Clerks (1994): **

At the Quick Stop store in New Jersey, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) is opening up the shop to cover for another employee, until the boss arrives. Dante is kept busy dealing with the strange and often idiotic customers who patronize the shop. Across the road, Dante’s best mate Randal (Jeff Anderson) is supposed to be running the video rental store, but he spends the majority of his time antagonising Dante’s customers. During the course of the day, Dante agonises over the fact that his ex-girlfriend Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer) is going to be engaged, despite the fact that his current girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) is completely devoted to him. As the day draws out, Dante seems to be completely inundated with bad luck and the hellish customers. 

Clerks gained a lot of recognition when it was first released, due to its critical acclaim at the Sundance Festival and its small $30,000 budget that director Kevin Smith conjured up from maxed out credit cards. It quickly gained a cult following amongst the disillusioned Generation Xers, as the film captures the daily tedium of working in a dead-end job. Most audience members can relate to that, unless you’ve been extremely lucky in life (or just very well-connected); almost everyone has had a job they didn’t enjoy.  However, where Clerks fails is in the persistent mean-spiritedness of its main characters, Dante and Randal. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes these two so detestable, causing their actions and witticisms to fail miserably in invoking much laughter as a result. 

I’m no stranger to misanthropic characters, but Dante and Randal’s brand of misanthropy doesn’t suit my tastes. Perhaps it is because many sympathetic misanthropic characters have some redeemable quality or are justified in their cynicism. With Dante and Randal, it appears to be mostly self-inflicted, especially when Randal is constantly rude to the customers and going so far as to spit soda in their face. Maybe the popularity in Clerks lies in wish fulfilment for the audience, the wish to be caustic and outspoken towards the rude customers that makes us dread going to work. The way Dante and Randal treat the customers may seem appealing, but the film’s and the main characters’ treatment of the main female characters is slightly appalling. Dante shouts and shames Veronica for having ‘sucked 37 dicks’ in the past, whilst he contemplates cheating on Veronica with Caitlin. Later, he treats Caitlin in the same manner as Veronica; it seems unbelievable that either of the two women would put up with this. More disturbingly, when Caitlin has a traumatic sexual experience in the bathroom, it is played off as absurdly funny in a serious misjudgement of tone.  

Whilst the plot and the humour leave a lot to be desired, the acting in Clerks is unquestionably good. Brian O’Halloran does well as the constant moaner Dante, afraid of any change and seems to want to run away back to the idyllic past. O’Halloran’s physicality seems to be in a state of constant exasperation. Jeff Anderson has the flashier role as Randal, the belligerent movie rental store worker who enjoys discussing the overlooked elements of films. Anderson fires off his dialogue whilst slouching against the counter, barely looking up from his magazines or porn videos. Marilyn Ghigliotti has the immensely likeable role of Veronica, a college student and Dante’s supporter. Ghigliotti plays Veronica as a sympathizer but holds a no nonsense attitude when Dante oversteps his mark. The supporting cast also perform the eccentric customers with aplomb, providing some much needed amusement. 

Clerks has plenty of acting talent, but the incessant nastiness of its main characters kills off many of the laughter that could be had.