Kevin Smith
Clerks (Commessi)

LA RECENSIONE

Dear cinema/film enthusiasts and De-Amici and (un)known selves (and I would say yes) seeking to spend some time in self-solitude or, alternatively, subject to whomever you most prefer *** a semi-unsightly, moderately brainless, quite paradoxical, enjoyably light-hearted, very jolly, totally politically incorrect, celluloid hour-and-a-half and then (willingly or not) find yourself emitting the classic four (or even five) most sacred and brain-restorative/amusing laughs, well within this small-great "world" (the 'Quickstop Groceries') animated and sustained by a pair of unlikely and poorly accommodating, recalcitrant "Clerks" ('Clerks', for the less English-savvy) and the indomitable ragtag band of improbable shoppers and passersby, you might find sustenance (albeit stale: the film, despite its permanent freshness/sparkling linguistic-imagery dates back to the past century, more precisely 1994) for your film-hungry canines & incisors.

A revelation film at the Sundance Film Festival (1994 edition), also awarded at the 'Semaine de la Critique' in Cannes, was integrally written and then directed by the then cine-reckless debutant Mr. Kevin Smith (born 1970). The epic (first chapter of the so-called 'New Jersey Trilogy') film in question was put into place practically with four miserable-bucks - for the others' pocket account: 27,575 dollars were disbursed for the actual production of the film and about another twenty thousand to cover the copyright expenses of the related soundtrack ** -, it's based solely on the pleonastic & eschatological existence-in-video of a large plethora of unbalanced characters (and devastating relative interactions between them *), each with their own pseudo-disordered (let’s say so) Philosophie Vitae. Lovingly paradoxical dialogues and horrific characters wander (often uncertain about what to concretely do) in front of the shaky camera: with a reasonable probability, some (or each) of them will gift you (word of a former Boy Scout) a little pearl to jealously keep among your most daring film things.

Further note: "Clerks" was entirely shot in black and white not for particular reasons relating to a precise imaginative-stylistic choice but simply for the above-mentioned, trivial yet practical/life reasons of poor liquidity: legend has it that to cope with the production expenses, the young Kevin, besides "robbing" friends & relatives, even had to, unfortunately, sell off his indispensable, beloved & complete comics collection.

In conclusion, I would dare to tell you simply: this (not so) miserable little film I had the privilege and honor (at the time) of persistently recommending to various film-friends, acquaintances, and semi-acquaintances... well, none of them have yet (at least for now) cut me off [or, if they did, it was due to reasons outside the field of celluloid recommendation], and, in the most magnanimous cases, still today they (unduly: I did nothing) thank me for the disinterested advice.

In short, Do (Cine)As You Please.

* 37 - note this number: during the film, it will be (moderately) useful to you.

** Order strictly mnemonic-scattered: The Jesus Lizard, Corrosion Of Conformity, Bad Religion, Stabbing Westward, Girls Against Boys, Seaweed, Alice In Chains among the most significant and let's say appealing

*** Note for the younger ones: widely (dis)recommended watching in the company of Paternalistic Procreators: given the not exactly high and refined proposed language, they might likely bar you from using the cathodic appliance until reaching adulthood...