Clerks

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1:36

Clerks

R

1994

1h 31m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

60 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Dante (Brian O'Halloran) is called in to cover a shift at his New Jersey convenience store on his day off. His friend Randal (Jeff Anderson) helps him pass the time, neglecting his video-store customers next door to hang out in the Quick Stop. The uneventful day is disrupted by news that one of Dante's ex-girlfriends has died. After attending her memorial service, Dante muses over staying with current girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) or reuniting with ex Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer).

Critics Consensus

With its quirky characters and clever, quotable dialogue, Clerks is the ultimate clarion call for slackers everywhere to unite and, uh, do something we guess?

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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

09/23/2020

Smith credits Richard Linklater's Slacker as inspiration. But Clerks supplies its own subversively witty take on Generation Next.

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

09/23/2020

It is one of those small-scale American independent movies that you either fall for or you don't, and one would confidently expect most of those fed up with big, empty, run-of-the-mill Hollywood epics to raise at least two cheers.

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Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

09/23/2020

"Clerks" is unapologetically rough and even ragged at times. But its lack of circumspection turns out to be its charm.

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Joshua M. Patton

CBR

10/21/2024

9/10

Clerks is still ahead of its time, even 30 years later.

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

08/31/2022

A-

"Clerks" doesn’t feel as if it’s trying too hard, and that’s its major charm.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

07/11/2022

7/10

Though the individual parts – such as a few solid jokes, outlandish characters, and an outrageous quandary – tend to be more memorable than the whole, this ultra low-budget, independent project is undeniably impressive.

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Joe

08/30/2022

it's a classic low budget comedy with some surprisingly good life advice

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Jamal P

@RT39995825 May 14

I laughed so hard. SO hard. Sharks in salsa.

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Nicolas G

@Samuel_Goldmann May 4

i love this movie so much.

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David H

@DavidQHarris Apr 23

It was interesting to watch once, but I didn't find it particularly memorable. Maybe it's just a product of its time and just won't have much appeal outside the 1990s milieu. The film did have a few very funny scenes, though. Black and white has its place and can sometimes be used to great effect. This, however, was grainy and of low quality. Which is fine. I understand that that was the consequence of a limited budget, and I'm glad to see that that didn't hold the film back from becoming popular. At the end of the day, though, it just wasn't my thing.

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Jeffery J.

@Jeffery420 Apr 5

This movie is absolutely hilarious and then all the sequels and spinoff movies came out after this and we’re all terrible

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Kevin P

@RT55971421 Feb 19

A hilarious and surprisingly philosophical comedy that put Kevin Smith on the map of fame. The movie is very relatable to the everyday monotony and annoyance of working retail. The titular clerks Dante and Randal are very likable, and their banter is hilarious. Jay and Silent Bob are also very funny side characters. The film is very impressive for such a low budget indie move thanks to its naturalistic dialogue and memorable characters & performances. It's the quintessential 90's slacker movie. But it's also a subversion of the slacker movie that questions why slackers are the way they are. I love all the funny realistic friend conversations about pop culture. The licensed 90's rock soundtrack is very catchy. The movie is full of colorful side characters that are almost as memorable as the main characters. The movie has some insightful philosophical debates that serves as the emotional crux of the movie. It's incredibly impressive how this is so entertaining despite its small budget.

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Kevin Smith

Director

Brian O'Halloran

Dante Hicks

Jeff Anderson

Randal Graves

Marilyn Ghigliotti

Veronica Loughran

Lisa Spoonauer

Caitlin Bree

Jason Mewes

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Clerks: Trailer 1

1:36

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Synopsis

Dante (Brian O'Halloran) is called in to cover a shift at his New Jersey convenience store on his day off. His friend Randal (Jeff Anderson) helps him pass the time, neglecting his video-store customers next door to hang out in the Quick Stop. The uneventful day is disrupted by news that one of Dante's ex-girlfriends has died. After attending her memorial service, Dante muses over staying with current girlfriend Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) or reuniting with ex Caitlin (Lisa Spoonhauer).

Director: Kevin Smith
Producer: Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
Screenwriter: Kevin Smith
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Miramax Films, View Askew Productions
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 19, 1994, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)