ClerksWhen you're young, you've got all the time in the world to do what you want when you want. You're done with school, and the world's your oyster. But speaking from experience, even after college, you're not guaranteed a job, you're not going to find some great career in your chosen field out the door; you're going to have to do some time--and by "time", I mean working retail. Ahh, retail, the veritable purgatory of the workforce, the cashiers, the convenience store jockeys, the "clerks". You spend hour after hour, bored, annoyed, wishing for something better, stuck in that limbo, all the little dramas blowing up into more.
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I'm not dismissing the frustrations and aggravations suffered by the slaves of POS registers and change-makers abroad; no, I know too well what terrors lurk in those realms of devastating apathy and uniformed service hell. But that is a world that can't last, because--as evidenced by Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran)--he is frozen in a state of arrested development, obsessed with the past triumphs from his high school days--such as they were--and petrified of changing his situation. Again, I can't really blame Dante on this front; it's easy going in to work to do what a "monkey could basically do", something which his friend/provoker Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) reminds him of perpetually. But Dante has a lot of problems which I've seen accompany a sense of being absorbed in the meaningless chores and focus on a job which sucks. He tries to uphold the "responsibilities" of his job by being the good employee, even while a steady stream of jerk customers come in and insult and degrade him (been there). He comes in on his day off because someone called off sick (done that), but persists to whine and mope about it, playing himself out as a martyr. Frankly, I know what it's like to have to deal with abuse from crappy patrons--and I'm not too proud to say I've thrown a set of keys away under similar circumstances. So why does Dante put up with it? The same reason I did: it's better than taking the plunge and seeking out more enjoyable professions...it's relatively steady, but the catch is that you have to keep working to try to make ends meet because the pay is so crummy. So take Randal, who represents the other end of the spectrum. Here is an employee whose resigned himself to the fact that consumerism is just another system of castes, where the "haves" get to demand more from the "have nots". Sure, we all expect to be treated with a degree of civility, but sometimes customers just have some dumb questions. "When was the last time you were told you asked a dumb question? Probably never, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen"; that's basically Randal's outlook, and it's not all wrong. Not saying Randal's enlightened or anything, but he gets the game, and knows that no one else will work this terrible job, getting no money and having to endure the unwashed masses--might as well have a little fun with it.
What makes Clerks such an enduring hit is just how it really hits the nail on the head when it comes to that malaise which washes over you when you've been stuck behind the counter, having to say "thank you" to people and not really mean it, over and over again. Director and writer Kevin Smith fills his movie with moments of geek culture laced with a street-level philosophy and brusque eloquence, like the debate about the moral implications of blowing up the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Even though Clerks is--at least at a glance--a simple comedy about a couple of young guys goofing off working in a convenience store, there are a lot of pressing issues for young people explored within its narrative--stuff like "should I go back to college" or "is my girlfriend's sexual experience a blemish on my own male prowess in the bedroom?" It may seem like the kind of stuff which is minuscule compared to those so-called "bigger issues", but for guys who are getting their first real taste of independence a few years after high school, they hold resonance--for young adults of any age. These "little dramas" plague Dante more than Randal, because Dante has coping issues, and is terrified of any real change. His persistence at trying to rekindle the spark of romance with his old flame, the wanton Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer) is especially callow considering the devotion of his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti)--a woman who not only loves Dante enough to bring him lasagna at work between class, but who leaps to his rescue as he is pelted by cigarettes during a riot incited by a guerrilla-marketing Chewlee's Gum representative. It's not until late game when Dante is reminded by the outdoor fixtures of their fine establishment--the local drug dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)--that he is missing out on the attentions Veronica has given him...but it's anyone's guess if it actually sticks. Clerks possesses a certain kind of indie charm uniquely its own; whereas that might be a limitation on other movies, it is actually a badge of honor here, a mark that means that were it more expertly crafted, the artifice would be more apparent, and the movie would miss its mark--that is to preach to the crowds who have spent those hours and hours behind the counter, dealing out products for crumpled dollar bills and greasy quarters, suffering through the boredom, the tedium, the minor emergencies and the stupidest of clientele, for a pittance to take home. We empathize with Dante--okay, maybe I empathize with Dante, to a point--because we know, and that knowledge makes us feel like we belong...even if we'd rather ditch to play rooftop hockey.
Recommended for: Fans of a raunchy and real comedy about young blue-collar wage slaves dealing with the perils of retail. There's a vicarious sense of enjoyment at the familiar suffering and situations, which make the film more than just another student film with a big rep (and a killer soundtrack).
What makes Clerks such an enduring hit is just how it really hits the nail on the head when it comes to that malaise which washes over you when you've been stuck behind the counter, having to say "thank you" to people and not really mean it, over and over again. Director and writer Kevin Smith fills his movie with moments of geek culture laced with a street-level philosophy and brusque eloquence, like the debate about the moral implications of blowing up the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Even though Clerks is--at least at a glance--a simple comedy about a couple of young guys goofing off working in a convenience store, there are a lot of pressing issues for young people explored within its narrative--stuff like "should I go back to college" or "is my girlfriend's sexual experience a blemish on my own male prowess in the bedroom?" It may seem like the kind of stuff which is minuscule compared to those so-called "bigger issues", but for guys who are getting their first real taste of independence a few years after high school, they hold resonance--for young adults of any age. These "little dramas" plague Dante more than Randal, because Dante has coping issues, and is terrified of any real change. His persistence at trying to rekindle the spark of romance with his old flame, the wanton Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer) is especially callow considering the devotion of his girlfriend, Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti)--a woman who not only loves Dante enough to bring him lasagna at work between class, but who leaps to his rescue as he is pelted by cigarettes during a riot incited by a guerrilla-marketing Chewlee's Gum representative. It's not until late game when Dante is reminded by the outdoor fixtures of their fine establishment--the local drug dealers Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith)--that he is missing out on the attentions Veronica has given him...but it's anyone's guess if it actually sticks. Clerks possesses a certain kind of indie charm uniquely its own; whereas that might be a limitation on other movies, it is actually a badge of honor here, a mark that means that were it more expertly crafted, the artifice would be more apparent, and the movie would miss its mark--that is to preach to the crowds who have spent those hours and hours behind the counter, dealing out products for crumpled dollar bills and greasy quarters, suffering through the boredom, the tedium, the minor emergencies and the stupidest of clientele, for a pittance to take home. We empathize with Dante--okay, maybe I empathize with Dante, to a point--because we know, and that knowledge makes us feel like we belong...even if we'd rather ditch to play rooftop hockey.
Recommended for: Fans of a raunchy and real comedy about young blue-collar wage slaves dealing with the perils of retail. There's a vicarious sense of enjoyment at the familiar suffering and situations, which make the film more than just another student film with a big rep (and a killer soundtrack).