Having been a Kevin Smith fan for more years than I can remember, I have watched every release of his. And over the years he has released some pretty impressive films. He has also put some stinkers out there, but which director has not. (Looks to Nolan). So when I heard of Clerks 3 getting the glorious greenlight, I started counting down the days. For me Clerks has been some of his finest work. The dialogue in the the first was very much on point for not only its time but time onwards. The follow up also knocked it out the park, but it did not have that little extra. All in all 2 for 2 was still a great record.
Trilogy Unlocked
Enter Clerks 3, the final chapter in the series. We don’t exactly pick up where we left of, but rather a decade or more later. This allows the viewers to relate more as opposed to just jumping back to the exact moment.
We still back in the Quickie Mart with soulmates Dante and Randal now owning the store. It seems to be doing well and they kept Elias on as their saving grace. (Small Lol). The Mcguffin presents itself as a heart attack to Randal. Like it would in real life, this shakes the world of our leads. Elias is faced with some very tough but self imposed religious choices. Randal on the other hand uses it as a reminder that life is short. And so the story unfolds as they set about to make a documentary.
Jay and Silent Bob
There is no movie by Kevin Smith without the iconic duo of Jay and Silent Bob. Not only have they camoed in every Smith movie but they have spun themselves into their own franchise. They back sillier than ever and there to bring some slapstick into the film. It has always been argued that they don’t really affect the core narrative of any of the Clerks movies. I beg to differ, within their idiocracies and antics, they not only become unknowing catalysts to the story but also offer up some insightful social commentary. I think this is often lost through their style of comedy or Kevin Smith’s for that matter.
Put That Review in my Hand
The movie does a great job of tying up all 3 films and creating a realistic conclusion to the trilogy. It is nothing like what I expected, yet feels like the right way. The jokes are really a hit and miss, and that is ok. It always had been. In fact it actually makes for good movie banther talk. Maybe that is Kevin’s brilliance or lack thereof.
More so it’s a very hard and real look at life, and how the some reels just flicker out before others. The pop culture banther is still very much on point but i expected nothing less from Smith. CLerks 3 is a very much more Kevin than the previous 2 movies gave us. He seems to take a very serious approach to this film, which is probably why some jokes fall flat. They simply do not sync up. Regardless, he still finds time to squeeze in ties to his shared Universe.
The short is it is a good watch, more so if you a fan. a fitting end to one of the fans favourite cult hits.
