Review - Clerks (1994)

            Hey guys, Chuck here. Next week, Kevin Smith is releasing his latest film Clerks III, and before I give my thoughts on that movie, I thought I might take a look at the original 1994 film Clerks starring Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes, Walt Flanagan, Marilyn Ghiliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, and Kevin Smith. 

           So, the movie introduces us to Dante Hicks, who is a convenience store clerk working at the Quick Stop in Leonardo, New Jersey, and is called in on his day off because the guy who's supposed to open the store that day called in sick. While reluctant, he's convinced to open because his boss will take over at noon. Dante heads in, opens the store, but has a problem: someone jammed chewing gum into the locks for the steel shutters. This is the in-universe reason for the shutters being closed, because in real life, director Kevin Smith, who was an employee of Quick Stop at the time, was only permitted to film at night when the store was closed. But anyway, because of the gum in the locks, Dante makes a sign using shoe polish and a sheet, with the sign reading "I Assure You, We're Open." 

          As the day goes on, we also meet a pair of pot-dealing slackers named Jay and Silent Bob, who hang out just outside of the store.  We also meet Dante's girlfriend, Veronica, who rescues him from a crowd that was egged on by a representative of Chewlie's Gum to throw cigarettes at Dante. Unfortunately, Dante and Veronica get into an argument over his unwillingness to attend college classes with her, and other things. Later on, we meet Randal Graves, who is Dante's best friend and is a clerk at RST Video, which is the video store right next to Quick Stop. Dante and Randal hang out while dealing with customers in both stores, while also discussing various topics, such as Dante's pining over an ex-girlfriend, Caitlin Bree, while still dating Veronica, and also whether there may have been independent contractors working on the Death Star Ii when it was destroyed during Return of the Jedi. Dante and Randal, who are unable to leave the stores empty, set it up to play their hockey game on the store roof, but are forced to leave to attend a wake for another one of Dante's ex-girlfriend's, Julie Dwyer, who died from a brain aneurysm while swimming laps at the local YMCA.

            After a disaster at the wake, Dante and Randal return to the stores, and Randal takes off to a more upscale video store to rent a movie. Dante learns from Caitlin, who shows up just after Randal leaves, that a story he read in the paper about her engagement was true, but she was breaking off the engagement because she wasn't looking to get married just yet. Unfortunately, an incident in the bathroom involving a customer from before who died some time that afternoon while using the bathroom (don't ask), leaves Caitlin in a state of shock, and she goes to the hospital. Later on, after a talk with Jay and Silent Bob, where Silent Bob reminds him of how Veronica brought him lasagna for lunch, Dante realizes he loves Veronica and wants to be with her and not Caitlin. Unfortunately, Randal spilled the beans to Veronica about Dante looking to leave her and get back together with Caitlin. Veronica then furiously berates Dante for wanting to be with Caitlin, and she ends their relationship, and later tells him how pathetic it was to have Randal tell her about Dante and Caitlin. Shortly after, Randal walk in, and Dante proceeds to, badly I might add, kick the crap out of him. 

           Dante and Randal get over the fight, and the two close up shop, with Dante planning to call out the next day. The movie ends with Randal tossing the "I Assure You, We're Open" sign at Dante and saying "You're closed!" 

         Clerks is a really fun movie, and I enjoy it for it's slice-of-life type of story about two friends in equally dead-end jobs. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson are both iconic as Dante and Randal, and of course Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith were fantastic as Jay and Silent Bob. The entire film was shot in black and white, due to those being the only type of cameras Kevin Smith could afford for the movie, and it honestly gives the movie a very otherworldly feel. Brilliant writing and phenomenal directing by Kevin Smith is really what makes this movie fantastic. Unfortunately, a lot of elements of this movie, including language and topics of discussion throughout the movie, will probably be a major turn-off for certain viewers. I, personally, enjoy the movie Clerks, and I'm giving it a 5/5. 

        This is Chuck signing off, and be sure to join me tomorrow for my review of Clerks II.