MOVIE REVIEW: Clerks III (2022)

CLERKS III (2002 Lionsgate)

Directed by Kevin Smith

There was once a time when I would have bought anything with Kevin Smith’s name on it.  Clerks resonated.  Clerks II was side-splitting.  We waited for the next chapter in Dante and Randall’s lives, now owners of the Quick Stop and in control of their own destinies.  And we waited, and we waited, and that film never came.

Then Kevin Smith had a near-fatal heart attack.

Clerks III was scrapped and a new version written.  It is this version that I watched the other night.

I may be the wrong person to review this film.  Take everything you read here with several large grains of salt.

I was not prepared for a movie this dark.  I knew that plot involved Randall having a heart attack and deciding to make a film of his life story.  I did not know how much other tragedies were to come for other characters.  I was triggered a bit by some hospital scenes and didn’t enjoy these bits at all.

I felt that Clerks III was two things:

  • Kevin telling a dark story that reflects where he was at that point in his life.
  • Kevin re-making Clerks.

The movie alternates between these two tones.  I respect the right of a filmmaker to to express themselves in any way they desire, but Clerks III was not the instalment for me.

There was one meta-humour moment with Amy Sedaris having a conversions with Randall involving The Mandalorian, which is funny since Amy Sedaris on that show.  So there are those things still happening, and of course all the self-references back to past movies in the View Askewniverse.  I guess that’s more the movie I wanted, rather than [SPOILER] …all this death.

2/5 stars

 

19 comments

  1. Rosario Dawson is way too hot to be involved with any of these characters! She’s a great actress too.

    I didn’t really want to see this movie after seeing the trailer. I thought Kevin was so creatively bankrupt that he made the third Clerks movie about making the first. Most of his recent work has been abysmal too. Sounds like there may be more to it than that based on your review. A bit more personal for him.

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        3. But then we wouldn’t have Clerks II! And Jen and I watched that movie a lot in our early dating years. She came from an evangelical church and loved the Christian character. Thought it was hilarious. Clerks II was legit great.

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  4. I’ve been a a fan of Kevin Smith since I was a teenager, and have always loved the View-Askewniverse, so I was looking forward to this one. I actually only just watched it a few weeks ago, on the first night of my coffee detox (in other words, with a slight headache, lol!).

    I enjoyed it overall, and my enjoyment mostly came from all of the little nods to previous view-Askew installments, as well as Smith’s attention to detail in the references to the first “Clerks”. Yes, nostalgia plays a big part in “Clerks III”, but I’m fine with that, as I’m a nostalgic guy (probably the reason I enjoyed “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” so much, but that’s a review for another time).

    As for the dark elements in the film, I understand where you’re coming from Mike, as it’s a huge shift from the first two films. Myself, I appreciated the change, as it showed growth, not only from Kevin Smith, but from the two main characters, Dante and Randall. I think we can all agree that Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson aren’t the best actors out there, but I think they both nailed their emotional scenes very well. I was very impressed and moved at times.

    Another surprise for me was Trevor Fehrman as Elias. I was worried about his acting, as he hasn’t acted in a film since “Clerks II” in 2006, but wouldn’t you know it, he stole every scene he’s in. Mind you, that may be more a result of the various wardrobe changes, and less on the acting, but I think he pulled it off in the end.

    A problem I had with the film, was how Smith still makes everything so sexual. Yes, I know something we have come to expect from him are all the dick & fart jokes, but seeing the other aforementioned growth in the film, I had kind of hoped he would have outgrown the potty humor a bit. I thought it was funny as a teenager, but I certainly grew out of it.

    All that having been said, I enjoyed my viewing. I don’t predict as many repeat viewing as the first two installments, but I see this as a once in a blue moon viewing.

    3.5/5 stars for me.

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    1. I think possibly the big difference between me, and the people who liked the movie, is that I did not really get into Kevin Smith until later on, through my wife. I’d seen his films before then, and I owned Clerks and Dogma. My wife kind of addicted me with Mallrats.

      Personally I felt that Clerks III was waaaaaay too down. Far more than I was prepared for. So much death! One death, sure. But two? Three if you include the unborn baby.

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