The life of a workaholic publicist, is upended when his new wife dies leaving him with a baby girl to care for. He promptly loses his job and is forced out of Manhattan and back to living with his father in Highlands, New Jersey.

Critics were truly at odds on this one, reviews were all over the map. Jersey Girl is suitable for family viewing and is certainly Kevin Smith's most mainstream film to date. The script has less bite than his previous work and doesn’t ask too much from the characters. It is a nice story but there isn't anything to surprise you and the characters, while interesting and sympathetic, are mostly unremarkable. I was particularly disappointed in Liv Tyler's character, a hometown girl that supposedly revives Oliver's life, teaching him what is truly important. I found her rather bland and not possessing any particular zest herself. Oliver's father and especially his young daughter, played very nicely by Raquel Castro, were to have a similar purpose. But no one really gets through to Oliver until a well-timed chance conversation with Will Smith. These characters lack any sort of meaningful impact.

But, perhaps oddly enough, I liked most of the characters. Even though they lacked the bite expect from Kevin Smith, they were very pleasant and often funny.

Despite its safe and mainstream nature, Jersey Girl proves to be a rather entertaining film that should appeal to those seeking a light-hearted family drama. Even if it may disappoint many of Smith’s loyal following.

Written and Directed by Kevin Smith.

I really enjoyed the DVD, by the way. Lots of very entertaining extras.