This is one of the most Gen X movies ever made. I was a senior in high school when this came out and it was everything. We watched it on repeat and I still quote it regularly…the view askewniverse is a lot of fun. Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks II, Clerks 3, Jay & Silent Bob strike back and Jay & Silent Bob reboot. Stoner classics.
Clerks 3 fucking sucks. The plot is boring, the dialogue is poorly written and delivered, the camera work is entirely simple shot/reverse-shot, there was almost no effort from costume hair and makeup, etc. The other films, I enjoy for the most part, particularly Clerks II. But Clerks 3 is truly a bad movie. It was like Kevin Smith forgot everything he ever learned about filmmaking.
When this came out, I’d worked at music & convenience stores for 4-5 years. It was essentially my life in many ways, so I couldn’t help but love it. It brings back fond memories.
I'm 33 now, working in retail for 13 years, and Randall's quote "This job would be great if it weren't for the fucking customers" is spot on, 100% my attitude every day. The best part is most of my customers know how I feel and they sympathize lol
In the original version, Dante got shot in the end, and dies. No, really. But the producers made them change the ending to be an upbeat one, thankfully!
I was 18 and working retail before college when this came out. I felt most of the things. It was a huge film at colleges for the first couple of years. I still come back to it once in a while because it's a good story with some good, raw acting talent.
I am an actor and got cast in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back for a whole week. It was a great experience. I had all of my scenes with Will Farrell. Unfortunately Kevin Smith seriously overshot on that film (I don't know if he always overshoots, but he did this film). So a lot of Will Farrell's scenes got cut out, hence all of my scenes got cut. You can still see me in some scenes, but all of my dialogue was cut. I finally bought the Criterion collection release of the movie on dvd. It was a 2 disc set because it included all of the cut scenes. There were tons of scenes cut out, but I finally got to see my scenes. I also got to meet Mark Hamill at the cast party.
@@johnmaynardable well that might confirm a lot of the comments i see about Will Ferrell potentially improvising a lot of lines in the films he stars in
Made on a shoestring budget, by a man with nothing to lose. He risked everything. Personally I love his work. Not all of it hits, but it will make you ask yourself questions. That is worth its everything.
Definitely watch all the films in the series in order Clerks Mallrats Chasing Amy Dogma Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Clerks 2 Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Clerks 3
@@miketocci I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that your opinion of the later movies is colored by something other than the films themselves. I certainly wouldn't call them any worse than Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back.
I work in a supermarket and have for 20 years. This is an accurate representation of the retail life. Getting stupid questions, things going wrong, staff discussing dumb customers, getting called in on your day off and so on. I think like Randal, but don’t act on my thoughts. Would love to rip into customers 😂
The fact that Kevin Smith made this after the store was closed and with a budget of $25,000 some dollars and made one of the best movies ever, says a lot about his talent
The best part is that anyone can make this with a cell, mic, ring light, some friends, and a location connection. Film making has become unbelievably democratized.
This movie was absolutely loved by those that knew about it back in the mid-90s. People would watch it multiple times and the lines were quoted time and time again. A real classic.
Dogma is unavailable to stream or digital purchase. The film's rights are owned by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and their deal to distribute the film predates the existence of streaming and has since lapsed, effectively leaving the film in limbo.
Randal: "You're not allowed to rent here anymore!" Jay (having NO clue what just happened inside the store): "Yeah!" That always has me in tears. Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day, so he had to film at night.
Welcome to the View Askewneverse! Chasing Amy is my favorite script and the best post-movie debate I ever had was after watching Dogma! Great reaction, as always 💞
The scene where Randal was reading off the porn titles were actually shot as two separate scenes because Jeff Anderson didn’t feel comfortable doing that in front of the kid.
Smith wrote the role of Randall for himself (which is why he got all the best lines) but then had no confidence in his acting, so took the role of Silent Bob.
