Just like the movies, life is made up of good people and bad people. Only in real life it's not so simple. We're often put in both roles because intentions and actions are two totally different things. Guys, Girls and a Jerk, a far superior sequel to Stephanie, Nathalie, Caroline and Vincent, puts the spotlight on this often ugly nuance of life, exposing the awful truth that sometimes our choices make us as bad as the baddest bad guys.

Five years after Stephanie, Nathalie, Caroline and Vincent, Vincent (Simon Boisvert) returns as the lead character and all-around jerk. He's opened his own dating service in hopes of making a decent living and meeting some girls in the process. He's got new friends and some old friends who've come back into his life. If you've seen the first film, you know Vincent is someone you feel okay hating. He's a shallow man with two things on his mind: himself and sex. But the original contradicted itself in that it tried to present some undeserved sympathy for the guy. It was an awkward morality message that failed more than it worked. This time Boisvert's script (he wore both the producing and writing hats in addition to his acting) gets it right. From the opening scene where he instigates a one-night stand with a girl who could be summed up as an innocent prude, you know Vincent is coming with his guns blazing and he doesn't want any pity.

The influence of Denys Arcand's The Decline of the American Empire is apparent. Guys, Girls and a Jerk revolves around dialogue that explores relationships and how we maintain them. Boisvert has his ear to the ground, providing good rhythm and lots of dark humour. Pop culture references are tossed around here and there, that while funny now, run the risk of seeming dated in a few years. But then again, the literary reference about a certain boy wizard that's sticking out in my mind right now is not going to be lost any time soon.

Directed by Diana Lewis (who also stars as Vincent's ex, Stephanie), Guys, Girls and a Jerk is not concerned with fancy shots. It is plainly shot but not in a way that draws attention to itself or is distracting. It's simple, straight forward and appropriate for something that was aiming at saying something. And it was shot on a small budget, which limits the options from the get go.

Although the film never tries to be plot heavy, I still would have liked a little more in the way of story. For the most part it follows the daily grind of Vincent and his circle of friends, but there's no real stakes involved that runs through the entire movie. It wouldn't need much but something. It could have been as simple as Vincent trying to raise a couple thousand dollars to keep his business open. As it is, there are a lot of characters vying for screen time and several of their personal problems overlap. Had a couple of these characters been trimmed, the spotlight could have been put on one central, grounded problem that had to be solved with all the relationship stuff stemming from it.

With all of Vincent's scheming and ever-growing harem of ladies to deal with, matters are bound to get ugly. And when they do, Vincent is the most definitely the jerk but many are implicated on accord of their own freewill. Their actions hurt their loved ones just as much, if not more, than Vincent's. He's seen by everyone as a something less than kind to begin with. Vincent might embellish his virtues and lie and blackmail, but he never forces anyone to do anything. Choice is involved. And when we choose, we have to be ready to accept the consequences.

This level of commentary is what was missing from Stephanie, Nathalie, Caroline and Vincent. That film played out like a morality tale but lacked a nugget of truth or two the audience could walk away with. But this time around, rather than stuffing a message down our throats, Boisvert's script opts to get opinionated - even if it's not something that's not comforting for the soul. While not perfect, Guys, Girls and a Jerk is a big step in the right direction and a rare instance where a sequel outshines its predecessor.

©Movie Views; July 17, 2003