Clerks (1994)

[Scott]

CLERKS (1994) - B/W film about a couple a store clerks in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The crude humor is mildly entertaining as more of the subject matter hasn't been brought to film much and probably for good reason. I read that the film was made for $27,000 which is really the only redeemming aspect of this film.





Post Edited (07-13-05 21:56)

[Ozzymandias]

This is one of those films where black and white works in modern times.  Night of the Living Dead had the look of (then) TV news footage. Young Frankenstein had the look of old Universal films. Ragging Bull looked like old newsreals.

The black and white in Clerks makes it look like...store security camera footage.  You could be watching all of this on a REAL STORE SECURITY CAMERA.
I had a film teacher point this out.

[Zapranoth]

I liked this one very well, in an upscale high school slash early college film project for class sorta way.  

"This job would be great, except for all the customers."

[nobody]

This is the only Kevin Smith movie I like. In fact, my friends and I think Kevin Smith movies are on a continual downslide- getting worse and worse with each new release. We jokingly call this sad and bizarre phenominon "the Kevin Smith syndrome" when we see it in other people (like the author Chuck Palahniuk of "Fight Club" fame).

[Blue.Brutal]

This is one of my favorite movies.  Sure, the acting's bad, but some of the dialogue is classic (the whole conversation about the contractors working on the Death Star is priceless), and it actually sounds like stuff you might hear passing between friends in real life - at least, friends in this age bracket.

Also, although as I understand it balck and white was a finacnial decision as much as an atristic one, the Security Camera feel of the whole thing lends it a certain something special.
Oh - and while I generally agree that Kevin Smith's later movies generally don't live up to the standard set by this one, I thought Chasing Amy was superb.

[Jim H]

Uneven film, but it has some truely great and hilarious dialogue (I love the exchange between the woman asking what Randall thought of a movie).  The dramatic moments go on too long and weigh the film down a bit, I think.  Still, I liked it enough to pay $8 for the DVD, so I guess that's something.

[Georgie Boy]

I disagree about the Kevin Smith downslide.  I think Chasing Amy and Dogma were both pretty good films.  Fun stories, fun characters and great dialogue.  What more do you want?

[Mr_Vindictive]

Clerks is by far my favorite of the Smith films.  It's crude, but it's damn funny throughout.

***Language Warning****

Dante Hicks: My girlfriend's sucked 37 dicks!
Customer: In a row?

****Language Over****


This film is just filled with hilarious quotes, and the scene with the mother and daughter w/ Randall spouting off the porno names is funny as hell.  

For anyone interested (probably not), Smith is working on a sequel to Clerks at the moment.  So far the working title is: "Passion Of The Clerks"

[odinn7]

"This job would be great if it wasn't for the customers."

I also agree with Blue about the Death Star dialogue...classic. This movie was real funny to me and I don't often find comedies to be too amusing.

[Shadowphile]

How can a movie where a girl has sex with a dead guy in variety store bathroom be a bad thing?   It's just a fun movie and a marvelous character study.  I know these people.  I'm engaged to a female version of Dante.  There is an alternate ending involving a robbery that just puts the nail in the coffin of the wreck that is Dante's life.  It's a shame it got cut.

Kevin Smith's movies are hit or miss.  They all have their moments.   Personally I prefer Dogma, but I think it could have been better if they hadn't tried to get so many laughs.  

Frankly, I think taking Jay out completely and replacing him with a trained ape would improve all of the movies immensely.  And once again, Silent Bob says something worth listening to.

[Dolph Lundgren]

Good movie, but not one I can watch over and over again.  I'm with Jim H in that the dramatic moments kill the pacing for me.  Still, the part with Randall naming off the adult movie titles in front of the customer and her child, and, more importantly, Olaf the Russian metal singer and BERZERKER, make this movie worth watching at least once.

Olaf: My love for you is like a truck, BERZERKER!  Would you like some making f**k, BERZERKER!
Jay: That's pretty f**king funny.
Lady: Did he just say "making f**k?"

Olaf: My love for you is ticking clock, BERZERKER!  Would you like to suck my c**k, BERZERKER!
Guy: That's beautiful, man.

[nobody]

I think that sequel is the biggest mistake yet. Why can't anyone leave well enough alone?

[Yaddo 42]

Loved the movie, but it is one that I only want to see once in a while, it would probably lose it's luster if I watched it too often. It is a kind of comic snapshot of life at a particular age. Like others said, I know these people or ones just like them. Hell, I used to have a guy who was a redneck version of Jay for a boss! And I've known way too many Randalls for own own good.

I've said it before but I have to avoid cracking up whenever anyone says "37" in normal conversation.

While I like most of Smith's films I've seen, I think his dialogue and characters are better than his plotting or his direction. As his career broadened and he had access to bigger budgets (relatively speaking) and better actors (or bigger names anyway) his faults have become more obvious. Clerks, Dogma, and Chasing Amy I like. Mallrats has it's moments, I don't hate it, but it really is a bunch of vingettes strung together on a bare bones weak plot. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a in-joke love letter to his buddies and fans, I chuckled at times but found myself looking at the clock and rolling my eyes a lot (esecially when Chris Rock appeared), the director's commentary is an annoying series of name dropping, spelling out jokes that aren't that funny anyway, and kissing his wife's ass. Haven't seen Jersey Girl, and don't really want to since he acted like this was his "grownup, sincere, heartfelt movie", yet every review I read called it sappy, sentimental, trite, by-the-numbers, formula moviemaking.