevin reveals it’s a story about a stripper and even likens the concept to “The Girl Next Door”.
— And finally, Affleck does Vilmos, Denzel Washington, and a Ratface impressions that’ll kill ya. The film soundtrack is generally non-audible aside from a few times they pause recording for a couple of seconds, during which the track comes up to fill the space.
GROUP COMMENTARY TRACK While the Kevin and Ben track had quite a few laughs, if you’re looking for a combination of laughter and information, this is the track for you and the one I’d recommend you listen to first on the disc. The group commentary features Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, and Jason Mewes, who’s on board as the viewer’s voice, and is instructed by Kevin to ask questions throughout the film to keep the commentary interesting. Right from the start, Mewes makes with the questions and does a fine, fine job throughout. It’s an amazing contrast from the original Clerks commentary where Mewes spends a large portion of his time drunk and passed out on the floor. This time around, Mewes keeps the gang on track and treats us to a TON of facts and questions that lead into the best discussions of the entire track. As usual, we picked out a few highlights from the running, though as always, you really need to listen to this thing from start to finish, as it’s full of interesting and new tidbits:
— They never reshot any scenes for the movie, yet the opening with the kids was a “pickup” shot, added in after principal photograhy had finished. — Early on, the guys immediately get into a discussion of the pain of the focus groups, mostly regarding the Ben & Jen stuff that kept coming up (they were the big tabloid item at the time of all of the test screenings). They also talk candidly about the box office, and suggest perhaps a film where Jay & Bob raised a baby would have made more money. They also cite a drop in test screenings post-Gigli, so attribute a lot of what came up in the test screenings to Gigli’s box office, and Kevin claims that perhaps Gigli itself hurt the flick more than the Ben/Jen relationship. — Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, and Cameron Diaz were discussed as others in running for the Lopez role at one point. Hoewever, without Jennifer in the film, Raquel Castro would never have been cast. — Kevin and Scott give high props to Philadelphia as a shooting location. — Several sets of twins were used to stand in for the role of baby Gertie onscreen. — My personal favorite bit of this commentary track, and sure to be a classic: Mosier and Smith discuss an absolutely hilarious idea that they came up with on set, regarding an alternate version of the movie: To take the movie as is, and rework the daughter as a “Village of the Damned” type little kid, with the kid terrorizing Ollie and Carlin always seeing the kid being sweet. “Jersey Damned” or “Village of the Jersey Girl” were the titles they came up with. The idea was to recut the film using 40% of the original content, with the new content of the kid terrorizing people surrounding it. This is easily one of the funniest bits EVER in a View Askew commentary (you’ll know why when you hear the group discussing the sound effect of the little girl’s mind powers) and keeps coming back in future moments. I’ll listen to this part of the track again and again. It’s that funny, and the group’s laughter becomes contagious. — Kevin and Scott explain the time frame was originally 1986 to 1994 due to Bruce Willis being the original choice for the Will Smith role. Clooney was another possible cameo (Affleck would have been a movie publicist). — A hilarious exchange about The Lord of the Rings when Liv Tyler appears. — Originally, Jason Biggs’s role was supposed to be played by Jason Mewes in the film. Kevin wrote the film with the Arthur role originally with Mewes in mind. His hair was going to be long at the start, then shorter later in the film when Affleck returns to the job. Another small walk-on was also set for Mewes, but due to his stay in rehab and the warrant issued for him, the studio wouldn’t allow Kevin to use him. Mewes talks very candidly about his period of addiction at this point, and Kevin guides him through it.
— Kevin continues to mention in this track that a super Special Edition coming in 6 months to a year.
The BEN & KEVIN INTERVIEW is a nice surprise, indeed. It opens up with a fun montage of Ben and Kev moments from View Askew flicks past, then shoots right into a scene with the two in an editing room of some sort (likely the same room they recorded the DVD commentary track in), talking about their first meet-up when casting Mallrats. It’s probably the most detailed Kevin and Ben have ever talked about their experiences working together, all in a very raw format with little editing. As they progress, we’re treated to stories spanning throughout their careers, a good portion of the Chasing Amy car monologue, one of Ben’s shining Mallrats moments, plenty of Jay & Bob classics, and heaps more. About 20 minutes in, we get to Jersey Girl and the now infamous Lee/Damon cameo scene. The interview eventually even degrades into Affleck ranting on Kev’s internet sale and merchandising tactics…Great, great stuff. They should give these two a sitcom. Unlike the flick whose disc it’s on, due to language, and clips shown throughout, the interview is definitely R-rated. The interview switches between a wide shot and close-ups of both Kevin and Ben, with clips of all of Ben’s View Askew appearances peppered throughout. The interview runs in 4:3 and clocks in at about a full half hour of fun. Reason for a collector to own this disc alone, as it’s unsure if this segment will make the next package.
The ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS SEGMENTS (which originally started airing during filming way back on December 11, 2001) is divided into a newly recorded introduction with Kevin explaining the segments themselves, followed by the actual segment selection. The following editions are included: Upstate New York, Orlando, Florida, Tampa, Florida, Seattle, Washington, and, of course, the famous edition from the set of “Jersey Girl”. A nice “Play All” option is thankfully included to allow them all to string together. Perfect for us lazy couch potatoes. An “index” feature lists the attractions from each segment along with hyperlinks (where available) to the websites of interest for each one. A nice touch, and again, not something I expected to see but another welcome addition to this disc. Proof positive that View Askew does a standard edition better than most companies do up a “Special Edition”.
BEHIND THE SCENES OF JERSEY GIRL is a television friendly press kit (EPK, if you will) of sorts, with segements from the press junket interviews with Kevin, Scott, Liv, Raquel, Ben and Jen. The segment opens up with the official trailer and continues on a fast pace with bleeped clips from all of the previous View Askew films. It’s a fairly cookie cutter approach and obviously was put together as a way to promote the film before its release, but is still worth taking 15 minutes to watch through once. As a warning though, if you’ve yet to see the flick, watch this afterwards, as quite a few scenes and details from the film come through in this segment. It carries a 2004 copyright by Miramax television though I believe this may be the segment that aired on Starz around the time of the film’s release.
The text interviews are just that: And you may have seen them before. What’s included here are Antony Teofilo’s excellent segments from Movie Poop Shoot as they appeared over the past couple of years. Antony provides a new introduction to twelve separate clickable interviews, all in text form (obviously), as they appeared at the ‘Shoot and News Askew. It’s great to see that these candid chats will find an even larger audience on DVD. If you have yet to read them, definitely do so on the disc or click over to MPS and look them up.
 Three more trailers are under the Sneak Peeks section of the disc, in addition to the two that play automatically at disc start. A play all option is included for those who like to soak in all the trailers they can, as FAST as they can.
Set up allows the selection between English or French as a spoken language, as well as the ability to turn on Spanish subtitles or English for the hearing imparied.
Overall, I must admit I did not expect this much to be included on the early Jersey Girl release. When Kevin announced that there would be a Special Edition coming, I assumed that we’d get a movie-only disc with perhaps a trailer or EPK on board. What a pleasant surprise that we’ve received TWO new commentary tracks, all those Roadside Attractions segments, and that fun interview/retrospective with Kevin and Ben. Kevin has said that the sales and popularity of this disc will determine the fate of a future Special Edition, so there’s always the possibility that this will be the ONLY release of Jersey Girl we see on DVD for quite some time, if not ever. While I still long to see the extended cut of the film again, and hope that release comes to pass, I’m quite satisfied with what’s been provided on this version as well. Pick it up, whether you’re waiting for the Special Edition or not. It’s worth it.
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