I think Kevin Smith is really interesting. Because even though he hasn't made a legitimately good film for some time, you could never accuse him of being boring. But before he made movies that his earlier films would have definitely made fun of, he was a really interesting filmmaker, with an insane talent: he could spin a story out of nothing. And okay, that sounds trivial. Minimalism is nothing new in cinema. It's not new now, and it wasn't new in 1994, when Clerks was released. But the thing about Clerks is that it's just that; a story about nothing. A movie that covers so much ground while simultaneously not saying much at all. This is something that I think Smith excelled at in his first few movies, but he never did it better than he did here. So, let's talk about why Clerks works, even when it's characters are slacking off
I think Clerks is great because it's simple. Everything from the monochromatic imagery to the relatively small cast and single setting that it only really leaves once (for one of the most unbearably awkward car journeys I've ever seen) is so effective. Most of this movie is just two guys in a shop. That's pretty much the entire plot. And story-wise, that's why it works. See, Dante and Randall, and all of the other characters have eventful lives with enough going on in them to stretch over a whole narrative. I mean, if we're getting technical, then Dante's ex-girlfriend getting engaged, but returning and kind of still being in love with him is the actual story, no doubt one that lesser films would fill an entire run-time with. But here's the thing: that doesn't matter. The whole ex-getting-married plot is really just miscellaneous information for the first two thirds of the movie, and only really becomes part of the plot when she returns. Until then, it's just another part of Dante's life, another thing that happens alongside rooftop hockey games, undercover gum salesmen, and old men who go into bathrooms to.... you'll see.
I mean Clerks is really just a day in the life of Dante. And everything that happens..... just kind of happens. What makes it so masterful though is the way Smith approaches the story. Clerks is a nonchalant movie. Like his character in the film, Smith is just a casual observer. Even though he's the one telling this story, it never feels like he has any bearing on what happens. It's a huge contrast to uber-stylised directors who have so much control in what happens in the world's they create. No, Smith is just an observer here. Because he's just watching these people, for one day, in one place. So are you, by the way. The events of the plot aren't resolved, because what you're seeing is just a small portion of the larger plot. Does Dante reconcile with Veronica? What happens to Jay and Silent Bob? Does the gum ever come out of the locks? The movie never answers these questions, because that's not what it's there to do. Watching Clerks is like catching a small part of someone's conversation on the street, or in a shop. What you see and hear isn't really your business. You don't know what's come before this, and you're not going to see what comes after. Hell, at the end of the day, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't even matter, not to you anyway
And that's exactly why it matters. Smith is a genius when it comes to stuff like this, because he understands that in real life, big stories are made up of individual days, and although those days aren't particularly eventful, they're made up of smaller stories that stand out. Every joke here is a little anecdote, and through dialogue that sounds like real people talking, these anecdotes start to come to life. Because in real life, people talk about random details in Star Wars, and their exes, and yeah, occasionally something unusual happens (like a strange man inspecting eggs), but for the most part, they just.... talk. Smiths dialogue is great because it doesn't feel like it was written. Yes, it's sharp and witty, but with the general aimless nature of the plot, it just feels like things that these people are saying, and talking about. It's not just great minimalism, it's great observation. It's watching people to see what happens. Ultimately, not a lot does, but it's so identifiable, and real, that by just being relatable, it says so much. Clerks is the reason that Kevin Smith became the voice of a generation. His stories aren't grand tales, they're just bored people standing around and waiting for things to happen. We've all been there, and when Smith combines all of these components, and puts them in a situation that pretty much everyone is familiar with, you get something so very special. Clerks is a treasure because it gets slackers. Yeah, the aimless twenty-somethings who occupy this movie may be of a certain generation, but anyone who's ever sat around, twiddling their thumbs and shooting the shit will be able to relate to some aspect of this, no matter when they were born. And it does that because it's nonchalant, and casual, and says everything without feeling the need to say anything. And you know what? Sometimes that's even more powerful
"I wasn't even supposed to be here today!"
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