CLERKS (1994) Reviewed by Jerry Saravia August 21st, 2001
"Do you know what the real tragedy of all this is? I am not even supposed to be here today!" - Dante
That one line sums up Dante's life in a nutshell (well-played by Brian O'Halloran). He is a Quick Stop convenience store clerk in Leonardo, N.J. with no real ambition in life except to serve customers and whine all day long. If only he could see how farfetched that life is since he obviously possesses some potential and is generally a smart guy. It only takes his best friend, Randal (Jeff Anderson), and Dante's girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), to make him see the light.
I am of course describing the incredibly funny debut of director Kevin Smith, known as "Clerks," a hilarious, obscene and unpredictable comedy that is something of a classic in its genre. The fact that it was independent shows where real talent for writing lies - from people like Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, David O'Russell, among others. They all got their start in low-budget features and Smith's debut may be the most impressive of all since I have yet to see a film of his that rivals "Clerks" for sheer audacity and sharp humor.
The film begins at Dante's home where he is woken by his boss and told to show up for work. It's his day off and he has a hockey game in the afternoon but there is not much of a choice - Dante has a problem saying no to people. He shows up at the convenience store, opens it, discovers gum in the shutter locks, and begins his day selling various items to customers. The customers who come to the store are certainly a colorful bunch. One is a guidance counselor who peruses each and every egg in the cartons. Another complains that the video store next door is closed. There is an older man who needs to read porno magazines in the bathroom. And so on. Randal is the next-door video store clerk who shows up late and berates and curses his customers. He is the fearless leader of his domain, abusing his power as a clerk as an excuse to spit on and shout at people. Randal hardly spends much time in his store, and always walks in to Dante's store and makes his life miserable.
Dante: "You hate people!"
Randal: "But I love gatherings. Isn't that ironic?"
There are too many good scenes, almost all are side-splittingly funny and truthful. Randal is a jerk, but also an understanding and sensible jerk - he knows his life as a clerk is not much and that doesn't stop him from offending each and every customer. My favorite moment is when a customer asks about the quality of a couple of videos. Randal doesn't pay attention, makes no eye contact and points out to her that her "cunning attempt to trick him" is futile. It's funny and pointed humor, offering real-life clerks an opportunity to hear the things they would love to say.
Every scene with Dante is also brilliant, including a long scene where his girlfriend, Veronica, confesses to have had oral sex with about 37 guys. Dante's nauseousness sets in, questioning how she could not have slept with the guys like a decent person. His own manhood is tested and for the rest of the film, he whines about her oral abilities, though Veronica is a very sweet person who brings him lasagna to work.
And how can one forget the introduction of the drug dealer duo, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith), both who find smoking weed and getting laid is all that life has to offer.
Director Kevin Smith employs a proper visual cue of stabilizing his camera, occasionally going in for a close-up shot and then cutting to a long-shot. Every scene is practically a long-take so that we take the time to invest in Randal and Dante's running monologues about irksome customers, the merits of "Return of the Jedi," ex-girlfriends, funerals, and so on. It's a technique that works and doesn't call attention to itself. The irreverence of "Clerks" shines through like a bright diamond and Smith's ear for dialogue becomes clear. This style of direction helps during the wild, unbelievably crude twist in the film that is as shockingly profane as anything Smith has done since.
"Clerks" has been hailed as a rarity for low-budget pictures for its extreme low-budget - roughly 27,000 dollars. This of course does not add to the advertising and marketing campaign, not to mention a re-recorded soundtrack. It has also been one of the few films to have reversed its initial rating of an NC-17 to an R for raw language. Yes, it is raw but also hysterical, deep and truthful. We are not talking about an onslaught of potty-mouthed words with no rhyme or reason - Smith is too good a writer to let it sink to toilet humor. Some have professed to finding "Clerks" raw and offensive. This may be true but it is a one-of-a-kind comedy that speaks the truth of its characters more so than most movies of its ilk. It's not just about vilification.
For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/JATMindex.shtml
E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at faustus_08520@yahoo.com or at Faust668@aol.com
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