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Clerks - Collector's Edition Customer Reviews (52 - 54 of 86 Reviews)

Great Movie, But Will the Extra Stuff Be Released on VHS?
The first movie I saw by Kevin Smith was Mallrats. It got me hooked. The next day I rented Clerks and Chasing Amy. The man is such a great writer. I love how the characters are referred to in all three movies (Rick Derris, Julie Dwyer, and especially the Jones sisters).

Everyone is in a uproar over The Blair Witch Project, saying it's a new format and whatnot, but they forget about another low budget, black and white movie shot on 16MM starring actors no one's heard of. This is independent film at its finest, from the opening scene where Dante crashes out of his closet to the end where he asks Randal to "Randal out of the store," this film is a keeper.

My only complaint is that I'm not aware of a special edition being released on VHS, only DVD. Why should I suffer because I don't own a DVD player. Do you hear me Smith?! Release it on VHS. I want the complete version!

$37,000 Budget, Priceless Script
Because of budget restraints, "Clerks" is filmed in grainy black-and-white. Fortuitously, the audience feels like they're eavesdropping on the action through the convenience store's closed-circuit camera. And what are we privy to? An over-the-top, crude, rude, and bitingly funny look at the nihilistic existence of a cynical, twenty-something, cash register jockey. Kevin Smith is a masterful screenwriter (not so much as a director). He has a flair for dialogue almost unparalleled in contemporary cinema. Only Tarantino can match his wealth of pop-culture references and his characters' philosophical, id-obsessed personalities.

Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is woken from a disheveled slumber, and reluctantly summoned to cover a shift at his job down at the Quick Stop, a.k.a. Purgatory (by the way, the title card references to Dante Alighieri's "Inferno" give the film a hilarious air of pretentiousness, which perfectly meshes with the personalities of the characters). He is the sane centre of the film, providing much of the film's humour with his incredulous reactions to the customers who come into his store. Add to that his nihilistic mantra ("I'm not even supposed to be here today") and what you get is the epitome of the indie-cinema put-upon anti-hero. O'Halloran, who I believe is more a friend of director Smith's than a real actor, does well showing Dante's slow-burning mania. Dante's main source of anguish is Video Store clerk Randal (Jeff Anderson), anarchist, hyper-cynic, s**t-disturber, and self-professed best friend. Anderson, also an obviously amateur actor, delivers Randal's warped logic adequately enough. His shining moment comes when he places a phone order for a series of ridiculously titled porno movies in front of a mother and her young child.

In hindsight, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself) are the stars of Kevin Smith's movies. Here, their first outing, they do little more than brighten up the background. Although, all the staples of their later appearances are here: Jay's hyperactive motor mouth; the obsession with pot and women; Silent Bob's Zen-Buddhist aura and his one moment of vocal clarity. You wish they had more screen time here, but are consoled in the knowledge that they dominate the later Smith movies. Luckily, this film is full of Smith's sense of black humour and entertaining obsessions. And if you can get past the fact that most of the acting is stiff and that the convenience store windows are dark in what should be the middle of the day (Smith was forced to film at night), you'll find "Clerks" an addictive, low-rent treasure.

CLERKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Word of mouth & personal expierience made me want to see this movie.And when I did,it left an indelible mark.Grant,Clerks will have you rolling from beginning to end(such phrases as Chewlies Gum,37,____mopper,Berzerker,shoe polish,& salsa shark bring to mind this film),but it's a look at Gen X 20-somethings in the 90's.The bad job,the stagnation,& the indecisiveness of life at that age.Brian O'Halloran plays Dante Hicks,the convienience store jocky with all the whiny"I HATE MY LIFE BUT DON"T WANT TO CHANGE IT"attitude I hear among Gen-Xer's.But Jeff Anderson plays Randell Graves ,the video store clerk and the ultimate slacker.He hates his job,not his life.Disregard his responsibility to his job 'cos he knows it's a dead end and there is something better.After a day when Dante is conned and complaining about working on his day off(as well as other bizarre circumstances)Randell sets Dante straight telling him that he overdramatise things to make his life seem more interesting than what it is.Kevin Smith is a genius.Even though his movies fall on the wayside sometimes(Mallrats,Dogma),his skewed vision has brought him a following.Legend has it that he sold his comic book collection to finance Clerks.It shows he sacrificed something he loved for something his fans will embrace & love for many moons to come

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