Clerks. (1994)

Director:

Kevin Smith

Writer:

Kevin Smith (written by)

Release Date:

19 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Just Because They Serve You... Doesn't Mean They Like You.

Plot:

A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.

Plot Keywords:

Day | Clerk | Video Store | Friend | Hockey

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brian O'Halloran	...	Dante
Jeff Anderson	...	Randal
Marilyn Ghigliotti	...	Veronica
Lisa Spoonhauer	...	Caitlin (as Lisa Spoonauer)
Jason Mewes	...	Jay
Kevin Smith	...	Silent Bob
Scott Mosier	...	Willam the Idiot Manchild / Angry Hockey-Playing Customer / Angry Mourner
Scott Schiaffo	...	Chewlies Rep
Al Berkowitz	...	Old Man
Walter Flanagan	...	Woolen Cap Smoker / Egg Man / Offended Customer / Cat-Admiring Bitter Customer (as Walt Flanagan)
Ed Hapstak	...	Sanford / Angry Mourner
Lee Bendick	...	#812 Wynarski
David Klein	...	Hunting Cap Smoking Boy / Low I.Q. Video Customer / Hubcap Searching Customer / Angry Mourner / Angry Crowd at Door
Pattijean Csik	...	Coroner
Ken Clark	...	Administer of Fine / Orderly
Donna Jeanne	...	Indecisive Video Customer
Virginia Smith	...	Caged Animal Masturbator
Betsy Broussard	...	Dental School Video Customer
Ernest O'Donnell	...	Trainer
Kimberly Loughran	...	Alyssa's Sister Heather
Gary Stern	...	Tabloid Reading Customer
Joe Bagnole	...	Cat-Shit-Watching Customer
John Henry Westhead	...	Olaf the Russian Metalhead
Chuck Bickel	...	Stuck in Chips Can
Leslie Hope	...	Jay's Lady Friend / Angry Crowd at Door
Connie O'Connor	...	'Happy Scrappy' Mom (as Connie O'Conner)
Vincent Pereira	...	Hockey Goalie / Engagement Savvy Customer
Ashley Pereira	...	'Happy Scrappy' Kid
Erix Infante	...	Bed-Wetting Dad / Cold Coffee Lover
Melissa Crawford	...	Video Confusion / Candy Confusion Customer / Angry Crowd at Door
Thomas Burke	...	Blue Collar Man
Dan Hapstak	...	Door Tugging Customer
Mitch Cohen	...	Leaning Against Wall / Angry Crowd at Door
Matthew Banta	...	Burner Looking for Weed
Rajiv Thapar	...	Cut-Off Customer
Mike Belicose	...	Customer with Diapers
Jane Kuritz	...	Customer with Vaseline and Rubber Gloves
Grace Smith	...	Milk Maid
Frances Cresci	...	Little Smoking Girl
Matt Crawford	...	Angry Crowd at Door
Sarla Thapar	...	Angry Crowd at Door
Brian Drinkwater	...	Hockey Player
Bob Fisler	...	Hockey Player
Derek Jaccodine	...	Hockey Player
Matthew Pereira	...	Angry Smoking Crowd
Frank Pereira	...	Angry Smoking Crowd
Carl Roth	...	Angry Smoking Crowd
Paul Finn	...	Angry Smoking Crowd
Haiku	...	Dog
Lenin's Tomb	...	Cat

Directed by
Kevin Smith

Writing credits
Kevin Smith		(written by)

Produced by
Scott Mosier	....	producer
Kevin Smith	....	producer

Cinematography by
David Klein		(photographed by)

Film Editing by
Scott Mosier
Kevin Smith

Makeup Department
Leslie Hope	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Charlie McClellan	....	post-production supervisor

Sound Department
Scott Mosier	....	sound editor
Scott Mosier	....	sound mixer
Joia Speciale	....	sync fix
James von Buelow	....	master sound mixer (as James Von Buelow)
James von Buelow	....	sound editor (as James Von Buelow)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ed Hapstak	....	gaffer
Ed Hapstak	....	lighting assistant
Ed Hapstak	....	photographer: production stills
David Klein	....	camera operator
Vincent Pereira	....	camera assistant: occasional
Vincent Pereira	....	grip: occasional
Rajiv Thapar	....	grip: occasional

Animation Department
Frank Gabriel	....	animator
Brad Graeber	....	animator
Sammy Harte	....	animator
Bruce Tinnin	....	animator

Editorial Department
Bobbie Thomas	....	dailies colorist

Music Department
Benji Gordon	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Tara Daust	....	continuity: occasional
Ed Hapstak	....	trouble shooter
Vincent Pereira	....	cat wrangler
John Pierson	....	czar of representation
John Sloss	....	legal eagle

Thanks
Peter Broderick	....	thanks
Walter Flanagan	....	special thanks: for a copy of 'Dark Knight Returns' (as Walt)
Geoff Gilmore	....	thanks
Ed Hapstak	....	special thanks: for being a little Magpie (as Ed)
Hal Hartley	....	special thanks: for leading the way
Robert Hawk	....	special thanks: for having nothing better to do on 10/3/93 (as Bob Hawk)
Tim Hill	....	thanks: the Borough of Highlands
Jim Jarmusch	....	special thanks: for leading the way
Bryan Johnson	....	special thanks: for taking nothing seriously (as Bry)
Laurence Kardish	....	thanks (as Larry Kardish)
Butch King	....	thanks (as Butch)
Marylou King	....	thanks
David Klein	....	special thanks: for all the pretty pictures (as Dave)
Traci Lapanne	....	thanks
Spike Lee	....	special thanks: for leading the way
David Linde	....	thanks
Richard Linklater	....	special thanks: for leading the way
Kimberly Loughran	....	special thanks: for Seven Years (as Kim)
Jason Mewes	....	special thanks: for being Jason
Carol Mosier	....	thanks
John Mosier	....	thanks (as John)
Kristin Mosier	....	special thanks: for patience, perseverance, and love (as Kristin)
Scott Mosier	....	special thanks: for accepting an invitation to lunch (as Scott)
Vincent Pereira	....	special thanks: for the inspiration (as Vincent)
Janet Pierson	....	thanks
John Pierson	....	special thanks: for having second thoughts (as John 'My Hero' Pierson)
Kenneth Schneider	....	thanks
Bubba Shea	....	thanks
Virginia Smith	....	special thanks: for saying "Be a Filmmaker."
Amy Taubin	....	thanks
Mark Tusk	....	special thanks: for not giving up (as Mark 'Doctor Love' Tusk)
Harvey Weinstein	....	special thanks: for an unforgettable order of potato skins

