“I’m not even supposed to be here today.” That is the famous line muttered by Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith’s 1994 film “Clerks.” Taking place in Leonardo, New Jersey, “Clerks” stars Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson, with Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith as the infamous Jay and Silent Bob.

Twenty-something Dante (O’Halloran) is unhappy with his life- he’s stuck working at a convenience store called the Quick Stop, on his day off no less. He also found out his ex-girlfriend is getting married to an asian design major. To make matters worse, two drug dealers (hilariously played by Mewes and Smith) are loitering in front of the store, and his co-worker and best friend Randal (Anderson) can’t seem to stop insulting the customers. Playing hockey on the roof and getting kicked out of another ex-girlfriend’s funeral are some of the events that make Dante realize why he’s so unhappy: he’s afraid of change. “Clerks” follows Dante’s road to self-fulfillment.

Shot in black and white, “Clerks” was filmed on a modest budget, being shot at Kevin Smith’s place of employment at the time with his friends and family as the cast. Yet, “Clerks” manages to deliver, and then some. The only problem is with the rapid-fire dialogue; you may have to rewind several timesbecause you missed some dialogue due to laughing so hard. Randal is the source of most of the hilarious lines, with Jay and Silent Bob running a close second.

Although the storyline is a bit far-fetched, it will still have you rolling on the floor, glad it’s Dante and not you. While the ending is ambiguous, you find yourself hoping that one day was enough for Dante to be able to change. After all, he does enough complaining to make you want to throw a boot at the screen and tell it to SHUT UP!

All in all, I feel “Clerks” resonates to a generation of twenty-somethings unsure about their future. Hopefully, they have more cajones about change than Dante Hicks. This is a must-see film.

REFERENCES

Collis,Clark. “Clerks.” empireonline.com. <http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132541>

viewaskew.com.

<http://www.viewaskew.com/clerks/info.html>