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In Convenience What makes a masterpiece? Even more so, how many films can actually be called a masterpiece? A few titles are probably going through your head right now, like "Citizen Kane" or "Schindler's List." But I'm thinking of a different title. A lot of people haven't seen it and some people haven't even heard of it. This excellent film is none other than Kevin Smith's directorial debut, "Clerks." Made on a minuscule budget and shot on grainy black-and-white 16MM, "Clerks." held the record for many years of being the most stolen videotape of all time and for good reason. "Clerks." was shot almost completely inside a Quick Stop convenience store located in Highlands, New Jersey in the spring of 1993. This was the same store that writer/director Smith worked at for many years prior to production. What's even more interesting is that most of the indoor scenes were shot in the middle of the night while everyone else was sleeping. The cast was full of unknowns. The crew was inexperienced. The equipment was less-than-perfect. Nobody expected much to come from the project. Three weeks later, a true masterpiece was completed. Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) has been unexpectedly called into work at the Quick Stop on the same day that he's supposed to play hockey. Frustrated and very tired, he heads off to the store. Things start going wrong immediately. The bloody savages of New Jersey have jammed gum into the locks of the steel shutters, so he has to make a very creative "open" sign with shoe polish. Even more so, the newspaper machines are empty and he has to swipe some from another nearby machine. The rest of the day isn't spectacular either. Over the course of this day, he will be pelted with cigarettes by an anti-smoking mob. He will learn of a former girlfriend's death. He will play street hockey on the roof of the store. He will wax philosophical on "Star Wars" and the tabloid magazines. He'll have to put up with his overly sarcastic best friend Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), who works at the nearby RST video store. He will learn of the past sexual exploits of his current girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti). He'll deal with rude customers, faulty electrics and neighborhood drug dealers Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith) -- all of this while trying to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Caitlin (Lisa Spoonauer). "Clerks." is brilliant from start to finish. Not only is it one of the most entertaining, vulgar and hilarious movies of all time, but it's also a biting social commentary. It perfectly captures the spirit of the '90s and Generation X. Although the main characters are foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed slackers, they are extremely relatable. We care about the characters and their crappy jobs. There are no special effects or well-choreographed stunts present here. "Clerks." is completely based in the real world. This is a film about people and their relationships to one another. It's about us. Kevin Smith clearly knows every little detail about the world of convenience stores and that comes through perfectly in his excellent screenplay. The dialogue in "Clerks." is some of the most realistic I've ever heard. All of the characters are well-developed and, as I said earlier, incredibly easy to relate to. I've noticed a lot of people accuse the actors of not doing the best job, but that's completely untrue. Every single actor plays their role perfectly, whether it be Jeff Anderson as Randal (easily the best performance) or Walt Flanagan as the annoyed customer with only one scene. There are no fancy camera set-ups or shots, and the camera rarely moves. But that isn't a bad thing, not at all. In fact, that's perfect for this film. Most of the time in life, we find ourselves standing next to someone, lost in conversation and that's exactly what the cinematography conveys. I'll probably be accused of praising things that don't deserve praise, but every single aspect of "Clerks." does! The direction, the screenplay, the camera set-ups, the acting -- everything is absolutely perfect in every way. I can't praise this film enough. If only there were more like it. email this review to a friend
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