Ben Affleck’s gradual yet insistent slide into a creative void has not abated in re-teaming with View Askew stable-mate, Kevin Clerks Smith. Jersey Girl is a non-descript family comedy-drama in which Affleck as a recently widowed father-of-one is obliged to realign his life. High-flying through New York is put aside when Ollie Trinke (Affleck) moves his new born daughter into his father’s Jersey home. Trinke’s perfect life collapses under the strain and he is reborn as a reluctant blue-collar worker. Forward seven years and opportunity puts him in romantic contact with video jockey Liv Tyler whose maternal needs are met by both children: father and daughter. There’s a bit of fuss about a return to New York and failed bonding, but it’s all smoke and mirrors to get us to the weepy finale. There are upsides, such as the short-lived appearance of Jennifer Lopez and the frequent exposure of Affleck flesh. But it’s poor compensation for his sleep-inducing performance and Smith’s by-the-numbers script. The film’s tagline says it all and so much more. “Forget about who you thought you were, and just accept who you are.” This is a long way from the incisive wit of Smith’s earlier films or the subdued anarchy that marked his Catholic rebellion, Dogma. Most striking is trite dialogue and mundane plotting that is more consistent with an episode from the ilk of Dawson’s Creek. An indulgence piece from Smith or simply a lazy idea, Jersey Girl is painfully familiar and without sufficient merit to cause anyone to part with the price of admission. // COLIN FRASER