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 | Friend | Video Store | Video

Awards:

4 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Brian O'Halloran	...	Dante Hicks
Jeff Anderson	...	Randal Graves
Marilyn Ghigliotti	...	Veronica
Lisa Spoonhauer	...	Caitlin Bree (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	...	Heather Jones
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
Brian Vancho	....	foley artist
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
Samantha Inoue 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)
Geoffrey Gilmore	....	thanks (as Geoff Gilmore)
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
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1996) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• 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 X: Tenth Anniversary Edition" - USA (DVD title)
"cLeRKs" - USA (poster title)
"Cajeros" - Argentina
"Clerks" - Spain (imdb display title)
"Clerks - Die Ladenhüter" - Germany
"Clerks - commessi" - Italy
"Clerks - tiskirotat" - Finland
"Clerks, les employés modèles" - France
"Clerks: Sprzedawcy" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Commis en folie" - Canada (French title)
"Døgneren" - Denmark (imdb display title)
"O Balconista" - Brazil
"Poesellid" - Estonia (imdb display title)
"Prodavci" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Shop-stop" - Hungary
"Tezgâhtarlar" - Turkey (Turkish title) (Pay-TV title)
"Trgovci" - Slovenia
"Trgovci" - Croatia (imdb display title)
"Ypalliloi" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)

MPAA:

Rated R on appeal for extensive use of extremely explicit sex-related dialogue (re-rating after appeal)

Runtime:

92 min | Turkey:87 min (TV version) | USA:102 min (extended 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 | USA:TV-MA (tv rating) | Australia:MA (2008 re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | South Africa:16 | Ireland:18 | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Italy:VM14 | 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) | Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) (video rating) (10th anniversary edition)

Filming Locations:

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, USA

Company:

View Askew Productions

Trivia:

Kevin Smith financed this movie by maxing out credit cards, selling a majority of his comic book collection and borrowing money from family and friends.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Randal is ordering videos the woman with the little girl's coat keeps disappearing and reappearing.

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:

References Spring Break (1983)

Soundtrack:

Big Poblems

An honest and humorous film

If you have seen American Pie and think of it as being honest and real about sex and the way kids talk, then Clerks is right up your alley. I don't think a movie has pleasantly shocked me more than this one has. And make no mistake about it, this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

By now we've all heard the story of how Kevin Smith somehow scrounged up $27000 to piece this rag tag film together. It was at a film festival and some film executive saw it and offered him a generous amount of money. They fixed it up and before you know it we have the best indie film ever made. Kevin Smith is now a recognizable name in Hollywood and that alone should make you want to see this film.

Dante and Randal are best friends. They work at a small convenience store and a crappy little video store respectively. As a matter a fact, the video store is so inept that Randall actually goes to one of the bigger video stores in town to rent his movies. Anyway, Dante is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend that cheated on him and he has a present girlfriend that is wonderful to him. That is the basic premise for the movie. And that is all you need to know about the plot. Because what the film is really about is how these characters really talk to each other. It is a bunch of clever anecdotes pieced together hilariously to form a movie. But some of the scenes are just so damn funny that Clerks stays with you for a long long time.

Take for instance a scene where Dante and his girlfriend are discussing the various responsibilities of a man and a woman in sex. Each has an obvious gender biased view of the act but listen to how honest it is written, it gives meaning and much hilarity to the scene. From here, the two end up discussing how many people the other has slept with. And we all know that is an absolute no no in relationships. Because no matter how many or how little the number is, it is too much. But that would be too easy for Smith to end it at that. No, he takes it a step further. From here Veronica ( the girlfriend ) explains that she has only slept with X amount of guys but she has gone down on 36 others. Dante is mortified. How can she do that? And she explains that when she "does it" it means more than when she goes down and that is supposed to make him feel better. It of course doesn't and the pay off in the scene is brilliant as Veronica is walking back to her car. And that is just one of the scenes that makes the film work. There are dozens of other scenes similar in nature that are so humourous yet painfully honest that you laugh but when the giggles subside, you realize that it is so true.

The obvious strength of this film is the writing. But beyond that, Smith establishes himself as a director that can get a performance out of his actors. Almost every major character in here is so well done that you think they had 20 attempts to get it perfect instead of the 3 or 4 that the budget would allow. Dante is well played by O'Halloran but it is Anderson as Randle that I think steels the picture. He is so honest and natural in every scene that he is in that it actually bothers me that he has not established himself in the game. Is it because no one wants to give him a role or is it that he has no interest in movies? I don't know, I just wish he was around again because he is electric.

Jay and Silent Bob are funny as well and Bob provides the film with one of the funnier moments as he dances out of nowhere and then he shocks us with his only line of the film. And what he says may as well be Socrates talking and not a simple street hood. It really works.

I love Clerks. It is such a fun movie and if you haven't seen this gem, check it out. Like it for the funny film that it is, but love it for whats behind it.

This film has heart. And Smith is an inspiration to anyone that wants to do what he did. After all, he proves that nothing is impossible. He is living proof of that.