Review of Clerks (1994) by Scott R — 31 Jan 2018

Strengths: A masterclass in how to work with a small budget. The black and white effect is fantastically done, while helping the film stand out. While there are solid performances throughout the film, the standout has to be Jeff Anderson (Randall). He steals every scene he's in. The dialogue is sharp, witty, and quotable, which are all necessities when trying to succeed with such a low budget. They found a way to take a day in the lives of people working a dull job, and make it very entertaining. The gags of Caitlin (Lisa Spoonauer) having sex with a dead guy and thinking it was Dante (Brian O'Halloran), the snowball story, and all of Randall's antics in the video store were great. As was everything done by Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), two characters born here who went on to become kind of iconic in the genre.

Weaknesses: I know a lead character is supposed to grow, and Dante does that somewhat, but he's just not likable. He's way too whiny and it's almost impossible to find anything to make you root for him. The funeral scene and trip there didn't work to me. It felt like an unnecessary addition to the story and it wasn't funny. Some of the crude humor doesn't land as well as they probably hoped for.

Overall: This is a cult classic and for good reason. Kevin Smith does a fantastic job making the most of a small budget. There are funnier comedies out there, but few feature such great dialogue and memorable quotes. A rousing success.