Clerks

“I’m not even supposed to be here today!”

I revisited this film last night and once again found
myself laughing at some of the incredibly stupid
things that Dante and Randall did when they were at
work-and this reminded me of some of the stupid things
I had done when I worked during college. Closing the
store to play a hockey game-until you loose the
ball-on top of the roof of the store where you work?
Going to the wake of a former high school classmate
because it’s playing one-night-only and closing the
store? Having the worst day at work in your life and
complaining every minute of it? Is any of this sounds
funny, or familiar then you have to see Clerks.

Dante is just your average Jersey guy. He’s not going
to school. Works at a dead end job and his best friend
works at the video store adjacent to the convenience
store where you work. He graduated from high school a
few years back and feels like his life is in a
complete funk-not going anywhere. Even worse-he comes
across as if it’s the world’s fault that he’s in a
complete shit job and his life sucks. He’s not doing
anything to better himself and despite the fact that
he has a best friend who’d support his decision to
leave-let alone probably follow him to the end of the
earth-and a girlfriend who loves him so much she not
only moved from Seaton Hall, SC where she was going to
college back up to Jersey to be closer to her
boyfriend, she also brings him homemade lasagna for
lunch because he’s stuck at work on his day off.

This movie is amusing, funny, gross and at times
really disgusting. It’s not for everyone, but there
are aspects of everyone in this film and I think we
could all recognize parts of our personality in some
of the characters in this film. I saw myself in Dante
near the end when it’s pointed out to him by his best
friend Randall that all he ever does is bitch, bitch,
bitch-especially after Dante says for the 50th time
that, “I’m not even supposed to be here today!” I saw
my best friend from high-school in Randall when he
says to Dante that if you’re not happy with your
situation then you need to do something about it and
stop complaining.

To be honest-if I had a day like Dante did I’d be
complaining about it too. The guy comes in to work
when begged to do so by his boss-the owner of the
store. His boss promises to be at the store by 12 noon
to relieve him, but conveniently forgets to tell him
that he’s leaving for Vermont later that morning and
won’t be there to relieve him. Later Dante gets hit
with a 500 fine for selling cigarettes to a minor-and
not just any minor but a four-year old! Then when they
close the store to play hockey a customer comes up on
the roof to bitch Dante out about how crappy he’s
playing and then the customer gets to play for 20
seconds and hits the ball off the roof and into a
sewer. When they close the store to attend a
high-school friend’s wake Randall somehow accidentally
pushes the casket over and the body comes out! To top
this all off-his former girlfriend is in the paper and
getting married-who he seems to be still secretly in
love with-and his current GF is secretly jealous.
Later Caitlin-his ex-comes to visit because she’s
worried over how Dante will take the news and she
tells him she doesn’t want to get married but wants to
get back with him. An unscheduled rendezvous in the
store bathroom leads Caitlin to need therapy and
Dante’s night is nearly complete. But not until
Randall decides to tell Veronica-Dante’s current [for
the moment] GF-that Dante wants to get back together
with Caitlin. Veronica’s furious and vows to suck more
dicks than she’s ever sucked-and you thought 37 was A
LOT!!

Kevin Smith took a huge chance in making this film and
he put out a part of his heart and soul-not to mention
all his credit! Many people may be put off by the
language, or that one set of supportive characters are
drug dealers. This didn’t bother me. It reminded me of
my high-school class. There were geeks, complainers,
reconcilers, jocks, dopers and probably dealers-among
others. It represents a part of who many of us are as
well as a time in out lives that we can look back and
reflect on when we view this film. It’s home to me in
many ways-as it reminded me of where I grew up, some
of the people I knew and jobs I had. Overall Clerks is
a must see movie-for those who don’t fit now or didn’t
fit at some point into the norms of society. And for
all those who have seen this movie and remember it
fondly you’ll get my joke when I say that as I sit
here and write this-at work mind you, “I’m not even
supposed to be here today!”

Clerks
http://viewaskew.com/clerks/

Clerks. (1994)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109445/

Clerks 2
http://www.clerks2.com/main.html

Tuesday, November 06, 2007