"I ASSURE YOU; WE'RE OPEN."
In 1994, Kevin Smith made his directional debut with this film, chronicling a day in the life of a convenience store clerk. It’s shot in black and white, is incredibly low budget, and ultimately, a very good film. Clerks is a once in a lifetime type of movie.
Successful directors usually only have such a raw output once before they are given a bigger budget (Christopher Nolan’s first film Following is a prime example). Other times we only see it in hard to find shorts or student films. Kevin Smith’s technique is flawed yet speaks volumes to his potential as a director. Smith reportedly shot Clerks with a measly $27,575. For those not in the know, $27k is a tiny budget. It’s shocking you can even make a film that cheap (although Robert Rodriguez’ first film, El Mariachi, was made with only $7,000!). What’s more shocking, is Clerks went on to gross over $3 million at the box office. I think anyone who’s even thought of making a movie before should be in awe of that astronomical difference.
But there’s a reason it grossed that much. At its heart, Clerks is a film that deconstructs the day-to-day grind of working in a dead-end job and questions why we do it. Probably one of the biggest details Smith gets right is the dialog. Conversations play out like they would between real people. Petty debates and arguments are routine among friends in reality. Smith captures that spirit in Dante and Randal’s conversations (played by Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson respectively), whether it’s about annoying customers or the innocent victims in Star Wars. Aside from Quentin Tarantino’s movies, few films capture the spirit of actual conversation. There is a good reason for that: real life conversations are boring. Luckily this movie is about boredom so pointless dialog is actually appropriate for once.
Clerks is not without it’s flaws though. From the poor lighting on the external shots to the random cut away shots to feet during conversations, it’s obvious that this was a first time director on a budget. And those mistakes can be forgiven in the context of the film. Less forgivable, however, is the acting. I don’t think there is a single performance that can be considered good. Passable, yes, but good? Sorry. Thankfully, the film rarely flirts with bad performances. Occasionally, lines seem simply read but never enough to derail the film. Dante’s continuous quote, “I’m not even supposed to be here today,” borders on the melodramatic at times and are really the only moments that the film noticeably breaks the illusion of disbelief. One could argue that as Clerks is meant to mirror reality and the uneventful life that the acting is good because that is how real people actually talk and act, but I’m not buying it.
Still, despite its flaws, Clerks is a worthwhile film. Anyone who has ever worked in retail or any monotonous job will find similarities to their life and it’s nice to see a film tackle the idea of a dead-end life without throwing some cliché, Hollywood life lesson that nicely wraps everything up. And anyone interested in early, low budget works by big named directors will be thoroughly enjoyed.
Successful directors usually only have such a raw output once before they are given a bigger budget (Christopher Nolan’s first film Following is a prime example). Other times we only see it in hard to find shorts or student films. Kevin Smith’s technique is flawed yet speaks volumes to his potential as a director. Smith reportedly shot Clerks with a measly $27,575. For those not in the know, $27k is a tiny budget. It’s shocking you can even make a film that cheap (although Robert Rodriguez’ first film, El Mariachi, was made with only $7,000!). What’s more shocking, is Clerks went on to gross over $3 million at the box office. I think anyone who’s even thought of making a movie before should be in awe of that astronomical difference.
But there’s a reason it grossed that much. At its heart, Clerks is a film that deconstructs the day-to-day grind of working in a dead-end job and questions why we do it. Probably one of the biggest details Smith gets right is the dialog. Conversations play out like they would between real people. Petty debates and arguments are routine among friends in reality. Smith captures that spirit in Dante and Randal’s conversations (played by Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson respectively), whether it’s about annoying customers or the innocent victims in Star Wars. Aside from Quentin Tarantino’s movies, few films capture the spirit of actual conversation. There is a good reason for that: real life conversations are boring. Luckily this movie is about boredom so pointless dialog is actually appropriate for once.
Clerks is not without it’s flaws though. From the poor lighting on the external shots to the random cut away shots to feet during conversations, it’s obvious that this was a first time director on a budget. And those mistakes can be forgiven in the context of the film. Less forgivable, however, is the acting. I don’t think there is a single performance that can be considered good. Passable, yes, but good? Sorry. Thankfully, the film rarely flirts with bad performances. Occasionally, lines seem simply read but never enough to derail the film. Dante’s continuous quote, “I’m not even supposed to be here today,” borders on the melodramatic at times and are really the only moments that the film noticeably breaks the illusion of disbelief. One could argue that as Clerks is meant to mirror reality and the uneventful life that the acting is good because that is how real people actually talk and act, but I’m not buying it.
Still, despite its flaws, Clerks is a worthwhile film. Anyone who has ever worked in retail or any monotonous job will find similarities to their life and it’s nice to see a film tackle the idea of a dead-end life without throwing some cliché, Hollywood life lesson that nicely wraps everything up. And anyone interested in early, low budget works by big named directors will be thoroughly enjoyed.
6/10
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