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Movies / On DVD / Clerks
Clerks

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Clerks (1994)

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Reviews Counted:47

Fresh:41

Rotten:6

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: Made for less than the cost of an SUV, Kevin Smith's first film finds 22-year-old Quick Stop clerk Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) called into work on his precious day off. There he is besieged by... Made for less than the cost of an SUV, Kevin Smith's first film finds 22-year-old Quick Stop clerk Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) called into work on his precious day off. There he is besieged by customers ranging from the agitated to the insane, not to mention Randal (Jeff Anderson), the clerk from the video store next door whose commitment to service is made clear when he observes, "This job would be great if it wasn't for the f@&%!#* customers." Dante's love life is a shambles, and the situation at the store goes from bad to worse, but he and Randal are never so beleaguered that they can't find time to discuss why the destruction of the Death Star in RETURN OF THE JEDI may have been morally dubious (uninvolved contractors were probably aboard). In fact, it was the clerks' clever dialogue, saturated with pop-culture references, that elevated CLERKS to cult-hit status among Generation-Xers and transformed Kevin Smith from film school dropout to indie auteur. Smith himself plays Silent Bob, while Jason Mewes plays Jay, his drug-dealing other half. Together the duo provide added comic relief, continuity, and wisdom in each of the the director's films. [More]

Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes

Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes

Director: Kevin Smith

Director: Kevin Smith
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Producer: Scott Mosier

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Clerks

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An episodic, dialogue-heavy picture shot in black and white, Clerks is nevertheless remarkably cinematic.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
12/10/01
Nev Pierce
Nev Pierce
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
07/28/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/01/07
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

So vulgar that it may prompt as many walkouts as it does cheerleaders.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hicks
Chris Hicks
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Amateurishly acted, clumsily edited and slapped together out of what looks like surveillance camera footage, the thing bumps along not so much on talent as on audacity.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Hal Hinson
Hal Hinson
Washington Post

None of this is riveting, yet there's something about seeing life from the distinct angle of the convenience-store clerk that's just new enough to hold you.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Free Press | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Free Press

In style and execution, Clerks isn't on par with its generational predecessors, but what can you expect from an ex-convenience store jockey writer/director (Kevin Smith) with a $30,000 budget?

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Neil Martin
Neil Martin
Palo Alto Weekly

a script so full of words that it probably rivals the telephone book in size.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
09/16/01
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

Movies like this either work for you or they don't. This one frequently put me to sleep.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
05/21/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
07/22/06
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Clerks remains a defining debut, a symbolic shot into the darkened domain of legitimate moviemaking.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/21/09
Bill Gibron
Bill Gibron
PopMatters

A wonderfully funny film debut; from the outset Kevin Smith takes us into his askewed world, and we love it. And I wasn't even supposed to be at work today.

comment Comment
02/25/04
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Clerks for me was kind of like the Beatles on Ed Sullivan were for so many nascent Rock stars.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

Kevin Smith actually pulled it off.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
12/01/03
Brian Gibson
Brian Gibson
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

Behind the smartass exchanges is a quick-stop incision into the heart of being young in North America. Clerks are us.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

Cheap, touching, and downright nasty, Kevin Smith’s first feature still remains the ultimate cinematic tribute to slackers.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment 1 Comment
09/10/04
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Slant Magazine

The movie is an incredible and hilarious success.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Clerks

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1999 was one of the most important years for modern cinema. Ten years on, we're celebrating a remarkable twelve months of movies with new features around some of the year's best... More...

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Just in time for filming to begin, Kevin Smith's Zack and Miri Make a Porno has added five new faces to its cast. More...

April 30, 2007: RT-UK Exclusive: Two Hours With Kevin Smith
Some journalists are lucky to get 15 minutes with a director; RT-UK hit the jackpot of good fortune when "Clerks 2" director Kevin Smith agreed to a two-hour long kick... More...

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