I was working a ma and pop video shop in Benicia, ca calked Ye Olde Video Shoppe circa '94 and friends with the owner. I remember the night we got this movie in and watched it the night before it was to hit shelves and it changed my life. 30 years ago this was revolutionary. The way they talked and pop culture conversations were right out of our social groups lives. Kevin Smith's bold hilarious big swings at comedy set pieces like the porn video titles being ordered in front of the mother with her baby in her arms. It's still funny. It's a moment in time and for me personally, it was art imitates life.
This movie was inducted into the "Library of Congress" so it will live on as long as that continues....if that makes any difference. Kevin Smith is an icon and my personal hero. Thank you for watching this underrated classic!
I worked at Blockbuster from 1995-2000. Official district policy at the time was that employees got 5 free rentals a week of anything that wasn't on the new release wall. UNofficial store policy was that no new hire could start using this benefit without taking home and watching Clerks as their first free rental. Store manager called it a better training tape than anything corporate had ever sent us.
All 3 Clerks are amazing. I adore Kevin Smith and just the real simple truths in his films which honestly make them brilliant. These people were relatable for me personally and just adds so much.
@@WoahLookAtThatFreak Clerks 3 made me cry and emotional vs being as comedic as the first two. I’d listen to Smiths interview with Steve-O and maybe that’s why I grew more attached. However, Clerks 2 will always be my favorite.
This movie is legit timeless. The slang may change and the setting. But as a 24 year old who HATES his job and either feel like I’m getting left behind or falling below the totem poll that is success. But this movie is so comforting because it demonstrates how fuckin universal this feeling is. I saw it when I was 14 and liked it, but now I fuckin understand. Shit or get off the pot and take things day by day 😂
Love the Jersey vibe of this film, and how 1994 it was. I was around Dante and Randall’s age and we all had jobs, that were kind of secondary to school, the the hang out or loitering vibe was so real:)
I live about 15 minutes from the shop, this movie was filmed at. So I always had a special place in my heart for this movie & and all the rest that came after this. Which are great movies should be watched on your channel.
A movie could be made about how this movie was made. The movie was filmed and edited in that store while Kevin Smith was actually working at that store at the same time.
Kevin worked at the store during the shooting of clerks. They shot at night while the store was closed which is why the shutters were closed. And it was shot in black and white due to budget and lighting.
One thing about Kevin Smith: the man likes to talk about the things he's interested in. If you're interested in learning more about the production of, "Clerks,", there's no shortage of interviews, monologues, podcasts etc. out there where he talks about behind the scenes production stuff, inspirations, thought processes, you name it.
The viewaskew universe of movies are interconnected. Some actors come back and play same roles or different roles. The actor who plays Dante plays several other members of his family in future movies. First you got Clerks, Mallrats, Drawing Flies, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks 2, and more
Unfortunately they’re not going to be able to react to Dogma. The rights to it are held privately by the Weinstein’s. This is why it isn’t available on any streaming service or available on digital. Plus the DVD is out of print. The DVD’s of the movie that are available online are usually going to $100+
@@jamesmarciel5237 Bummer. Creepy Weinstein still not asking for consent from others before touching the things they care about🙂...thanks for the info friend, have a great one!
I was working in a convenience store when this came out. Everything is true. Even the light that stops working every night for no apparent reason. The cult classic "Dark Star" actually began as a student film by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return Of The Living Dead) and John Carpenter (The Thing, Escape From New York, Halloween). Definitely worth a watch.
Definitely continue these Kevin Smith/Jay and Silent Bob movies in order. They are their own universe, with references and cameos, actors from these movies playing different characters. Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks 3. All part of the View Askew Universe. Theres also a animated movie but you can skip that. Clerks also had an animated TV show
Kevin Smith worked at the convenience store. He filmed at night when they were closed… the B&W hid that fact (outside, at least). And the scene inside the funeral home was animated since they couldn’t get inside of a real one. The animation was left “on the cutting room floor” but is still available if you look for it. Great reaction! I love how you pick up on some of the subtleties like the recurring shoe polish joke. Great editing too.
the '37' reference in the film came from kevin smith and scott mosier's production budget. they looked at how much money they had to work with and figured that they could afford to purchase, shoot and develop 37 400-foot rolls of black-and-white kodak film. the problem was that they had to cut some scenes and really limit the number of takes in order to make the movie. there are some visible mistakes in the finished film because they didn't have extra film to shoot extra takes.
