Clerks III

I am a big fan of Kevin Smith, the person. In the early-mid 90's his underdog comedies were perfect to me. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back was a perfect blend of everything he had made up until that point. Then he started doing his speaking tours. The first Evening with Kevin Smith was hilarious! I watched the second one, and while not nearly as good as the first, it was still entertaining. Then Clerks 2 came out, and I heard a whole bit that he already did, almost verbatim, as an argument from one of the characters. Also, Jason Mewes getting sober, was a major plot point for his character as well.

I have heard Kevin talk about his heart attack, quite thoroughly. So it was kind of disappointing when his story played out almost exactly how it happened, in what was supposed to be something I hadn't seen. Also, most of the stories that went in to the movie, were also written almost verbatim, how he mentioned they happened when making Clerks, which he talked about in 2004's An Evening With Kevin Smith. It feels like Kevin is creatively bankrupt these days. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy hearing him talk about things. It just means that everything he talks about usually ends up in his next movie. Kevin is a humble, likable, friendly, intelligent guy. It just seems like if you've listened to his stories he's personally told on his, or other people's podcasts, you have heard everything he has to say, and seeing his latest movie will only be a rehash of what he has already said. It's hard to be critical of someone I like and respect, but his movies nowadays, are mostly autobiographical parts of his life, put in to his old IP. Sorry Kevin :(

It's mawkish, messy, not particularly clever about its meta commentary, and some of the jokes fall incredibly flat... but you know what? A good deal of this really works. The emotional stuff feels like it's straining, but it still got to me when it needed to. Emotions were felt.

I'm truly thankful I liked this for the most part, as I thought Kevin Smith's last two movies were genuinely awful. I can safely say that it's a huge improvement on Yoga Hosers and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. It may be that I just have a soft spot for Clerks, but either way, I thought this was really good in parts, to the point where I can overlook some (but certainly not all) of the obvious flaws.

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.

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.

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.