Review of Clerks (1994) by Brandon W — 28 Dec 2011

Clerks is the little indie movie that could, a black and white, early 90s, cult hit that started Kevin Smiths career and his cult "Askew Universe" built around his and Jason Mewes characters Jay and Silent Bob. Smith has detailed in hindsight how he himself had worked at the same QuikStop and RC Video Store in High School and even based the events partially on his own experiences as a surly and distracted register jockey. He shot the film on location in Leonardo, New Jersey in black and white in just over twenty days in a budget less than 30,000 dollars (to put things in perspective Evil Dead was 32,000). The movie mostly featured his friends and was paid for by Smith selling most of his comic books, maxing out eight credit cards and collecting insurance money on a car he and Jason Mewes (AKA Jay) had lost in a flood. Smith was only allowed to shoot inside the store at night a problem he ingeniously solved by having someone jam the locks to the steel shutters with gum so it wasn't noticeable that it was dark outside during all scenes inside the QuikStop. Aside from his friends much of Smith's family was called upon to cameo as the many unruly customers and his friend Walt Flanagan (who would appear in Clerks II as well) took on four different roles when the actors playing them didn't show up. After the chaotic shooting the movie ended up being screened at Cannes Film Festival and from their was distributed to theaters by Miramax who managed to get it an R Rating from its original NC-17 on the grounds no violence or actual nudity is shown and it made a whopping 3 Million dollars. Clearly the little indie movie that could was a good investment for Miramax but with the 90s dead and gone its worth asking if this movie is worth your time now. Let's take a cock smoking look.

Our movie is one of those, over the course of one day affairs (not unlike Dazed and Confused which was released the same year) and is a day in the life of Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran in his best of many View Askew roles as a self pitying but well meaning, lazy cashier) who is called in to work on his day off despite having a hockey game later that day at the QuikStop Convenience Store. Though initially promised he could leave by noon he is eventually condemned by his boss to all day on the job with his best friend Randal (Jeff Anderson, there are a lot of memorable minor roles in this but Anderson keeps the ball rolling consistently and entertainingly throughout) popping in and out from his job at the jointly owned next door video rental store RC Video. Dante who is already stressed out by wanting to rekindle things with his ex Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer, who isn't terrible but its unsurprising she never did anything else) who may or may not be engaged all while currently dating the low maintenance Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti who is pretty good at chewing scenery when said scene arrives) is driven to extreme measures as the day goes on. He will deal with an assortment of customers with bad attitudes not helped by Randal's excessive rudeness, roof hockey, multiple deaths, hermaphroditic porn and eventually being caught in his own sordid love triangle. And of course the real tragedy is hes wasn't even supposed to be here today.

Clerks is a movie that really surprises you with the ending. There's no big twist, no surprise killing off, or revelation or action sequence but rather a bit of a tonal reversal. The entire film Dante laments the situation he finds himself in and never accepts responsibility for his cowardice and lack of ability to stand up for himself as the various shenanigans unfold. However as things go from bad to worse and his cushy, safe and boring world many of us in a college age or post college milieu can relate to is literally destroyed by his inappropriate friend his glaring flaws and the reality of his situation is shown in depressing and unpleasant clarity by his goofy friend of all people. The movie goes from amusing and yet self absorbed to turning the microscope on itself and becoming morosely self aware and you become acutely aware of how while a lot of the film is very silly it has certainly been sprinkled with moments of brilliance not least of which in the aptly chosen title cards. Though he didn't quite know how to write female dialogue all that believably in his early career Kevin Smith proves himself to be a good writer with this film, and aside from being funny, a deeply personal and thoughtful one.

Despite having no budget Clerks is easily one of of the most memorable films of the 90s and despite some other impressive works is still among the best Smith's ever made but still I know when I'm being pandered to. As a sarcastic, well spoken, middle class white boy with little direction in life I know Dante is a character tailor made for me to relate to while Randal is what I and those like me, like to imagine ourselves being. Randal is vulgar, shameless, tasteless and offends everyone around him and yet still exhibits a certain cool and is well liked by many of the other characters. Though I know a normal person would be hated and rejected if they behaved as Randal does he's still an incredibly funny manifestation of snarky white 20 something wit. That being said, I felt pandered to in Mallrats and while I loved it didn't expect those without similar tastes to love it as well but I feel Clerks among Smith films is one that can truly be enjoyed the broadest audience possible. It has a lot to say and the characters offer a unique perspective in the movies not often seen...the service industry. Clerks is not perfect but its one of the best debuts of all time and while not his best its certainly his most accessible. The most important thing Clerks does though is give us the wonderful characters of Jay and Silent Bob so I will leave you with a quote from Jay, "I'mma fuck this bitch, I'mma fuck that bitch...I'MMA FUCK ANYTHING THAT MOVES!!" Poignant.