Clerks.
Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes & Kevin Smith.
Directed by: Kevin Smith (Dogma, Clerks II, Chasing Amy)
92 Mins
Rated R on appeal for extensive use of extremely explicit sex-related dialogue.
Score: 9/10
Watch Now For Free Online
Clerks is filmed over a one day period following the adventures of two shop clerks Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) who enjoy annoying their ridiculous customers.
The plot is genius with many things taking place over the day including Randall molesting a corpse at a funeral, Dante's girlfriend Caitlin having intercorse with a dead body in the shops bathroom, having a hockey game on the shop roof and being assaulted by an angry anti-smoking mob.
Even though clerks is such an incredible film it does its fair share of things to try and put off viewers, with its low budget setting, black and white camera shots and its constant rude language.
I think this should be overlooked as its the absolutely perfect social commentary that makes the film. The script is an absolutely spot on adolescent fueled overview of what teenage boys and young men socialise about. The stars of the show however are Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)- the two weed dealers who stand outside the Quickstop selling their drugs, and are damn right hilarious. Because of their impact on this film they went on to be main characters in other films including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma, Chasing Amy & Clerks II.
Each one is the complete opposite to the other, which makes them really appealing as characters. Jay is a very in your face person and all he cares about is pussy, drinking beers & smoking weed. Silent Bob on the other hand only talks once in the film and his words are very wise:
"You know there's a million fine looking women in the world dude, but they dont all bring lasagne in to work for you, they just cheat on you and shit"
Even though the budget does restrict the film, for example they cannot do specific scenes, one being the funeral scene of randall molesting the dead body (in order to get his keys which fell in her pants). This scene was re-done in animation form for the special edition DVD. Also the location remaining constant can be quite tedious at the beginning but it is quickly overlooked and forgotten about.
Overall Clerks is one of the most sincere comedys ever made, with the script defining a generation and the plot being ridiculously funny. This is why i gave the film 9/10.
Interesting Facts:
With a low budget, Kevin Smith actually filmed the film in the convenience store where he worked. He also didn't initially plan him or Jason Mewes to star in the film- they were just good friends (Jason had never really done any acting before). He ended up basing the character of Jay on Mewes and offered him the part close to the start of filming. Jason accepted and the rest, as they say, is comedy history.
Pat Mulhall
