Clerks III

Clerks III.... Not a comedy. By a long shot, though there were quite a few attempts.... Definitely a personal story coming from Kevin Smith in many ways. I love his filmmaking. But Clerks III felt rushed. I feel like this was a missed opportunity to get huge laughs and quotes we could spout off to our friends for years to come. And we all know Kev is capable of that. The editing wasn't the greatest either which kinda ruined some of jokes, especially in the first act. The second act picks up a little speed but overall is too much of an ode to the first Clerks. (Which made me just want to watch the first one lol)

The good: Super low budget and they did excellent with what they had. Loved the nods and breaking the fourth wall that are a staple in Kevin's films. Hilarious cameos. I just wish that the story and joke writing could have trumped the sheer star power of the cameos and nods.

I'm really hoping Kevin moves on from sequels and reboots and does something original again soon! He's one of the most clever filmmakers out there and I can't put his movies down.

This is a film in three parts. The first reacquaints us with Quick Stop crowd and is quite funny although depressing that these guys haven't moved on at all in the last thirty years.

The second is a boring mid section that drags on while the two main characters make/ or remake the first Clerks movie.

The third is a well made emotional journey that, hopefully, says goodbye to the franchise forever.

Considering the awful Silent Bob and Jay movie as well, this whole set of characters are totally played out. Finished. Over-cooked.

I hope that Kevin Smith now moves to something a little more original.

The Clerks franchise, being the one that launched Kevin Smith's whole career off, is clearly his most personal and dearest to his heart out of all of his IP. Therefore it's no stretch to assume each Clerks entry is an amalgamation of what Smith himself is feeling or reflecting on in his personal life at the time of creating it.

And this time around, with Kevin Smith fresh off of a heart attack in his real life, it's no accident that themes of mortality heavily seep into every pore of this film. And what happens when we're smacked in the face with our own mortality? Much like the trope of our "life flashing before our eyes", it's very commonplace to look backwards into the past at good times and view them under a different, more appreciative lens.

This film is exactly that: the artist looking back at Clerks 1 (mostly 1, but a little bit of 2 as well) through that nostalgic lens. Smith's reflection on his own mortality bleed through to the characters flashing back on their lives in the same manner. Smith called this film his "Jersey version of Cinema Paradiso", but I saw it more as his version of Fellini's 8 1/2, especially given that he is literally holding a camera in the film.

The trilogy is now thematically complete: Clerks 1 embodied youth, part II aging, part III dying. While Clerks III may be an interesting enough art piece for these reasons, it's just nowhere near as funny as the other 2. To be fair, it's not really trying to be most of the time with the heavy themes it's taking on. But still, it is a Clerks film and a comedy, therefore it does have humorous lines and moments all throughout, even in the more morose moments. And these were simply nowhere near as funny as the other 2 Clerks films.

Overall this film did an excellent job on the nostalgia & fan service if Clerks means a lot to you personally, but otherwise it is the weakest entry in the series in terms of comedic substance.

What happened to Kevin Smith? Seriously. It's been a long time since we've had anything from him that is really worth a watch. This one doesn't change that at all, sadly. It feels desperate to be honest. I had high hopes, but I was also more than a little cautious about getting my hopes up. After two fantastic entries in the Clerks series maybe a letdown was to be expected, but this one feels worse than that. First, the jokes fall flat most of the time. The ones that DO work are solid but there's just not enough of them. Second, the incredibly serious overtones feel out of place here, and that just gets more dire in the third act. Bottom line: it isn't as absolutely horrible as Yoga Hosers but it isn't in the same league as the first two films in the series. It isn't even half as good as Mallrats. My rating of 4 is given partly out of nostalgia for what it is. I can't say it earned it.

I did not expect 'Clerks 3' to be one of the heaviest movies I watched in 2022. I love the 'Clerks' movies and consider the second one to be one of the all-time great comedies. It feels crazy to think that was 16 years ago. We finally got the third one and it was a very different experience to what I was expecting.

I would describe this movie as a love letter to nostalgia. It isn't always subtle about it, but it is hilarious about it. If you know the back story behind 'Clerks' then you are going to get a lot more of the jokes and references this movie is making.

I knew I'd laugh in this movie, however I didn't realise how upsetting it was going to be. I feel like Kevin Smith hit me with a sledge hammer - in the best (and worst) way possible.

The opening sequence in this movie is amazing. So much so that I had to go back and watch it again after the film was finished. I don't think 'Clerks 3' will be as rewatchable as the first two (I'm not even sure I'll be able to work up the courage to watch it again) but it may just be that little bit more memorable. 9/10.