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Critics Consensus: With its quirky characters and clever, quotable dialogue, Clerks is the ultimate clarion call for slackers everywhere to unite and, uh, do something we guess?
Critic Consensus: With its quirky characters and clever, quotable dialogue, Clerks is the ultimate clarion call for slackers everywhere to unite and, uh, do something we guess?
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (6) | DVD (19)
A buoyant, bleakly funny comedy chronicling a day's worth of activity at two adjoining stores.
A hoot one moment, a hiss the next, the film is about as even as a city road after a hard winter. But the script's sheer vigour sees us through.
Clerks is so utterly authentic that its heroes have never heard of their generation.
At 24, Smith also knows something about casting. Using a mixture of stage actors and novices, he's found the right ensemble tone to make Clerks seem as spontaneous as it needs to be.
A collegiate and post-collegiate laugh fest.
The film looks no more expensive than it was; some of the acting (by local nonprofessionals) is spectacularly amateurish; the story is a series of anecdotes about hockey, shopping and loving the one you're with. But it's worth loitering in this shop.
still such a treat to watch over twenty years later, is through its ingenious snapshot of small-town Americana and the inertia of Generation Xers.
There's no denying the raw and energetic feel Smith created with a memorable script, great characters and a genuine sense of Gen X angst.
an exemplar of what can happen when the stars align and someone's home movie can help foment a revolution
Clerks remains a defining debut, a symbolic shot into the darkened domain of legitimate moviemaking.
...the film's inherent deficiencies are generally overshadowed by the distinctly earnest vibe.
Smith dogpiles absurdity and obscenity on top of each other. The dullness of the dead-end jobs is brightened by bizarre bits--a fat guy asking for softer toilet paper, drops dead on the toilet.
Kevin Smith deserved all the recognition that he got after presenting us with this hilarious slice-of-life cult movie, which was made with a very limited budget and yet is more authentic, refreshing and amusing than many comedies out there.
Super Reviewer
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Shot in black and white on a meager budget of $27,000, this is one of the best 'a day in the life of' or 'slice of life' films ever, and a quintessential part of 90s independent cinema, and the start of the remarkable career of writer/director/actor Kevin Smith. The simple plot follows two slackers in their early 20s who spend the day at their minimum wage jobs (a convenience store and an adjacent video store) dealing with a cadre of colorful customers and loiterers, chatting about pop culture, and riffing on their jobs, people (especially customers they dislike), and their own lackluster lives. Dante is reluctantly their on his day off, and half-hardheartedly tries to make the best of it. Randal is his best friend, and openly mocks what he does and the people he has to deal with. They are a good match together, and it is a joy watching them hang out and talk. As if the oddball customers and loiterers (especially drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob) weren't enough of an issue, Dante has to also deal with an ongoing fight with his girlfriend Veronica, and the temptation to get back together with his ex-flame Caitlin. Seeing this when I was around the age of the characters, and working at a place where it was easy to bitch about it and the customers, I was easily able to identify with this film, and take much influence from it. Now that I'm older, and somewhat wiser and more mature, my feelings towards this film have mellowed some, but not completely. Most of this holds up pretty well, though some of it is a tad dated. The optimist in me would say that this adds to the charm, especially since I'm a fan of Gen X, slacker-related stuff, and dig on early 90s style and aesthetics. As a first feature, and given the limitations (mostly budgetary), I'd say Smith was pretty successful at making the most of what he had, despite the fact that some of the film is pretty rough around the edges, and a tad aimless and meandering once in a while. I think the writing is still quite sharp, funny, realistic, and insightful. For a couple of foul-mouthed bums, Dante and Randal have some really good insights about people and life. They're not alone though, as the other characters have some choice observations as well. Yeah, the film is pretty raw and raunchy at times, but is actually rather tame compared to some of the stuff that has come out since 1994. Plus, even if it is vulgar, it's not just for the sake of it, and there's plenty of heart, depth, and, as I said, poignant observations. Even though I will grow older and likely lose touch with this film more and more as time goes on, it will always hold a special place in my heart. It's a wonderfully fun hangout movie, and a prime example of taking a little, and turning it into a lot.
Criative and entertaining, Clerks it's Kevin Smith best work.
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