Clerks

Year: 1994 - View Askew  Director: Kevin Smith  Screenplay: Kevin Smith  Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Lisa Spoonhauer, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

Clerks is an overly-hyped, low-budget film by Kevin Smith. While this movie is the darling of most film critics, I find this picture merely an unambitious, run-of-the-mill, student film. The only thing that distinguishes this movie from most freshman endeavors is that it is shot on film and not videotape. While the script has a few bright spots, most of the film consists of sophomoric skits and urban legends. Additionally, the acting in the film is akin to what you would find in used car commercials. Kevin Smith's idea of directing seems to consist of placing the camera on a tripod and then making certain the actors don't move during dialogue so that their lines can be easily recorded by the boom mike. Smith overcomes the necessity of having to do all of that tricky sound editing by having all of his dialogue scenes recorded in one shot. There are very few edits in this film when someone is speaking. Some may see this as innovative, I say it is just lazy film making.  Perhaps this is the one true slacker film, written and directed by a total slacker.

Clerks records a day in the life of two young store clerks, Dante and Randal. Dante, played by Brian O'Halloran, is a convenience store clerk working on his day off. Dante has developed some sense of responsibility toward his job even though he hates it. Randal, played by Jeff Anderson, is more pragmatic. He knows he hates his job as a video store clerk and compensates by doing whatever he feels like during his working hours. Dante's life is going nowhere and mostly because of his own actions. He has a loving girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), who loves and believes in him, yet he is obsessed with an old high school flame, Caitlin(Lisa Spoonhauer). Dante resists continuing his education, which would be a ticket out of his job. His only highlight of the week is playing street hockey. His obsession with the game is such that he chooses to play on the roof of the store rather than not play at all. The roof-top game provides one of the more entertaining sequences of the movie.

During the day, Dante and Randal's stores provide a backdrop for Smith's little skits with the customers. Most of these are executed in the manner of a fraternity talent show. Smith's film is much stronger and funnier when he concentrates on the interaction of his main characters. The burlesque aspect of his skits provide real incongruity in the movie. Smith was a big admirer of Richard Linklater's Slacker. He should have realized the humor and strength of that film was in the richness of the characters. Smith's own film is better when its humor stems from Dante's conversations and conflicts with Randal, Veronica, and Caitlin. A real bright spot in the movie is the acting of Spoonhauer. The scenes with her and O'Halloran are the most naturally acted in the film. It's seems almost a dirty trick what Smith does with her character in the script. Ironically, Smith's own cameo role as the mute sidekick to a junkie played by Jason Mewes is one of the more memorable characters in the movie.

Throughout the film, Dante struggles with trying to come to terms with his situations in life and love. It takes losing both women and a lecture from Randal to put Dante's life in perspective. I know that Siskel and Ebert objected to Smith's original ending to Clerks where Dante is shot by a robber. I have no problem with that ending. Dante fate would be a lesson to everyone stuck in a cage of their own design.

Those who love Clerks will probably think I just didn't get the humor in the film. I got the humor, and even laughed out loud at a few of the jokes (Randal was very funny). It's just that I expected more. Low-budget does not have to be an excuse for low quality. I imagine all of the people who now like this movie will see it years from now with their kids and have a hard time explaining what all the fuss was about.

To visit the official site of this film link here: http://www.viewaskew.com/clerks/

Internet Movie Database: http://us.imdb.com