Rarely is a script so clearly the star of a movie, but "Clerks" is clearly a product of the unique mind behind it, Kevin Smith. This is a filmmaking debut with a clear idea of what it wants to say and how it wants to say it, namely in the form of casual conversation that ranges from profane to profound.
The vessels by which these thoughts and ideas are delivered go by the names of Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), 22-year-old New Jersey convenience and video store clerks, respectively, who are pals despite drastically different attitudes toward their "dead-end" jobs. The film predominantly follows Dante over the course of a day at the Quick Stop, a day that he was never supposed to work in the first place. In addition to persistent stop- ins from Randal, he is visited by/chats with his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), grapples with the news about of a couple other ex-girlfriends and deals with a host of unusual customers, not to mention the shady characters who hang out outside the store including Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith).
"Clerks" plays out as "scenes at a convenience store" for the majority of its runtime to the point that it could've been a play and almost worked just as well. Film, however, feels more fitting; there's something about the context of this actual dinky convenience store location and the way Smith carefully selects his shot angles in each scene (shot in black and white) that brings everything together. The "theater" would betray the down-to-earth New Jersey reality of it all, even though so much of the film centers on dialogue.
What Smith is able to convey in a series of conversations, most filmmakers have to construct elaborate scenes in order to communicate. He can take a conversation about blowjobs or something even more inane and turn it into something much bigger. That's a hell of a skill. The only pitfall is that none of the actors can reel in the cleverness and timing of Smith's words. In some scenes the acting sort of just dissipates leaving only dialogue – these poor actors have to make these quip-filled exchanges sound like natural banter between minimally educated middle-class slackers.
Nevertheless, the script carries "Clerks" to the notoriety Smith has earned over the last couple decades. It's an entertaining tennis match of dialogue that's sharp, occasionally satirical and most importantly, taps into the core of what young people struggling to do something with their lives all feel. And he doesn't just go there with the conversations; he illustrates it in the various seemingly mundane dilemmas and conflicts Dante encounters through the course of his day.
Maybe most significantly of all, Smith speaks for the outcast in "Clerks." He speaks for the guy living in his parents' basement, the guy working a convenience store job, the guy who spends his days loitering outside convenience stores or playing street hockey and other characters society frowns upon for not "doing anything with their lives." He points out that despite their disregard for societal protocols, they still have smart things to say and above all, like "the rest of us," still yearn for meaning in their lives.
~Steven C
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The vessels by which these thoughts and ideas are delivered go by the names of Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), 22-year-old New Jersey convenience and video store clerks, respectively, who are pals despite drastically different attitudes toward their "dead-end" jobs. The film predominantly follows Dante over the course of a day at the Quick Stop, a day that he was never supposed to work in the first place. In addition to persistent stop- ins from Randal, he is visited by/chats with his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), grapples with the news about of a couple other ex-girlfriends and deals with a host of unusual customers, not to mention the shady characters who hang out outside the store including Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith).
"Clerks" plays out as "scenes at a convenience store" for the majority of its runtime to the point that it could've been a play and almost worked just as well. Film, however, feels more fitting; there's something about the context of this actual dinky convenience store location and the way Smith carefully selects his shot angles in each scene (shot in black and white) that brings everything together. The "theater" would betray the down-to-earth New Jersey reality of it all, even though so much of the film centers on dialogue.
What Smith is able to convey in a series of conversations, most filmmakers have to construct elaborate scenes in order to communicate. He can take a conversation about blowjobs or something even more inane and turn it into something much bigger. That's a hell of a skill. The only pitfall is that none of the actors can reel in the cleverness and timing of Smith's words. In some scenes the acting sort of just dissipates leaving only dialogue – these poor actors have to make these quip-filled exchanges sound like natural banter between minimally educated middle-class slackers.
Nevertheless, the script carries "Clerks" to the notoriety Smith has earned over the last couple decades. It's an entertaining tennis match of dialogue that's sharp, occasionally satirical and most importantly, taps into the core of what young people struggling to do something with their lives all feel. And he doesn't just go there with the conversations; he illustrates it in the various seemingly mundane dilemmas and conflicts Dante encounters through the course of his day.
Maybe most significantly of all, Smith speaks for the outcast in "Clerks." He speaks for the guy living in his parents' basement, the guy working a convenience store job, the guy who spends his days loitering outside convenience stores or playing street hockey and other characters society frowns upon for not "doing anything with their lives." He points out that despite their disregard for societal protocols, they still have smart things to say and above all, like "the rest of us," still yearn for meaning in their lives.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more