Risky movie for Smith: Way too cautious outcome

Writer/director Kevin Smith is most famous for edgy cult films along the lines of Chasing Amy and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. With Jersey Girl he spins headfirst into mainstream filmmaking of the overly sentimental dramady sort. Smith stuck to his technique of combining drama and comedy (see Amy), but other than that this movie is completely different from his past works and not necessarily different in a good way. \nSmith did not take any chances with this film. The core of this story has been told over and over again and he unfortunately did not strive away from the norm to make this narrative his own. Instead of implying his message visually, Smith continuously underlines the theme through his dialogue. He attemps to give Affleck's character a chance to shine through emotional monologues, but the combination of spoon-feeding the audience the theme, and Affleck's mediocre delivery make for scenes which are not entirely believable. \nNew York hotshot publicist Ollie Trinke's (Ben Affleck) life comes crashing down after the loss of his wife (Jennifer Lopez) during childbirth. He then has a meltdown at work, is fired and has to move back to Jersey to raise his daughter (Raquel Castro) with the help of his father (George Carlin). Although Ollie devotes his life to his daughter, he longs for the life he once had and fails to accept how his life has turned out. He is even more confused after a sudden attraction to Maya (Liv Tyler), the quirky yet enticing video store clerk. \nDespite the predictable and sappy storyline, a touch of Smith's humor is brought out in the film. An example of this is when Affleck is forced to talk to his daughter about sex after he catches her with a classmate showing each other their "parts." Carlin's grandfather character has some humorous lines and contributes to the message concerning the importance of family which this film actually portrays well. Also, Liv Tyler was perfect for the part and the audience found itself wanting to see more of her. I appreciate what Smith was trying to accomplish by casting Castro's character as the innocent yet bright child who is the voice of reason for her father. If nothing else this film will at least generate a wider audience for Smith and may barely relieve Affleck of the backlash Gigli caused.