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CLERKS III (2022)
Clerks III poster

CAST
JEFF ANDERSON
BRIAN O’HALLORAN
ROSARIO DAWSON
TREVOR FEHRMAN
MARILYN GHIGLIOTTI
JASON MEWES
JENNIFER SCHWALBACH SMITH
KEVIN SMITH
AUSTIN ZAJUR

WRITTEN BY
KEVIN SMITH

CINEMATOGRAPHY BY
LEARAN KAHANOV

EDITED BY
KEVIN SMITH

MUSIC BY
JAMES L. VENABLE

PRODUCED BY
LIZ DESTRO
JORDAN MONSANTO
KEVIN SMITH

DIRECTED BY
KEVIN SMITH

RATED
AUS:NA
UK:15
USA:R

RUNTIME
90 MIN

 

 

 

 

 

 


Clerks III image

Clerks III confirms that whatever potential Kevin Smith had as a filmmaker has well and truly been tapped dry, with this return to the film that put Smith on the map nowhere near as poignant or smart as Smith thinks it is.

Thirteen films into his career, Kevin Smith still finds himself delivering a film as lazy and amateur as Clerks III. Once upon a time Kevin Smith was an exciting indie voice who had something to say in his own unique scatterbrain f-bomb dropping way. From Clerks to Chasing Amy to Dogma, topics such as love and faith sat comfortably beside diatribes about Star Wars and oral sex.

Somewhere there was a regression. Smith found his niche as a fanboy populist in the geek worlds of superheroes and science fiction. Gone was the chance for an exciting young filmmaker to mature his talents and cinematic vision. Clerks III is an attempt to rebuild that potential, yet it only serves as another reminder that Smith’s days as a must-watch filmmaker are behind him.

The central theme of Clerks III is death, which is fitting since the film lacks a heartbeat. Set once again in the New Jersey based Quick Stop convenience store, Clerks III reintroduces us to Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson), co-owners of the Quick Stop still stick in a Gen Z existential funk. When Randal survives what should have been a fatal heart attack, he embraces his second chance at life by making a movie based on his experiences working as a convenience clerk. Cue a never-ending series of meta gags that run throughout the movie.

Dante, the more sensible and interesting of the two characters, is dealing with his own issues in mortality. Where there are moments in Dante’s story that are moving, they are often undercut by Smith’s insistence on having his characters spout dialogue saved for a 13-year-old who just watched a Chris Rock special.

Speaking of foul-mouthed 13-year-olds, the return on Smith’s comedic duo Jay and Silent Bob (played by Jason Mewes and Smith) reminds of a quote Smith gave while promoting Clerks II, in which he said that another movie featuring Jay and Silent Bob leaning against a convenience store would be “sad”. Yes Kevin, it sure is.

Smith’s own recovery from a near-fatal heart attack inspired the creation of Clerks III. Messages of “creating your own story” and “you only have one life” is all well and good, yet when it comes to Clerks III and Smith’s de-evolution as a filmmaker, there is a feeling that Smith is all too content with spinning his wheels rather than moving forward. Keeping in mind that the mantra of Clerks III is to live your life with the knowledge that it is precious, don’t waste it watching Clerks III.

 

*1/2

 

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Created and Edited by Matthew Pejkovic / Contact: mattsm@mattsmoviereviews.net
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