Clerks (1994)

Clerks is about as independent as a film can get. Made for around $30,000 as director Kevin Smith maxed out his credit cards, borrowed from friends and used insurance money for a car damaged by a flood. The look of the film would lead you to believe that they didn't even spend that much to make it. Shot entirely in black and white it looks suspiciously like they used the convenience store's security cameras to film it. But the cheapness about the film is the only thing that cost it 5 stars.

It doesn't really matter though. The script for this film is brilliant. It perfectly captures the reality of its characters and gives them great dialogue. It centers around Dante (Brian O'Halloran), a college drop out working at the Quick Stop convenience store. Next door is his best friend Randal (Jeff Anderson), working at RST Video. Parked outside the two stores are drug dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith). Dante is working on what is supposed to be his day off and is barraged by endless annoying and bizarre customers.

I was actually working at a convenience school as a summer job when I first saw Clerks. The humor was so sharp and the depiction of the job was so accurate that I nearly hurt myself laughing. It perfectly captures the combination of constant irritation and sheer mindless boredom that is a part of being a clerk. While I never attempted some of the more outlandish acts committed by Dante and Randal, I felt the same temptation to do them that they did. You would be tempted to spit water on a customer too if they insisted on reading you the tabloid headlines. The meaningless nature of the work forces the clerk to actually overstate their importance in a desperate attempt to add some relevance to the job. They tend to look down on the customers, who couldn't care less about the kids behind the counter. That is how Dante and Randal act and I know I was no different.

Watching the movie again I find that despite being long removed from my days as a clerk, the movie still rings true. The dialogue really carries the movie. Characters have real thoughts and discussions instead of simple one liners meant to push the story along. There isn't really a story here. It's just one day as a clerk. The dialogue and interaction between characters is all that's needed. The amazing thing is that despite the limited range of location (it takes place almost entirely in and around the two stores) it never gets tired. Smith is clever enough to make sure that things never get stale as his script continues to heap indignities upon Dante. He deserves extra credit for filling the store with a stream of different customers, even though his actual cast is very limited. That cast grows to include himself, his friends, the crew, his mother, and locals.

If you've ever held or currently hold a similar job, make sure you rent Clerks at the first opportunity. Even if you haven't held such a job you should enjoy the movie. Despite its ultra cheap production values, it rings true on a level very few slickly produced big budget movies can equal.

- John Shea