Written by Cameron Geiser

This review is one that comes from an inherent place of bias. Try as I might to put all personal considerations aside, I cannot entirely. For me, Kevin Smith was the first person from the film industry that made me realize that anyone can be a filmmaker. It was my own searing moment in time when it clicked while watching one of his Q and A’s on DVD ages ago. Granted, I haven’t always loved what Smith has done, Yoga Hosers for example just wasn’t for me if I’m being honest. However, I felt the need to illuminate my personal relationship with the filmmaker himself before going into this one.

Like a wake for video rental stores everywhere, Clerks III is a charming ode to Generation X and the pop culture of the 1990’s. Admittedly, I had some reservations heading into this one. Yes, I usually enjoy Kevin Smith’s films, but while I personally enjoyed Jay and Silent Bob Reboot back in 2019, it felt lacking in overall storytelling quality. This is not the case with Clerks III, in fact I’d say it’s one of Smith’s best works in years. We return to the Quick Stop in New Jersey once again and catch up with Randal (Jeff Anderson), Dante (Brian O'Halloran), Elias (Trevor Fehrman), and the ever present duo themselves, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith).

After a reintroduction to the store and its regular set of slackers it isn’t long before Randal suffers a massive heart attack while mocking Elias, a common form of entertainment since the second movie. Randal survives, but during his brush with death he saw his whole life- and he surmises that it didn’t amount to much. Dante casually says that he always thought Randal could have made a movie, since he’s basically seen every movie ever made. Cue the eureka moment where Randal realizes that, yes, he actually could make a movie! Thus after exiting the hospital Randal returns to the Quick Stop with a new mission in life- he’s gonna make that movie! The film does get pretty meta in the first and second acts with the filming of what is essentially the first Clerks film. Longtime fans of the series, and Kevin Smith in general, will likely get the most from these scenes and comedic bits as they come to shape the little indie film that could. Old jokes are new again within the context, but under the unique spin of the characters reflecting on the first two films and interpreting those events for their own film.

Luckily, the meta nature of these characters getting behind the camera to shoot some of the more memorable moments from the first film never strays into cringe territory. Maybe it’s because seeing these slackers work together to achieve something greater is so new for them, but I found the whole affair to be quite charming. The earnestness that these characters bring to the project is what makes it work so well. Yes, there is a cartoonish sense of humor at times- but this is mostly relegated to Jay and Silent Bob’s antics. Which, by the way, I must mention that this film has the best use of Jay and Silent Bob since either Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, or Dogma, I can’t decide. Either way it’s the best they’ve been in years and it was a delight.

Though if you thought the whole film was Randal’s story this time around, it’s also still very much Dante’s tale to tell. The emotional depth given to Dante and Randal in this film was surprisingly great. At its core, the film is about grief, handling the death of loved ones, and what to do with your life when you realize just how short it can be. Becky (Rosario Dawson), Dante’s new love from the second film, is also involved- but in unexpected ways that challenged Dante as a character without treating Becky as utilitarian or in service of other characters. She’s still got just as much humanity as when we saw her last, crude sexual humor and all. Which reminds me, this must be the least vulgar of all three films. I don’t mind that kind of humor, and it’s still there a bit, but nowhere near as much as before.

So, if you’re a fan of the other films in the series, this should be a good fit. It’s also just really damn funny. I know humor is extremely subjective, but this one worked for me on multiple levels. Clerks III puts the series to rest with care, and well executed sincerity. It’s also possibly the best film of the three. I’ll have to ponder that aspect for a while myself, but again, congratulations Kevin Smith, you did it.

Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.