Clerks (Collector's Series) | Jeff Anderson, Lee Bendick

Clerks (Collector's Series) | Jeff Anderson, Lee Bendick | I'm not even supposed to be here today

DVDs:

Clerks (Collector'...

	Clerks (Collector's Series) Jeff Anderson, Lee Bendick Miramax, 1999 average customer review:based on 450 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

CLERKS RULZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ADMIT, IT WAS SLOW AT THE BEGGINING, BUT IT REALLY STARTED TO GET INTERESTING, THE CRAZY CIGGARETE SPOKESMAN, THE PEOPLE WITH IDIODIC QUESTIONS, AND JAY AND SILENT BOB. WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR. I CANT WAIT TO SEE THE SECOND ONE.

I'm not even supposed to be here today

I watched this one after I'd seen all of Kevin Smith's other films,so I caught the humor pretty quickly.I loved the fact that these two had such a blatant disregard for their customers and got to act however they wanted.It also occured to me that the whole film was in black and white.I loved it anyway.Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson were quite experienced for their first time out.Escapade after escapade ensues as these two store clerks get wrapped up in just about every misfortune you can think of.Clerks rocks!

for more information click here

"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"

Clerks is American filmmaker Kevin Smith's directual debut. The film cost about 25,000 to make, and went on to gross 3 million at the box office -not bad at all for a first movie. Today, the movie is viewed as a cult classic, quoted by many, and revered as Kevin Smith's best film to date -even after movies with bigger budgets.

Dante Hicks, played by Brian O'Halloran, is called in to work at a New Jersey convenient store on a Saturday. He gets there to find that the shutters won't open, the customers that will walk in on that particular day all have major issues, two stoners Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith respectively, that hang around right outside his door all day, and his next door video store clerk buddy Randal, played by Jeff Anderson, is less excited about being at work than he is. In additon to that, he had arranged plans that day to play hockey - which he ends up doing on the roof of the store, and finds out a dirty secret from his woman that explodes into a fight and a possible affair with an old flame.

The film's plot might seem pointless, but Kevin Smith's hilarious dialogue makes Clerks an enjoyable film, plus the movie is shot in black and wite that gives it a sense of coolness. The movie also introduced the world to the quirky characters Jay and Silent Bob, who would end up appearing in all of Smith's future films.

Most importantly, Clerks has become an inspiration for many young American directors to make their mark with the smallest and most affordable budget possible.

Recommended

B+

for more information click here

Generation X at its (best|worst) -- strikeout which doesn't apply

Like many others, I believe, I got hold of the original 1994 "Clerks" because of the recently release sequel. What I found in this first installment is a good, authentic, sometimes quirky, sometimes hilarious comedy which I think we should take a bit more seriously that it takes itself.

Despite being shot pretty much in its entirety in the same two basic settings - a convenience store and a video rental store - "Clerks" manages not to get stale as it progresses because Kevin Smith is inventive in the way he shoots. The fact that this movie was done in a real life setting, where Kevin Smith actually worked at the time, lends it a lot of authenticity. The dialogue contributes for that and even the grainy amateurish black and white picture helps it.

According to Smith - who has this brilliant little role as an actor himself - this was meant to be the proverbial "movie about nothing", with a lot of F-word jokes. In theory, and then in practice, this kind of sounds like an R rated version of Seinfeld. Instead of Seinfeld's place and the coffee shop you have both stores, the relationship problems are also ever present even if in a much more earthly fashion. The real difference is that you get a lot of cursing. Other than that, it's just a day in the life of these two guys running two rusty little stores in Central Jersey.

Dante is the main character and his day shouldn't have gone down this way in the first place. He's just covering for a colleague at the store and all hell breaks loose throughout the day. Who really steals the movie for me is Randal, his partner at the video rental store right next door, with his acid view of life. The way he messes up with the head of all his costumers - including Dante's - is brilliant and funny. Nevermind if he should act like he does.

The dialogue ranges from fascinating to downright boring sometimes and it's definitely Tarantinoesque when at its best. It does suffer a bit on the acting department, which could have benefited from being a little more natural - seems rushed some of the time - but overall it's a great insight into the minds and state of affairs of Generation X America of mid 90s.

Which leads me to ask, where are we now? Maybe "Clerks II" will answer that, but I haven't seen it yet as I write this.

for more information click here

Enlightenment from behind the counter

- REVIEW

One way or another, we as people can relate to the Jersey folks in "Clerks." For me, I may not have lived in NJ, or work in a crappy job, or have a girlfriend who gave oral-sex to 37 guys (38 if I was included), but I can understand one key perspective from one of the main characters: life is full of disappointments. "Clerks" is not a disappointment, but it is a reminding tale of how disappointments lead to resentment, or at least lead to whining.

I find it impossible to give a lengthy opinion to a film like this without hinting any repetition. What else about this film that hasn't been said already? Some acknowledge the effort that Kevin Smith has put for this project, through the sacrifice of selling everything he has, and the result leads to this certifiable piece of indie.

I do have one constructive criticism about "Clerks", and I'm sure that's been irked many times, but still that's the one thing which hold the film back from what I think would be truly awesome: the acting. I don't mean the obvious-amateur audacity of the flaw, it's the script. The script is smart and cleverly-written, but when people are actually reading the lines, the dialogue is a bit farfetched. Some characters are alright with their acts, but others act like they're just reading the script and only hastened their performance just to hide that fact. Randall is sadly one of the others, and though his role is natural, his cohesive monologues are anything but. Seriously, no one ever talks that like. Then again, I'm criticizing at people who have no cinematic experience whatsoever.

Other than that, "Clerks" is a likable film with likable characters, if you can handle the harsh obscenity, which it has...a lot. I certainly like Randall, despite my issue with him, mostly because of his outrageous personality. He can say whatever he want and do whatever he likes, and he doesn't give a damn about anyone, except for Dante; he's free-spirited in a crass manner and very unapologetic. He's an a-hole that fans are rooting for. Dante's not so bad as the other half, his "I'm not suppose to be here" mentality makes him a relatable character. This film is just a taste of the "snootch-to-the-nooch-ness" of things to come, which created the insane iconic duo that is Jay and Silent Bob: say what you will about them, these two won't stop.

"Clerks" dealt not only with Star Wars references that made geeks have nerdgasms, but it dealt with the most thought-provoking subjects ever discussed, like 'not sucking your own ****'. No wonder the movie was a cult hit in the mid 90s; of course, I was only in elementary school back then, so I didn't know much of it. But watching the movie proves that to this day, it's still fresh, absurdly funny, and insightful to handle the new generation.

This is Del Keyes, saying "They might not like us, but we like them."

for more information click here