Review of Clerks

I saw this as part of the 'Midnight Mauraders' series at the Showroom.

Off the bat, I have to say I am a big fan of this film (I have watched in the region of 15-20 times) and know it like the back of my hand, so seeing back on the screen in 35mm was a treat, the rougher the film looks only adds to the film's grungy aesthetic that encapsulates the early 90s slacker feel with a soundtrack comprised of 'grunge'.

The film was hugely influenced by Richard Linklater's 'Slacker', the film that reclaimed the term 'slacker' to mean a direction less twenty-something generation Xers, after 'Clerks' came out, they both became the forebearers for the entire genre that infected 90s culture, with the protagonists' from both films becoming the archetypes for a stereotypical 'slacker'.

But back to the film.

The film follows a day in the life of two 20-something, directionless convenience clerks (Dante and Randal- played excellently by Brian O'Halloran and Jaff Anderson) as they go about their day working in a deadend job and the misadventures that they get in to, and the collection of oddballs they encounter, such as two stoner characters, who would end up being the glue for the entire 'Viewaskeniverse' series of films.

Jay and Silent Bob, played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith (the writer and director), who provide a chaotic contrast to the protagonists; the two would continue to star in Smith's later films in small cameos ('Chasing Amy') to the stars of their own feature ('Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back').

The bulk of the film takes place in and around the convenience store, as the two protagonists discuss life, how a person's station in life affects their actions and Death Star politics, whilst harassing customers and selling kids cigarettes. The characters are what really make this film, and this is down to the writing, which is near flawless and is evident by the fact that the characters never feel less than real.

The film has a great soundtrack, likeable characters, nice black and white cinematography and a fantastic script that is endlessly quoteable.