Clerks III
review by Bobby Blakey
In 1994 Kevin Smith exploded on the scene with his black and white independent film Clerks. The films is a cult classic and one of my favorite films. The film also not only launched a series of films featuring the duo or Jay and Silent Bob it spawned a franchise with Clerks II hitting in 2006. Now his long talked about third chapter aptly titled Clerks III is finally getting ready to hit theaters starring Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Kevin Smith.
Clerks III follows Randal who enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante, Elias, Jay, and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all following a massive heart attack.
I am a massive fan of all things Kevin Smith so when he announced he was heading back to the world of Clerks one more time I was beyond excited. The second film was a perfect cap to the story so I admit I was a bit worried to how well this was going to work. Of course I want to see these characters, but what more could we see? I can happily tell you that not only does it deliver, it goes above and beyond what I would have expected on all levels.
Smith has crafted a film that is not only a homage to the original and love letter to fans, but also one that infuses his own journey making the original film and his heart attack wrapped up in all the witty banter, over the top craziness and fun fans want. What I was most surprised about was how heavy this movie gets a couple of times, that you would think might derail the comedic aspect we are hoping for, but it infuses to perfection and pushes the narrative to the overall film.
The first two films firmly followed Dante with Randall right along for the ride, but always more of the sidekick to Dante’s world. The first thing this film does is let us follow along with Randall this time around with Dante being the sidekick, but still giving them both ample time to shine per usual. We also got the return of Elias played by Trevor Fehrman from Clerks II that I loved and his new direction made him all the more ridiculous in a fun way even giving him his own sidekick played by Austin Zajur.
The film is not only filled with a great bunch of celebrity cameos, but even more impressive and fun those from the original film. It is so cool to see all the original faces from the first film returning and just hits you in the feels with love for that film. Big props to Smith who brought back Veronica played by Marilyn Ghigliotti for more than just a walk on cameo. She is only in the film for a short time, but gets her deserved moment to shine and made me smile seeing her reunited on screen with O’Halloran.
Jay and Silent Bob do their thing which is always a blast, but this is all about Dante and Randall and these two shine. The film is a bit bumpy when it first starts as it finds its footing to me, but it doesn’t take long to go all in. Both Anderson and O’Halloran really bring it this time around. I have enjoyed them in every film, but this is next level for them both. Anderson throws the quick wit and banter like never before, but also gets to dig deep with the emotions and really showcase some great acting moments. O’Halloran does the same playing the straight man per usual, but he has this one major scene towards the end where he acts the shit out of it. Both these guys bring moments where you feel the pain and struggle they are feeling and will no doubt bring some tears to fans.
The story itself works, but the bringing it all together to also be the story of the making of Clerks takes its meta tone to a new level. Getting to revisit all these scenes is just magic and will have the fans smiling ear to ear. I loved this film and while I know it can be the kind of film that will really only connect on many levels with hardcore fans, it is just good. I highly recommend re-watching the first two films right before diving into this one as it just enhances the overall viewing and emotions across the board.
There is no doubt that Smith poured his heart and soul into this film and he has crafted to me one of the best films he has made in some time. The emotions, the history and the mortality that it tackles from Smith’s real life experiences shines through like only he can and I thank him for bringing us back to the Quick Stop in a way that is not only worth the trip, but also everything I could have wanted and more. I assure you they are open once again and if you are a Clerks fan like myself then worth fighting through the gum on the locks to check it out.
Stay through the credits for a cool audio track from Smith as he talks about making the original Clerks and some other fun tidbits.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including commentary, a trailer, deleted & alternate scenes, a documentary and more. Grab your copy of Clerks III when it hits Blu-ray and DVD on December 6th from Lionsgate Home Entertainment.
