Clerks III Reviews

Clerks III is an American comedy written and directed by Kevin Smith. He also stars in the film along with Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Trevor Fehrman, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Marilyn Ghigliotti. After Randal (Anderson) suffers a massive heart attack, he decides to make something of his continued existence on the planet-and that something is a movie about his life at the Quick Stop. Along with his best friend and business partner Dante (O'Halloran), Quick Stop clerk and the constant butt of his jokes Elias (Fehrman), and the neighboring marijuana dispensary owners Jay (Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith), the group embarks on a journey thirty years in the making: from the events of the first Clerks movie, all the way to the present. Randal and Dante have been through a lot together, but will their friendship last through the making of this film?From the lowbrow callbacks, to classic Star Wars references, to the meta banter about the filming of Randal's movie on black-and-white 16mm film stock, Clerks III is a charming homage to a world built from Kevin Smith's humble beginnings. The script went through multiple iterations until Smith suffered an near-fatal heart attack before a comedy show. After his experience, he decided to rewrite the script with Randal having a heart attack himself. If the movie feels familiar to fans, it should: the setting is iconic. The original Clerks was filmed entirely at the actual Quick Stop convenience store in New Jersey. The final days of filming for Clerks II was also filmed there (as well as at a closed and boarded up Burger King in California). Because of this, Smith was determined to get the third and final installment filmed at the original Quick Stop as well. While the movie itself is a comedy, it does touch upon a multitude of deeper themes including grief, finding one's purpose in life, and the growth that comes from trauma. The characters are older now and must deal with situations head-on instead of using fun and games as a means of quick diversion. It also talks about how every new day is a chance to start a new chapter or turn a new page. It is a story about hope as much as it is a story about friendship.While all of the actors (both professional and not) give heartfelt performances, it is O'Halloran that shines particularly bright as he delivers the most heartfelt monologue in the entire series. The passion in his eyes and through his words reverberate through the theater in unexpected ways. Clerks III is an irreverent movie, and yet it has a lot of heart. While viewers who have seen the other two films in this trilogy will get more out of the quips and gags, those who have only a faint understanding of the Jay and Silent Bob universe will still find this movie funny and surprisingly touching. Clerks III is truly the proper send-off the series deserves. The closing credits should not be missed in order to get a little extra behind-the-scenes commentary from Kevin Smith himself.