‘Clerks III’ Review – Kevin Smith Revisits His Past For One Of The Most Moving Films Of His Career

From the opening notes of a pop-punk anthem set against a familiar series of events, you can feel that Kevin Smith has been reflecting on his life and legacy quite a bit, and, if you are fan, you are about to embark on a highly emotional, nostalgia-fueled journey right alongside him. We find ourselves back at the QuickStop, the place where it all began for the “View Askewniverse” and for Smith as a creative figure. We have the crudely scribbled anti-shoplifting sign at the register, the Chewlie’s Gum display, and even the mid-afternoon break for hockey on the roof. Sure, the RST Video has gone the way of most video stores in the era of streaming, but the replacement storefront is an obvious evolution if you know anything about Smith or the characters in his universe. Outside of a few key developments, it is as if we have not missed a beat in the nearly 30-year-old franchise.

It has been 16 years since we last had a proper Clerks film with the release of Clerks II in 2006. As with most Smith films, that entry was the result of where Smith was at that point in his life and career. Clerks had been the scrappy product of a hungry young filmmaker stretching every dollar he had and calling in every favor to create his eventual Sundance breakout. Clerks II was Smith getting his feet back underneath him after (the unfairly maligned) Jersey Girl while also bringing the life lessons he had learned over the previous decade to these seminal characters. While not without some dated elements, Clerks II still holds up as a fitting conclusion to these characters, finding fulfillment in the mundanity while being surrounded by those you love. Yet, with the long-gestating Clerks III, Smith truly closes out this particular saga within the larger universe with one of the most personal and moving films of his career.  

In the time since the last film, Dante (Brian O’Halloran) has continued to run the QuickStop with his best friend, Randal (Jeff Anderson). The God-fearing Elias (Trevor Fehrman), who we met in the previous film, is still playing the part of the dutiful employee to “Mr. Dante” and Randal, who never passes up an opportunity to rile up the pious man-boy and his new cohort (Austin Zajur). One day, during a particularly lively diatribe about cryptocurrency, blasphemy and kites, Randal has near-fatal heart attack that sends him to the emergency room where he is snatched from death’s door by a very skilled doctor (our patron saint Amy Sedaris, who is in the running for film MVP). Anyone going out of their way to watch this film will know that this directly parallels what Smith himself experienced in February 2018, right down to labeling it as a “widowmaker” which is typically 80% fatal. Much like the author of this tale, Randal takes this experience as a wakeup call to not only take stock in his life, but to make the most of the time he has left. 

The actual mechanics of the plot from here is largely where the film is the most inconsistent. While Randal believes he has lived an unfulfilling life, the idea to document his experiences up until this point in movie form gives him a renewed sense of purpose. The exact amount of layers in this meta-narrative is difficult to parse out, but essentially Randal takes on the role of Kevin Smith from 30 years ago when he made the original Clerks. Many events from that original film, and to a lesser extent Clerks II, are seen as fodder for this in-movie feature, and thus we have these characters we know and love taking their own stab at this material that made Smith the man we know today. 

Having followed Smith’s career for nearly as long as he has been a known quantity, it is safe to say even he would admit that this process is more than a little bit self-indulgent. Gathering as many of your old friends and family members together after nearly three decades to restage many of your previous movies’ most famous scenes? It’s not exactly blazing new trails. Yet, there is something oddly comforting about this for longtime fans – and make no mistake, this movie is intended for devotees of Smith. While there are plenty of laughs elsewhere throughout, it is disappointing that these moments are pretty accurate recreations rather than fresh laughs. Depending on how in the bag you are for Smith will determine if you find these restagings charming in their nostalgia or tedious. 

How Smith keeps this new film from being a complete masterbatory experience is in the circumstances surrounding the in-movie filming. The Kevin Smith that made this film is a far different person than the man who made the previous two entries, and with the benefit of wisdom and distance he is able to reexamine some of his choices from the past. Being a modern Kevin Smith fan means contextualizing certain dated elements from his previous efforts – some jokes were purposefully off-color while others may have aged poorly in unforeseen ways. Smith takes this new opportunity to touch on a handful of these in both hilarious (what did they mean by Asian design major, again?) and poignant ways. One of the most effective faces from the past is Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti), Dante’s girlfriend from the original film who was taken for granted. While not quite perfect, the closure that we get with this character adds some depth that was lacking from the first go-around. 

Much of this assessment has focused on the more emotional or serious aspects of the film, but rest assured this is a Kevin Smith comedy through and through with plenty of big laughs and treats for fans. We may have just gotten an entire Jay & Silent Bob movie a few years ago, but it is so much fun to see these two back to their roots in front of the store. Just like in their initial outing, these two are used as comedic assassins to come in and liven up a scene whenever necessary. Plus, they get to function as their own self-contained deus ex machina whenever certain financial situations come into play. There are a ton of great cameos and references from across the entirety of Smith’s career (there is even a Degrassi allusion that knocked me sideways). Whether you are here for the most famous Bat-Friends or the deep cuts that are only famous to Askewniverse fanatics, you are going to have a great time. 

Clerks III is not the funniest movie of his career, but it may just be one of his best as a storyteller. The previous Clerks film found Randal reckoning with the fact that he might lose his best friend to a new life outside of New Jersey. All of these years later, Dante and Randal continue to have a complex friendship with plenty of ball-busting but a deep reservoir of love for one another. More than any other time, you see the emotional underbelly of these two in a way that only comes with self-reflection. Of course, Randal puts up a front as you would expect, but he can only maintain that for so long. Dante is more outwardly in emotional limbo, seen most prominently in his conversations with Becky (Rosario Dawson, mercifully getting a break from Star Wars to show up here), last seen going all-in on her relationship with the clerk. Their banter is as playful as ever, but as usual there is something missing from his life. He is stuck, and it is hard for him to imagine the life he truly wants ever happening. 

Smith has always said that this film is meant to be the concluding chapter of this story, and the journey he takes the audience on will not soon be forgotten. O’Halloran and Anderson in particular are given some of the most challenging material of their career to which they mostly rise to the occasion. The ending of this film is absolutely stunning, putting an oft-repeated phrase from the series into a new context. Clerks III would have been very different if Smith had never had his heart attack; this is a film made by a man who is aware of the tenuousness of life. Taking stock of your life in front of your entire fanbase leads to some self-serving reminiscing, but when you deliver a thesis this impactful to an audience rooting for your success, things are likely to work out just fine. 

Lionsgate, in partnership with Fathom Events, will be releasing CLERKS III exclusively in theaters starting September 13th through September 18th. Get your tickets here. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD3n3GM3Z_0]