I live less than 10 minutes from where this was filmed in Leonardo NJ. he was working the store during the day hence why the shutters are closed they filmed at night. how he got money to film this was there was a hurricane and him and Jason mewes had cars they had issured lost in the store and the insurance company gave them more then what they paid for the cars. most of the other actors are friends of his and he held auditions in the Atlantic Highlands movie theater which he now currently owns. and the reason for the black and white was exactly what you said it was cheaper and they didnt have to worry bout lighting as much
The film was budgeted at around $27,000.00, financed by credit cards and Kevin selling off his comic book collection. The QuikStop and RST Video were where Kevin worked (both were owned by the same people), and Kevin shot at night, worked during the day, and once the film was shot, worked the store and edited when he wasn't at work. Helping him was the producer Scott Mosier (who played Willam aka Snowball, and the angry customer who yeeted the ball off the roof ending the hockey game), and Scott also worked at the store through the editing/post-production. It was shot in 16mm and in black and white to save money (black and white stock was cheaper to buy and process). Kevin had done a lot of writing skits in high school, so he got really inspired after seeing Richard Linklater's first film 'Slacker'. Originally, the role of Randall was written for Smith himself...but he got realistic about working in the store, directing, and acting in the film, and decided one had to take precedence. So, he created Silent Bob as the foil to his friend Jason Mewes aka Jay. Eventually, Kevin and the film got to Sundance, where I think it won the top honor, among other film festival honors. Miramax picked up distribution rights and it became a success. In 2019, it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Since the film came out, Kevin bought and owns the QuikStop as well as a comic book store in Red Bank, NJ...'Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash'. There have been 2 sequels, an animated series, comic books, and several connected View Askewverse films, many featuring Jay and Silent Bob. Kevin not only directs those films but has done other films...and has directed a few episodes of the CW 'Arrowverse'/DC Comics TV shows like 'Supergirl'. He has script-doctored many big studio projects, even writing a Tim Burton-helmed, Nicholas Cage-starring 'Superman' movie that collapsed before being filmed. A lot of what Kevin also does is create his various SMODcasts, which are podcasts about comics, movies, and TV shows he loves and other topics. He also produced a number of very funny DVDs of his talks on university campuses around the country about him and his movies and experiences in Hollywood. His story about Tim Burton, Planet of The Apes, and the 'Chasing Dogma' comic he wrote is hysterical...and one of the reasons I despised Burton's 'Planet of the Apes'. Another film like 'Clerks' was made for about the same amount of money around the same time and another Sundance darling is 'The Brothers McMullen' by Edward Burns. It was shot in color and is about 3 Irish-American brothers and their love lives. Burns played Private Reiben in 'Saving Private Ryan'.
HEy Daniel and Sam , This is what "Reservoir Dogs" was supposed to be like, but Tarantino was already know as a great script writer in hollywood. ------- So when his script got passed around in movie producer circle and eventually landed in the hands of Harvey Kietel it changed everything. --------- Just imagine if kevin Smith got backed by Harvey Kietel, we could have actually seen the casket being knocked over at the funeral parlor. Fortunately, fate had other things in store for Kevin Smith.
Kevin smith wrote clerks with his experience dealing with unusual customers and his brief time in film school, I’m sure that helped. He met his partner in crime at film school Scott mossier, who plays 2 roles in the movie. Kevin would go on and make chasing amy, dogma his best movies by far.
"Mallrats" is the next in the Kevin Smith series. The characters in "Mallrats" talk about the same events in the town as in "Clerks". "Mallrats" was referenced in the MCU "Captain Marvel"
Walt flanagan the guy who played the cigarettes guy that still bought a pack as well as the egg dude is fekkin hilarious. Highly recommend to all to check out tell em steve dave, hosted by Walt flanagan, Bryan Johnson (Randall loosely or fully based on him Kevin's real life friend) and Brian quin of impractical jokers who had a small cameo on dogma. God man, love the viewaskiew universe and smodco verse🖤🖤
I watched Clerks freshman year in college with a group of friends (right around the time the movie came out on VHS). We quoted this movie the whole year. Good times.
