Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Director Kevin Smith is a genius. He was able to shoot this film for around $20,000, using loans and maxing out his credit cards to get the money. His friends took on multiple roles and acted as crew on the side. He ‘borrowed’ the store he worked at part-time as a setting for this festival of inane Jersey melodrama. It paid off brilliantly.

The story follows the trials and tribulations of Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran), a man who is woken from a restful sleep in his closet by a phone call WAY too early in the morning. It’s his day off – or rather, it was - but they need him to come in for a while. He’s hesitant, because of a hallowed hockey game at noon. Luckily, Dante has no spine, and the game’s afoot.

His day starts with gums in the locks, preventing him from opening the shutters on the store*, and gets progressively worse. In the first hour or so, he is assaulted by the stupid, by a gum salesman masquerading as a anti-cigarette vigilante, fights with his girlfriend and has a run-in with his best-friend, the eternally damnable Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). Working in the Quick Stop may be bad enough – dealing with this lunatic crowd is pure mayhem.

Randal is the guy that everyone hated in high school – and with good reason. He’s a smartass, he’s rude, he’s crude, he’s the guy that you know gets beat up often for opening his mouth to the wrong people. Imagine Howard Stern if he’d grown up in central Jersey – and then give him an attitude. You’ve still got a better man than Randal. To give you an example, his view of his job at the video store - "This job would be great if it wasn't for the f@&%!#* customers." And yet, this is the guy that Dante turns to for sage-like wisdom. Unfortunately, wisdom comes on many levels – from Yoda to Larry Flynt, and Randal is a mixture of both.

But yet, he gets some of the best lines in the film. While Dante comes off as a whiner many times, Randall is the protector versus the stupidity of the everyday shopper.

Customer: Are either one of these any good? [Randal ignores her.] Sir?
Randal Graves: What?
Customer: Are either one of these any good?
Randal Graves: I don't watch movies.
Customer: Well, have you heard anything about either one of them?
Randal Graves: I find it's best to stay out of other people's affairs.
Customer: You mean you've haven't heard anybody say anything about either one of these?
Randal Graves: Nope.
Customer: [Turns around, then shows Randal the same movies] Well, what about these two?
Randal Graves: Oh, they suck.
Customer: These are the same two movies! You weren't paying any attention!
Randal Graves: No, I wasn't.
Customer: I don't think your manager would appreciate...
Randal Graves: I don't appreciate your ruse, ma'am.
Customer: I beg your pardon?
Randal Graves: : Your ruse; your cunning attempt to trick me.
Customer: I was only pointing out that you weren't paying any attention to what I was saying!
Randal Graves: And, I hope it feels good.
Customer: You hope WHAT feels good?
Randal Graves: I hope it feels so good to be right. There's nothing more exhilarating than pointing out the shortcomings of others, is there?
Customer: Well, this is the last time I rent here!
Randal Graves: You'll be missed.

And therein lies the environment for Smith to create this cult classic. To home in on the drudgery of working in a mini-mart and a video store takes guts. But he pulls it off brilliantly, focusing on the insanity which inhabits those places in the moments when we are safe at home or doing anything else but visiting them.

You ever think that you’ve had a bad day? Try Dante’s on for size. Other than dealing with the normal denizens of the convenience store, he encounters irate video customers, has to attend a funeral for a girl from school and yet somehow manages to STILL pull off his mid-day hockey game (on the roof of the store, no less). His job may suck, but you have to applaud his tenacity.

Dante struggles with his day of rest being encroached upon, all the while trying to figure out what to do about his current girlfriend, Veronica (Marilynn Ghigliotti) and an ex he can’t give up on, Caitlin Bree (Lisa Spoonauer, who ironically is married to Jeff Anderson now). This bizarre love triangle tears at his mood, his sanity and his emotions as Caitlin shows up to stir up more trouble for the lost soul which is Dante.

Also introduced here are the main characters of the Red Bank Trilogy (which will actually be 5 films by the time it’s done): Jay Phat Bud (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith, himself). These two provide little at the beginning of the film other than comic relief and an interlude from the inside of the stores. It isn’t until later that they start to develop as real people – particularly when Silent Bob delivers his one piece of wisdom (a tradition in Smith films). Only then do we realize that there is a mind under that baseball cap. As for Jay, well, let’s just say that Randal has a challenge as the most depraved member of this motley crew.

There are too many great ideas and scenes here to really deconstruct, but Kevin Smith’s warped humor is on fire in Clerks. He uses great dialog and oddball conversations – you know, the type that seem to breed in this environment – and created hilarious moments where you almost lose your breath.

Clerks is not for the faint of heart – it contains scenes that people with higher morals might be offended by. It’s DEFINITELY not for kids. But if you aren’t easily disturbed by foul language and sexual jokes, then this is one of the best films out there to sit back with some beer and a group of friends and laugh your butt off to.

One Last Thing
One thing about Clerks is how it relates to the others in the ‘trilogy’. All the Kevin Smith films are intertwined, and although you won’t understand them unless you see the rest of the films (Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma), there are some great connections. For example – the funeral they are attending will be touched on in all 3 of the original trilogy movies (you’ll have see the others to understand).

Oh, and the * - Kevin Smith was only allowed to use the store for shooting at night – hence he couldn’t open the security shutter. The gum explanation was a ruse...

DVD Extras

The DVD extras here are pretty decent, but don’t really add to the film overall. They consist of:

Commentary
Added commentary by Kevin Smith and other members of the cast. Although interesting at times, this really takes away from the film. This is supposed to be very basic – hearing Smith’s insights into what he was thinking somehow detracts from it.
Deleted Scenes
Some movies remove scenes because of time. Others because of ratings. In this case, they just needed to be removed. Although there are some decent scenes that were left on the cutting room floor, the majority of this was cut for good reason. One particularly well advised cut was the final scene that Smith had initially argued over. Even he admits that it was better left out, now.
Alternate Ending
This is something that was better left dead – particularly since it was based on the final scene which never made it into the movie.
Music Video
Comes with a music video from Soul Asylum, which ironically cost more to make than the movie. Of course, so did the rights to the soundtrack ($27,000 vs. $21,000 for production). The video’s okay, but nothing special.
Theatrical Trailers
These are nice as a bonus – if for no other reason than I don’t think I ever saw them. They aren’t great trailers in and of themselves, but its a nice touch to a really good DVD.



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age

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