Film Classic: Clerks
It’s in black and white, it was made on an extremely minimal budget of $27,000 & it was the directorial debut of Kevin Smith. Yet Clerks managed to gross a respectable $3M at the box office and recieved an even more respectable cult following.
Working on one of the simplest premises to grace the screen, Clerks tells the story of two friends, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) & Randal (Jeff Anderson) who spend their time at the quick stop. Two guys, at a convenience store. Not only is this film just about two guys at a store, but these guys aren’t likeable at all. One of them is an insecure loser & the other is a complete and utter smart arse.
So with all that said, why is Clerks a good film? It has barely any plot and any likeable characters. The reason is exactly that. In the same way none of the characters in Seinfeld are likeable, Clerks showcases people just sitting around, talking about whatever the fuck they want. Pop culture junkies, the characters go from the innocent workers of the Death Star to their sexual experiences in toilets.
He’s rude to people, has no common decency and could be the most stubborn specimen to appear in film, but unemployed slacker Randal is one of the funniest one line cracking jokers that director Kevin Smith has created.
So, all in all, this film trulynworks by not trying. The characters, which are carefully built up to be cultural wisecrackers, carry this film alone.
sorry this is somewhat unfinished but my dog is way too distracting