I worked in a local video store when this came out, and because I knew movies, I got to order the tapes for the store. I took a chance on this one and have been a Massive Fan ever since (obviously). Snoochie Boochies! 👍✌❤
I met Brian O’Halloran who plays Dante Hicks. He is an amazing person and kind who listens to his fans. We talked a bit when meeting. I’m going to meet Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes in July in Knoxville Tennessee at Fanboy Expo. If it wasn’t for Brian, Kevin Smith and Jason would have never visited Knoxville. Mallrats was Kevin’s second film to Chasing Amy. I met Joey Lauren Adams in 2006 when they reshot the ending of The Break-Up with Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn. I met Joey when she was walking with a bunch of things in her hand and asked if she wanted me to open her trailer door. She said yes and I opened her trailer door for her. She was so polite. She is such a kind person to meet
TBR you are bang on about your assumptions regarding the budget. It was filmed in B&W because the film stock was cheaper, with the added benefit of not worrying about the color grading of the lighting. Also Kevin worked at that particular store during the day which allowd him to film there at night. Thus why the shutters were closed throughout the movie.
This was a hilarious movie, I remember when this came out I was thinking hell I could do this! Obviously I was about as smart as the 2 stars! I enjoyed your reaction, keep up the good work!
Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day and filmed at night. The gummed locks and the shoe polish sign was a ruse to conceal all the store scenes were shot at night (when the store was closed.)
21:39 Most of this cast have been in most of Kevin Smith's earlier movies. The movies with Jay & Silent Bob are all connected in the ViewAskewUniverse (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks II, Jay & Silent Bob Rebooted, Clerks III). View Askew is Kevin Smith's production company.
Chasing Amy is probably my favorite. My wife's favorite is Dogma. The whole View Askewniverse catalog is great. I finally saw Clerks 3 and it's not what I expected. I enjoy it just not what I was thinking it'll be. Clerks. ending filmed and not used Dante being murdered is crazy. Watch Mallrats, then Chasing Amy then Dogma, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2 then Clerks 3, all of them. R.I.P. Lisa Spoonauer "Caitlin"
10:15 This scene is funnier when you realize that while the customer is offended that Randall is talking about “Jizz Moppers”, he is wearing an over coat (think flashers) and buying paper towels and glass cleaner/Windex. Two items a “Jizz Mopper” would use to clean the nudie booth windows.
I'm glad Smith went with this ending. At least here we have hope for tomorrow. Surprisingly (considering the limited budget and film stock) there was an alternate ending where Randal leaves ahead of Dante and a thief shows up shooting him and cutting to black. Might have worked better in the arthouse sense but I likes my happy endings or in this case "hey it could be worse".
the store was Kevins actual place of employment, he got permission to film but during closed hours and the flourecsent lights did not properly mimic daylight, so Kevin used black and white for better lighting
Another clever thing they did, was establishing that the store's large security door was jammed, and couldn't open. This allowed them to shoot at any time of the day, without causing continuity problems. I believe they shot it in black and white, because it was much less expensive to process and master.
Hey guys this was the ear of the independent film student making it big straight out of film school. Bypassing the entire Hollywood system. Spike Lee, Quinten Tarantino, Kevin Smith. ------ You had to be an extemely clever script writer to pull it off since you couldn't pay someone to write your idea for you.
Something About Mary, Raising Arizona, and Clerks....that's one hell of a comedy trio & I can see why the poll would be so close. I still quote this movie on a near daily basis. And I cannot see the number "37" with chuckling, regardless of context. 😅
You guys doing 90's indie equals pure gold. So many to choose from in the 90's. Anyone that's ever worked a job like this can relate very well to Dante & Randall.
Kevin Smith sold his comic book collection to help pay for the making of the film. He actually worked in the convivence store where this was shot. Since the majority of shooting was done at night, it was easier and less expensive to shoot in black and white.
