You wake up to your ringtone, eyes blurry, you reach out and grab it to see it’s work. Your manager or your co-worker whose guts you hate is ringing you up for a shift. Either one of two things are going to happen, you’ll tell them you have plans today or they’ll successfully guilt you into coming in. Dante somehow managed both.
‘Clerks’ is Kevin Smith’s celebration of the working class in their 20s, hating customers and waiting every minute to get out of stocking shelves. I remember trying to watch ‘Clerks’ once maybe a year ago, but it’s black-and-white visuals turned me off. Now revisiting it a year later, as absurd and as dark as it’s comedy can be, ‘Clerks’ joins other books of the holy working class bible like ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and ‘Office Space’.
After Dante is called in to work by his boss, he’s forced to tolerate stupid customers and kill time however he can until the super-sweet closing time finally arrives. Throughout the day, he’s faced with even more arduous problems, such as having to find a way to play hockey without leaving work, confronting the fact he’s the 37th guy his girlfriend has been with and that the ex that got away is getting married. This film is a reflection of the terrors of the retail workplace.
The comedy ranges from snicker-worthy to “oh-my-god-you-can’t-just-say-that” to properly reflect the conversations other 20-year-olds participate in during the quiet hours. One particular joke involving having sex in the dark feels out of place, but generally, the humor appeals to the little part in our brains that want to yell out our intrusive thoughts at the top of our lungs. A stand-out moment is when a woman and her child enter a video store and ask Randal for a childrens movie, only for Randal to phone in a delivery, listing off countless pornos right in front of the mother and child before asking the mother to repeat the title. Never have I been more mortified and amused at the same time.
Brian Halloran plays Dante, our main character and at times, antagonist. None of these characters have major redeeming qualities, but they get by just enough for us to relate to. Dante is our everyman, sensible enough to follow the rules but still incredibly whiny and insecure. Jeff Anderson plays Randal, the little devil on all of our shoulders, saying whatever he thinks completely unafraid, doing the best he can to get his pay doing the least work possible. Kevin Smith also has a starring role alongside Jason Mewes as Silent Bob and Jay respectively. These are the stoner characters you’ll find right outside your workplace or the ones who invite themselves to sit down at your table when you’re on break. They’re not funny, but they’re the reminder and representation of the absurd customers you come across.
‘Clerks’ is an essential for anyone in their 20s, track down a copy as fast as you can and watch. It’s cathartic and relieving to anyone stuck in retail. All those dark thoughts you only feel comfortable joking about with your co-workers? Kevin Smith knows, and in ‘Clerks’, Kevin Smith shows. Enjoy!
Mason’s Rating: 5 stars! Compulsory Viewing!
Mason Horsley is a graduate of UOW with a Bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Theatre. He hopes to write and direct a feature film and has been working on screenplays since he was 17. He writes film reviews for the Tertangala and works on his latest project ‘The Last Film’ while working a full-time job at a fish market. Mason despises reviewing films he dislikes and because of this, every review he writes acts as a recommendation.
Image Credit: Miramax