#847 Clerks is a Quick Stop for a smile

Clerks is one of my favorite movies and is one that changed the way many people looked at the process of movie making.

Clerks was shot in black-and-white and roughly edited due to its budget of around $27,000. Yes, that is correct. You can make a movie that stands the test of time for less than thirty grand. Writer/Director Kevin Smith, sold a large portion of his comic book collection in 1993 to fund the film. He also maxed out close to a dozen credit cards with $2,000 limits, dipped into his college fund and spent insurance money awarded for a car he and Jason Mewes lost in a flood. The film was shot in 21 straight nights at the convenience store Kevin Smith worked at during the days.

The story is that store clerk Dante Hicks is not having a good day. He works as a clerk in a small convenience store and is told to come into work on his day off. His buddy Randal Graves works as a clerk in the video store next door and he hates his job just about as much as Dante hates his. In the film there are many customers that come in and all have some interesting philosophies or quirks they share with Dante further solidifying Dante’s point of view on how messed up the world is.

The Quick Stop convenience store, which is located at 58 N. Leonard Avenue in Leonardo, New Jersey, is where Kevin Smith worked while making the film. He could only film Clerks in the store at night while it was closed which explains the plot point of the shutters being closed thanks to the vandal having jammed gum in the padlocks.

Because of the very small budget, several members of Smith’s family played roles in Clerks including Smith’s mother and sister. Several of Smith’s childhood friends also play roles in the film including Walt Flanagan who plays four roles: The “Woolen Cap Smoker”, the “Egg Man”, the “Offended Customer” and the “Cat Admiring Bitter Customer”. It fell to Flanagan to play these characters when the actors Smith originally got to play them just did not show up.

Even with the very limited budget and the tight filming restraints, Kevin Smith hit it out of the park with Clerks. The film still holds up all the years later and is one of those I can watch again and again and it always brings a smile to my face.

Have you ever seen Clerks? Are you a fan of Kevin Smith like I am? What are some of your favorite movies you can watch again and again and always smile? Click here to leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.