Clerk (2021)
Directed By: Malcolm Ingram
Starring: Kevin Smith, Richard Linkletter, Scott Moser, Jason Mewes, Harley Quinn Smith
Plot Summary: The story follows the first-time director from before he takes the world by surprise at the Sundance Film Festival with his seminal indie comedy sensation ‘Clerks’ and follows his life and cinematic output since. Like his films, the documentary examines Kevin’s affinity for countless juicy topics from male relationships and sexuality to religious fanaticism and comic book culture. Using interviews, clips, testimonials and never before seen archival footage, “Clerk” is a colorful oral history of one of the entertainment industry’s most incredible journeys, as told by his friends, his collaborators, industry professionals and the Not So Silent Bob himself, Kevin Smith.
The 90s were an incredible period that gave us budding filmmakers like Quinten Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez and a film nerd from New Jersey named Kevin Smith. For film fans of my age, discovering these seminal works in real time was pretty amazing and further fueled my passion for cinema. For example, 1994’s Clerks was a movie that really opened my eyes up to what you could do with a little money, grit and a love for pop culture. Comic book and nerd movies weren’t really as big as they are now. So, when Dante and Randal sat around talking about Star Wars or when you spotted a Jaws reference, it was really exciting. Indeed, it’s hard to describe that feeling of witnessing this kind of geek-love in a cinematic landscape not yet dominated by it. Flashforward to 2021, popular culture has not only caught up with Smith, but it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry. Kevin is no longer the fringe but a part of mainstream. You have people that are diehard cult-like fans of his work and others that hate him on what feels like a personal level.
Right away, what impressed me is just how incredibly thoughtful and well put together this documentary is. Director Malcolm Ingram is no stranger to the format of non-fiction with previous doc’s such as in 2010’s Bear Nation and Small-Town Gay Bar (2006). Ingram skillfully lays out a really simple, yet thought provoking blueprint of every major phase of Smith’s career and evolution. Ingram and Smith don’t shy away from heavy topics and we get a nice balance of highs and lows. I was worried this might veer into the puff-piece realm, but thankfully, Smith isn’t afraid of talking about heavy topics. This includes but isn’t limited to Harvey Weinstein and Smith’s near fatal heart attack. It was also great to see such an impressive and wide-ranging array of interview subjects, such as Richard Linkletter, Ben Affleck, Penn Jillette and a bittersweet appearance from Stan Lee.
The mainstay View Askew crew also shed light on the director’s career and personal insights. At the heart is of course Smith himself. Kevin Smith has literally made a second career at monologuing, so it should go without saying that he is engaging as hell. Clerk is an incredible and impactful deep dive into the filmmaker that achieved the kind of rare status of fame that reaches almost mythic levels. No matter how you feel about the director’s work, you cannot deny the fact that he has taken his passion and made a lasting brand that has been going strong for decades. Few others can truly make that claim.
For both die-hard fans and those brand-new to Smith and his universe he has created, Clerk is a must-watch!
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
