Director: Kevin Smith
Screenplay: Kevin Smith
Starring: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, Kevin Smith
Country: United States
Running Time: 100 minutes
Year: 2022
BBFC Certificate:
The making of Clerks is a fairy tale of modern Hollywood and Kevin Smith would have you believe anyone could have done it, but tenacity will only get you so far. Smith is a modest but prodigious and talented foul-mouthed filthy raconteur. Still, his directing career had all but stalled since the superb Red State. Much as I’d love to see him tackle another original narrative film, his View Askewniverse has bullet-proof affection even a dud like Jay and Silent Bob Reboot can’t dent, so you can’t blame him for returning to the New Jersey well. He’s sly too. His fan base is like no-one else’s and he pushes physical media through them so well that Lionsgate let him make more movies.
Still, I went into Clerks III thinking that this would be it. The final self-indulgent fling that sees Smith disappear up his own backside. And yet, it’s a perfect View Askew movie. Scrappy, flawed, puerile, so meta it really should evaporate in its own vacuum, but also honest and cheekily sentimental. Actually, puerile is a plus. No-one tells a dick gag like a Kevin Smith movie.
Post-heart attack, Smith has been in a reflective mood and in the first act of the new film, he puts Randal (Jeff Anderson) through the same wringer. While his ticker almost blows, Randal sees his life flash before his eyes, most of it behind a counter with Dante (Brian O’Halloran), and resolves to make something to leave a mark: a movie. The film he makes by scraping cash and luck together is what we know to be the original Clerks. So obvious it should have a red nose that makes honk-honk noises. Stick with it, you’re amongst friends.
If you know your Clerks history, just having these guys in the same damn room is a delight. Even Ben Affleck (the bomb in Phantoms, yo) pops up among many cameos, not to mention some of the cast who have had their ups and downs since even Clerks II. Smith’s not only using what he knows, he’s leveraging who he knows too, and it works. It shouldn’t, but it does.
Despite the intervening years and Smith’s success, Clerks III hasn’t forgotten its working man roots. It’s still relatable, a comedy about normal guys just trying to work their shift, the weird customers they have to deal with and how life hasn’t quite panned out how they thought. It’s frequently hilarious, with a solid vein of melancholy. The humour is often crude, but never cruel.
Smith is back in front of the camera too as Silent Bob with Jason Mewes’ Jay, and the pair of them steal several scenes, though Elias (Trevor Fehrman), a Jesus loving Satanist, takes them right back again. The film’s broken heart belongs to Brian O’Halloran as the weary Dante. He’s grieving the loss of Becky (Rosario Dawson) and his belief that she was his one shot at being somewhere he was supposed to be for once. Not behind the counter for a start, and Randal’s near death experience puts everything in sharp relief. Jeff Anderson does well as Randal, who despite his new found purpose is still a hilarious jerk. Dante’s bittersweet and sentimental arc is the connective tissue for the series of sketches and daft customers, some of whom we’ve seen before, like many of the gags. Still, the banter is irresistible.
The more you know about Smith, the more rewarding Clerks III is, but a complete New Jersey stranger should still find something to love. More polished, but trying to hew close to its micro-budget beginnings, Clerk III uses nostalgia as a repetitive crutch. And yet, that Dante through-line, the clear sense of good natured fun, and an ageing cast and crew as determined as Randal to produce a thoughtful coda for the Clerks trilogy, makes for a lovable mongrel of a movie. Smith knows exactly what he’s doing and more power to him. Makes you think about giving Yoga Hosers another chance. Well, maybe not.
EXTRA FEATURES
Here’s where things get interesting. It is said that the last creative act of any film is its audience and while Clerks III is a decent comedy in its own right, not-so-secret weapon Kevin Smith is making sure it continues to reach his fanbase. He introduces the film, with an enthusiastic thank you for continuing to buy physical media, including this one. And make sure you listen through the credits; as John Gorka’s I’m from New Jersey fades out, Smith is back with a lovely anecdote about the ending.
It’s a packed release, as Smith’s classic movies always were. There’s the obligatory commentary, deleted scenes, plus a couple of great documentaries looking at the making of the new film, which has its own fairy tale moments, and the history of the Clerks mythology.
Whatever you think of the movie, any View Askew fan will enjoy this release and it’s almost a surprise Kevin Smith himself doesn’t turn up on your doorstep with snacks when you want to watch it, he’s that embedded in the whole project.
Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Kevin Smith, Actors Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman and Austin Zajur
The Clerks III Documentary
We’re Not Even Supposed To Be Here Today: 3 Decades of Clerks Documentary
Deleted and Alternate Scenes
