Clerks (1994)
Introduction
Hello you. Make a cup of tea. Put a record on. 1994: Britain was knee-deep in Britpop's cultural illusion, everyone thinking they were either Liam Gallagher or Jarvis Cocker, while Tony Blair smiled in the wings, waiting to dismantle what Thatcher had left standing.
Cinema was clogged with pretty, vapid Hollywood nonsense until a scruffy, mouthy American slacker named Kevin Smith turned up. Clerks wasn't sleek, glossy, or even remotely well-funded. Shot in grainy black-and-white on a shoestring budget of $27,575 (with Miramax later kicking in an extra $230,000 for music rights), it was as bleak and sarcastic as we deserved. Clerks was for everyone who realised life was mostly drudgery, occasionally interrupted by something absurd enough to laugh at.
Plot Summary
Dante Hicks isn't supposed to be working today, yet he's stuck pulling a shift at the Quick Stop Groceries convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey. Joined by his aggressively lazy friend Randal Graves, who works next door at RST Video, the two navigate an endless stream of idiotic customers, personal crises involving ex-girlfriends, sexual mishaps, and accidental death. It's a sharp, irreverent slog through minimum wage purgatory, soundtracked by bitterness and Generation X apathy, introducing iconic recurring characters Jay and Silent Bob.
Behind the Scenes
Clerks was filmed at the actual Quick Stop convenience store and RST Video store in Leonardo, New Jersey, where Kevin Smith worked at the time. Due to extreme budget constraints, Smith cast family and friends, including Walt Flanagan, who played multiple roles because other actors didn't show up. Smith financed the film by selling his extensive comic collection, borrowing $3,000 from his parents, maxing out multiple credit cards, and using his insurance payout after storm damage.
Originally, Smith intended to play Randal himself but handed the role to Jeff Anderson after realising he couldn’t effectively juggle acting with directing and running production. The film was shot in just 21 days using black-and-white 16mm film stock, and Smith often got less than an hour's sleep per day due to his day job at the store.Why It’s a Must-Watch
Clerks matters because it spat in the face of polished 90s Hollywood formula. Smith captured, with black-and-white disdain, the reality of dead-end jobs, crushing mediocrity, and the absurdity of ordinary life. His characters weren't loveable. They were arseholes, just like most real people. Independent cinema owes a debt to Clerks, recognised by its preservation in the US National Film Registry in 2019. It proved you didn't need Spielberg’s budget to tell an honest, hilarious, and painfully relatable story.
Key Quote
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
— Dante Hicks
It's the rallying cry for every worker who's ever been fucked over by scheduling, life, or just the grim realisation that they're exactly where they're supposed to be: miserable.
For Fans Of
Slacker (1990). Richard Linklater's similarly nihilistic, aimless stroll through disenfranchisement hits the same bitter notes.
Memorable Moments
The rooftop hockey game, interrupted by an obnoxious customer demanding service, summarising the entire retail experience in under a minute.
Veronica's savage takedown of a gum salesman who stages an anti-smoking campaign purely to flog more Chewlies.
Caitlin mistakenly having sex with a corpse in the Quick Stop bathroom, Smith's ultimate expression of dark comedic chaos.
Easter Eggs
Kevin Smith's mum, Grace Smith, appears briefly as the "Milk Maid," a charmingly low-budget nepotistic cameo.
Walt Flanagan, Smith’s mate, plays four different roles including the infamous "Egg Man," showing just how thinly stretched indie films can be.
Jason Mewes (Jay) was initially excluded from promotional materials because Miramax Films believed he lacked commercial appeal and would scare off audiences.
Why You Should Care
Clerks is the kind of film that says something essential about how ridiculous modern life really is. It's ugly, cheap, and cynically brilliant. Watch Clerks because it fucking matters to understand just how absurdly, hopelessly funny existence can be.
See you on down the road.
