What seems obvious to me is that this movie was definitely written with the return of the Matthew Lillard "Stevo" character in mind. All the secondary characters from the first movie who returned for this one claim an uncle-type relationship with Ross, the son of Bob, who is the main character in this movie. But none of those guys had particularly close relationships with Bob, or Trish, the mother, in the first movie. The only character who did was Stevo. So yeah, the subtext here is, the movie was written for Lillard but he decided not to do it.My guess is, Lillard wouldn't do it because he read the script, which is...unreliable. I enjoyed the random elements of the first movie. For example, when the character Mark (played by a young Til Schweiger - later Hugo Stiglitz), the independently wealthy European drug dealer, left town and never came back, even though he was one of the more well-developed and interesting characters. I loved that. People actually do sometimes leave town and never come back. James Merendino just gave Mark up to the void. He could have kept him around for the whole movie and thereby kept the door open on all kinds of interesting antics, but he had a real story to tell and Mark's part was over. I like it when a writer's not afraid to leave a good character behind for the sake of the story.No such artistry here. The only character who really gets left behind is Lillith, Ross's first love, who was not developed at all. So when she ended up making out with some other guy in some dark corner of a bar and obviously breaking Ross's little heart, I for one felt nothing, even though this was supposed to be the seminal moment in the movie that sent Ross off on an entirely new path in life. By the way, it's pretty obvious that at some point in his real life, Merendino had a girlfriend and caught her making out with another guy, because the same scene happened to Stevo in the first movie. Does this happen that often in reality?Also missing from this movie was any kind of counterpoint to the youthful rebellion that is punk. Christopher McDonald as Stevo's father in the first movie was a vital (not to mention hilarious) representation of the kind of vapid, money-motivated society that punk kids want no part of. But what are the kids rebelling against here? There's one nonsensical scene in which the female lead Penny runs into her father at a gas station and he slugs her in the nose for drinking and carousing. But how the hell did that happen? They were taking back roads all over Utah and they just happened to pull up at a gas station where her redneck father was getting gas? Very contrived. There were a lot of parts of this movie that were obviously contrived, which is, again, disappointing.Still, I enjoyed the movie for nostalgia's sake. It was good to see Bob narrating from the afterlife. Unfortunately it kept reminding me that the first movie contained some real substance. I actually cried when Bob died in the first one.Overall, I'd recommend it for people who loved the first SLC Punk. I can't imagine, though, the boredom that would probably be felt by someone viewing this movie as a stand-alone comedy-drama, with no frame of reference from the original. It really isn't even in the same category. The original SLC Punk was a very insightful commentary on the conflict between youthful idealism and the reality of transitioning to adulthood. This movie? Just a road trip to nowhere.I'm giving it 5 stars. I don't want to encourage or discourage anyone about seeing it. Those who saw the first one won't need any encouragement, and those who didn't should probably stay away.

SLC Punk is a great coming of age movie focused on after college life, through the eyes of modern day rebels. This movie is focused on parenthood punks and high school punks, it does the original movie justice. Cinematography and editing are off different from original, not that classic feel. In any case, really good movie and dialog touches and goes to interesting places. A good sequel for the budget.

I was really really bummed.. This movie was Terrible which emphasis on the capital T. I loved the first one and always will and respect Mr. Merendinos efforts to try and create another punk inspired movie with a uniqueness all its own. But this was a huge, HUGE fail. Probably my least favorite moment was the use of the word "fag" which I have zero tolerance for and in this day and age should never be used in a script. You couldn't find a better pejorative, Mr. Merendino? Moving on..The acting was mediocre at it's best. Sarah Clarke brought nothing new to the character of Trish. Her acting was bland, boring and could barely keep my attention. There was none of the quirkiness that I came to love with Annabeth Gish's portrayal of Trish. Jenny Jaffes character (can't remember the name and Ijust watched it) was ridiculously overdone by over dramatic acting and just plain, not believable. If acting is her career of choice she needs to rethink it. Ross was plain boring. Penny and Crash were pretty decent as far as acting goes. I give MGK props on his acting as this is, what I believe to be, his first major acting job. Bob really disappointed me. I felt his narration and acting were forced. As for Johnny Jekyll and Sean, well what can I say, they carried this movie. They were the only characters and narratives that brought even a hint of entertainment to this dull, lifeless film by bringing the nostalgia I had waited for. They were the only ones who's acting I can say was good. The worst part of this movie was the utter lack of character development and aimless plot. They could have developed Pennys character, for instance, when we see her (a little dramatically) bashing her father's car with no real explanation of motive (aside from the hit to the face) Merendino had a perfect chance to develop Pennys character but for whatever reason he chose not to. So, then, why did he even put that scene in the movie if he had no intention of expanding on it? Who knows but it's a good question to ponder. It was not just Penny though, the entire movie lacks any real character development necessary to bring this movie to life with characters that are relatable and interesting. Huge fail. And the plot? Boring and aimless with no real point. I mean, my 13 year old son could have written a better screenplay. The concert scene was drawn out and way to long. And the pivotal climax? Well that never happened. *Yawn* I could go on and on. When the credits hit, I was left scratching my head in astonishment asking myself "Did the movie really just end like that? Apparently, yes it did. Maybe he wanted to end it like that because he has plans for a trilogy? Scary thought. I'm also curious as to why he claimed there would be a couple awesome surprise cameo appearances. I suspect it was to get people excited about whom they could be. Will it be Mark? Could it be Stevos dad? Or maybe Sandy? Although Merendino made it clear Stevos (Lillard) and Mike (Segel) would not return, many fans still held onto hope that maybe they would at least make a brief cameo. So, in essence, I believe these supposed cameo appearances were just a ploy to excite fans enough to donate money to the indiegogo platform. Why, you ask? Because exploiting fans excitement was the only way they were going to get enough money to make this God awful POS. Again, I LOVE SLC Punk! I was a fan of Punks Dead page for years and kept myself updated on everything that was happening in the making of the film. Although I was skeptical I kept an open mind. I wanted so badly for this to be another cult classic. What it ended up being was another ultimate sequel fail and huge disappointment to many fans. And the fans that claim to love it? They must be delusional. Sorry. Not. Sorry.

This movie is phenomenal. It's not like the first one; however, it retains the ability to stand on its own. I guarantee you can relate to at least one, if not more, of the characters. James Duval's portrayal of John the (former) mod is an absolute delight! Ross's character, which could arguably be considered as one that isn't the standard definition of "punk", was a refreshing twist. I found it remarkable that Ben Schnetzer was able to channel a part of Heroin Bob's essence; his performance was incredible as well. James Merendino did NOT disappoint! I sincerely hope this movie goes down as a classic and is as well loved and received as the first. Thank you so much for your hard work in creating this masterpiece.