It really is a shame that Kevin Smith has become such an insufferable git in the last few years or so because I think he has dragged Clerks down with him in the eyes of many.

Being as this was the first time I've watched Clerks for several years, I did wonder if I would have soured to it having tired of Smith in general in the last few years or so, but I really haven't. It's not as fresh or as funny as it was when I saw it for the first time back in 1996 or 1997 and I can't see that it is one of those films that necessarily rewards extensive rewatching. It has still remained very…

"This job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers."

Oh Jesus how I can relate to that. Clerks pretty much sums up the time in my life that was spent in retail hell and part time purgatory. Because of this, the movie has always been one of my guilty pleasures despite not really being a big fan of Kevin Smith. It's a great late night comedy and its always a movie that I find myself falling back on when I'm feeling down or having a bad day.

Clerks tells the story of two store workers, one from a stop and shop, the other from a video store. The clerk from the video store, Randal, often spends his…

There is only one character in "Clerks", and that's Kevin Smith.

His thoughts flow unfiltered through the mouths of the characters in this movie. No matter how brilliant, true and honest the dialog may be, I can't lie and say it doesn't bug me to some extent. I wish it didn't. It's as if you can take any line of dialog in the movie and put it under any character name and make it "work". It's breaking an unwritten screenwriting rule, and I don't think it comes from a conscious, creative standpoint. I mean, why would it? I think Kevin Smith simply had a lot on his heart, and decided to express it all in his first film, saving nothing.…

"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
-Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran)

Kevin Smith’s feature debut, Clerks, is a slice of comedy gold, a hilariously realistic representation of the monotonous existence of a group of Average Joe’s, nobodies with no clear sense of direction in life. It follows a day in the life of two convenience clerks, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), through a series of misadventures.
Produced on a tight budget with a cast comprising mostly of friends to the director, Clerks is quite a remarkable accomplishment, managing to be both smart, convincing and honestly amusing. Shooting the entire film in black and white also works terrifically, as comparisons can be drawn with their ordinary, dull realities.…

I generally forgot how perfect this film is. Everything about it is brilliant - the characters are all likable, my favourite being the wittily offensive 'Randal'. The narrative is kept to a minimum, which is all that's needed to give it the lazy feel, the kind of feeling that we imply to all shop clerks. I don't know why, but the black and white hands down makes it better. Perhaps it adds to the minimalist approach - too lazy for colour.

But what stands out the most is the impeccable dialogue. 'Clerks' is full of intelligent zingers that delivers laughs per minute, constantly sticking a big grin on your face: "Shit, my mom's been fucking a dead guy for thirty…

There is only one character in "Clerks", and that's Kevin Smith.

His thoughts flow unfiltered through the mouths of the characters in this movie. No matter how brilliant, true and honest the dialog may be, I can't lie and say it doesn't bug me to some extent. I wish it didn't. It's as if you can take any line of dialog in the movie and put it under any character name and make it "work". It's breaking an unwritten screenwriting rule, and I don't think it comes from a conscious, creative standpoint. I mean, why would it? I think Kevin Smith simply had a lot on his heart, and decided to express it all in his first film, saving nothing.…

Part of '30 Years, 30 Movies': 1994

I know I won't be the first person (or the millionth) to point this out but I think the appeal of Clerks lies in it being endearingly shitty. I mean, stripped to it's core elements it should be something that I'd give a perfect five stars to. I love talky movies, I relate to the characters (kind of), I fucking love the soundtrack and I basically buy into the philosophy of the movie. All that stuff is perfect, but there's so much about the film that is just amateur and shitty. I know, I know, it's an amateur movie but I've seen a lot of small-budget movies that were way better acted and…