Clerks (Smith, 1994)

I've taken a little departure from my previously outlined film viewing list. I am currently reading, as suggested by Anthony (who actually lent me his copy of the book), My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith. Interestingly enough, besides Dogma (1999) a fairly long time ago, I have not even seen any of Kevin Smith's films. So naturally, I decided to watch one, his first film - Clerks (1994). As a result, I had to return the DVD's I borrowed before getting to two of them; I'll get back to Chris Marker and Traffic as soon as I can.

I am not really sure how to go about writing on Clerks. It is really just about two guys that hate their jobs and are not all too nice to their customers. It is funny and definitely has its moments, but overall I was unimpressed. It does not feel like a film at all. It is just a series of events that do not go together coherently. I must say though, that as a former employee of Togo's sandwich shop, I can relate to the film. I think this is probably where the film gets most of its fan base; most people have worked in some job that had to do with customer service.

I do not understand the large following behind the movie, but it is at least somewhat entertaining. It is much better to bear in mind that Clerks is Smith's first film. With that, and the fact that he was a VFS dropout, in mind it isn't too bad of a film after all. I guess I will have to just keep reading, and check out Mallrats (1995) and some of his later movies.