For those only vaguely familiar, in 1994, art house cinema was a place one went to see some crazy foreign subtitled experimental film. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but those who expected lowbrow comedic shenanigans were routinely disappointed.
Enter Clerks. By now, 20 years later, Kevin Smith is widely known as the comic book-and-movie-loving “director of the people.” But back then he was just a guy who dropped out of film school, took 25 grand and managed to create a cult classic film that launched his career and gained him legions of fans. And not only did it expose many to the funny side of low-budget indie films, it also let film snobs appreciate a good chuckle.
Starring complete unknowns, the dialogue-heavy story for Clerks revolves around two best friends: Dante, the responsible-yet-directionless young man working in the convenience store (even though he wasn’t even supposed to be there that day); and Randal, the over-the-top raunchy dialogue provider who is incredibly quotable as he eagerly provides both contempt and insolence to his video store customers. It is also the first time Jay and Silent Bob were shown to the world before they went off to enjoy numerous spin-offs of the comic, film and TV variety.
As luck would have it, Clerks is currently streaming on Netflix for your immediate enjoyment. Oh, and surprisingly enough, Clerks 2 is not the unwatchable train wreck you might think it would be; it’s actually very good as well… enjoy.
