The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order, by June 10, 2015. Remaining movies: 311 Days to go: 298
Movie #62: Clerks.
“I’m not even supposed to be here today!” Such is the much-repeated lament of poor Dante (Brian O’Halloran), the clerk at the local Quick Stop. Dante closed the night before, you see, but the person who was supposed to open called off and although the boss promised to be in by noon, in fact he was vacationing in Vermont. But he knew Dante would step up to the plate, because despite the meaningless, mind-numbingly annoying work, Dante takes it seriously. Well, sort of.
For anyone who has ever worked in this sort of minimum wage, constant-contact-with-the-public retail position, Clerks feels very familiar. The stupid questions, the petty arguments, the bizarre requests — they all happen on a fairly frequent basis. And yes, there are people who hang out there all day. And yes, there are days when the workers resent every single person who comes in the door. Not all days, mind you, but some.
That’s why Kevin Smith’s first feature was such a sensation. It felt real, in a sense. It was clearly gritty and unpolished — no one would mistake these actors for seasoned professionals — and that all lent itself, along with the black and white photography, to a sort of authentic feel, almost like a documentary in that way. This is what really goes on, Smith was saying, but he said other things as well. The counterbalance to Clerks‘s gritty authenticity are its rapid-fire, articulated arguments that would become a Kevin Smith trademark. Every word, every statement, is too thought-out, too slick, too rehearsed. While the jokes and the quips are all super funny, they are delivered in such a barrage, hardly allowing a single breath in between, that they only amplify the inexperience of all involved.
Not that this is a bad thing. I would argue that its amateurishness is part of its substantial charm. I mean, clearly, Kevin Smith is a man with a lot of theories about things — from Return of the Jedi to the infidelity rate of most “fine-looking women” — and Clerks is almost entirely, above all else, an opportunity for him to voice his theories in a public forum. And we all loved them! At least, I did, and all my friends did as well. There wasn’t a single person in my peer groups who didn’t expand on the Empire vs. Jedi argument, or consider the lives of the independent contractors who perished in the destruction of the second Death Star. Every single one of us knew all the words to both the crazy Russian “Berserker” song and Jay’s (Jason Mewes) “Smoking Weed” one. And everybody gets the reference when I say (often), “Bunch of savages in this town.” Clerks was a communal experience, and even though most of my friends probably haven’t watched it in years, it wouldn’t take but a small reference to bring it all back.
Of course, for anyone who watches a lot of Smiths’ filmography, there are many payoffs in characters and off-hand remarks that show up in other movies. Alyssa Jones, from Chasing Amy, is mentioned here, as are several of the people/events she talks about in her movie, and the death of Julie Dwyer is a semi-major plot point in the upcoming Mallrats, to name just two. There are whole sites dedicated to the View Askewiverse, as it is known (Smith’s production company is View Askew), and the overlaps between films are numerous and varied.
All that said, I always found Dante to be a bit of a douche. I mean, he whines constantly, freaks out at his girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) for having gone down on more men than she’s “had sex” with, even though he’s going behind her back talking to (and hoping to reunite with) his ex-girlfriend, and even though he puts on a face of responsibility with regard to his job, he slacks off at least as much as Randal (Jeff Anderson) does.
Also, Randal is the best and all pale in comparison to him. I mean, Randal’s actually a total dick but at least he owns it. (“I don’t appreciate your ruse, ma’am.”)
Viable Option 