Production Companies

• View Askew Productions (presents)
• Miramax Films

Distributors

• Miramax Films (1994) (USA) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (199?) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (199?) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1995) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Cinemussy (Spain)
• Filmfreak Distributie (1998) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Gativideo (1995) (Argentina) (VHS)
• New Vision Films
• PlayArte Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• UPLINK Company

Other Companies

• Borough of Highlands, The  thanks
• Choice Video  thanks (as Steve and Choice Video)
• Columbia Records  soundtrack album available on (as Chaos/Columbia Records)
• DC Comics  thanks (as D.C. Comics)
• Doonesbury Company, The  thanks
• Film/Video Arts  thanks (as Film Video Arts)
• First Avenue Playhouse  thanks
• Henry Hudson Regional High School  thanks (as Henry Hudson Regional)
• Jan Film Labs  thanks
• Leonardo First Aid  thanks
• Magno Sound  thanks (as Magno)
• Maysle's  thanks
• New School for Social Research  thanks (as The New School for Social Research)
• Posten's Funeral Home  thanks (as Posten's Funeral Parior)
• Pro Camera  cameras by (as Pro Camera and Lighting)
• Quick Stop Convenience  catering
• Quick Stop Convenience  thanks
• R.S.T. Video  thanks
• REI Media Group  titles by
• Residents of Leonardo, The  thanks
• Sound Hound  sound mixed at
• Sound One  thanks
• Spera Corporation  post-production equipment (as Spera Corp.)

Also Known As:

Clerks (USA) (alternative spelling)
Clerks X: Tenth Anniversary Edition (USA) (DVD title)
Inconvenience (USA) (working title)
Rude Clarks (USA) (working title)
cLeRKs (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R on appeal for extensive use of extremely explicit sex-related dialogue.

Runtime:

92 min | Turkey:87 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Mono (original Sundance cut)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:13 | USA:TV-MA (tv rating) | Australia:MA (2008 re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | South Africa:16 | Ireland:18 | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Canadian Home Video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Israel:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:Btl | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 (original rating) | USA:R (re-rating after appeal) | UK:15 (2005 re-rating) | Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) (video rating) (10th anniversary edition)

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, USA

Company:

View Askew Productions

Trivia:

Jeff Anderson (Randal) auditioned for the role of Jay.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Dante and Randall argue on the ground of the convenience store following their big fight, and all the food is on the ground, the "SKOR" bar placard on the shelf behind Dante disappears in one close-up shot.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dante Hicks: [phone rings and Dante falles out of a closet] Hello. What? No I don't work today, I'm playing hockey at two.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Strongbad_email.exe (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Big Poblems

Clerks.: 8/10

Everyone has to start somewhere. Kevin Smith started his popular Jay and Silent Bob series with Clerks., a $50,000 film whose soundtrack cost more than the actual movie cost to make. It's poorly done, it's monochromatic (which actually works to its advantage), it's cheap, but it's funny, and that's all that really counts. The story is more than I thought it would be, and it's continuously funny throughout the whole short runtime. Many of the crude adventures of Dante and Randal are now legendary.

Dante (Brian O'Halloran) works at the Quick Stop convenience store. He's called in on a day off. His friend Randal (Jeff Anderson) works next door at a video store, but sporadically closes it to hang out at the Quick Stop. Throughout the day, various things occur, such as a gum representative trying to get people to stop smoking and chew his gum, a rabbi using the employee's bathroom (with an unexpected twist at the end), disrupting a wake, and the now-classic scene at the video store with "Happy Scrappy Hero Pup".

This movie has non-stop humor going for it. Whether it's Dante's or Randal's confrontations with the unruly customers (who seem over-the-top yet regular), their conversations about nothing (especially Star Wars), or their departures from their respective stores to play hockey or whatnot. I can see that Clerks. is to minimum wage earners as Office Space is to office workers. Dante's always a little timid when it comes to dealing with the unruly customers, but when Randal takes the stage, it's a lot funnier.

Although the parts about Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) and Cairlin (Lisa Spoonhauer) weren't that interesting (except for the 36...make that 37 people), they were necessary, and seemed to create a plot out of this, basically, sketch comedy. It succeeded, and turned it into a great all around film. Most of these people had never acted before, and although it does seem like they're just reciting their lines (there's almost no break in between the dialogue), they do a good job at it. Sometimes it seems a little too scripted (for voice and diction, etc.), but for a bunch of first-timers, it's not bad at all.

Considering the rest of the series (besides Mallrats, which I haven't seen), I'd say Clerks. is close with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for the funniest Kevin Smith movie. They're also the two crudest, and the first and last in the series, respectively. But Clerks. will always stay as it was when it was released 10 years ago-revolutionary. It showed that money and action aren't important to make a movie funny.

My rating: 8/10

Rated R for extensive use of extremely explicit sex-related dialogue.