I'm 33 now, working in retail for 13 years, and Randall's quote "This job would be great if it weren't for the fucking customers" is spot on, 100% my attitude every day. The best part is most of my customers know how I feel and they sympathize lol
When this movie dropped, I was just out of the Navy, and worki g two jobs. One was in a convenience store, the other was in a video rental place. This movie SPOKE to me.
This is one of the most Gen X movies ever made. I was a senior in high school when this came out and it was everything. We watched it on repeat and I still quote it regularly…the view askewniverse is a lot of fun. Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks II, Clerks 3, Jay & Silent Bob strike back and Jay & Silent Bob reboot. Stoner classics.
Clerks 3 fucking sucks. The plot is boring, the dialogue is poorly written and delivered, the camera work is entirely simple shot/reverse-shot, there was almost no effort from costume hair and makeup, etc. The other films, I enjoy for the most part, particularly Clerks II. But Clerks 3 is truly a bad movie. It was like Kevin Smith forgot everything he ever learned about filmmaking.
I am an actor and got cast in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back for a whole week. It was a great experience. I had all of my scenes with Will Farrell. Unfortunately Kevin Smith seriously overshot on that film (I don't know if he always overshoots, but he did this film). So a lot of Will Farrell's scenes got cut out, hence all of my scenes got cut. You can still see me in some scenes, but all of my dialogue was cut. I finally bought the Criterion collection release of the movie on dvd. It was a 2 disc set because it included all of the cut scenes. There were tons of scenes cut out, but I finally got to see my scenes. I also got to meet Mark Hamill at the cast party.
@@johnmaynardable well that might confirm a lot of the comments i see about Will Ferrell potentially improvising a lot of lines in the films he stars in
In the original version, Dante got shot in the end, and dies. No, really. But the producers made them change the ending to be an upbeat one, thankfully!
I was 18 and working retail before college when this came out. I felt most of the things. It was a huge film at colleges for the first couple of years. I still come back to it once in a while because it's a good story with some good, raw acting talent.
When this came out, I’d worked at music & convenience stores for 4-5 years. It was essentially my life in many ways, so I couldn’t help but love it. It brings back fond memories.
Some post-watch nuggets: Kevin Smith worked at that convenience store at the time, and could only secure permission to film at night (when the store was closed). The gum being stuffed into the locks on the shutters was added to the story to explain why there was never any sunlight during the daytime scenes inside. "There's a million fine women in this world..." was originally supposed to be Jay's line, but Jason Mewes kept flubbing it until Smith finally said, "I'll do it!" Silent Bob was intended to actually be silent for the entire film. Jeff Anderson, the actor who played Randal, refused to read off all the adult video titles in front of the toddler, which is why the camera moves to a closeup of him for most of that scene. In the original (scripted) ending, Randal goes home after helping clean up from their fight, and Dante is then shot dead by a robber before he can lock up and leave. Smith changed the ending after receiving negative feedback following advance screenings, a decision which was wise both because it makes for a more satisfying conclusion to this movie and because it wound up making the two Clerks sequels possible (an eventuality that Smith hadn't even considered while making this movie). You nailed it on the black & white filming--it was cheaper (and easier) to light, as well as to develop. Speaking of the (lack of) budget, the film was made for a total of $27,575. In the same year (1994), the average price of a new car in the United States was $17,903. So Smith filmed a cult classic (which grossed over $4M in a limited theatrical release) and launched an ongoing career for about the cost of a well equipped Buick.
I think Dante and Randal actually work for the same boss who owns both stores, so it’s normal for Randal to work the register at the convenience store.
I work in a supermarket and have for 20 years. This is an accurate representation of the retail life. Getting stupid questions, things going wrong, staff discussing dumb customers, getting called in on your day off and so on. I think like Randal, but don’t act on my thoughts. Would love to rip into customers 😂
This movie was absolutely loved by those that knew about it back in the mid-90s. People would watch it multiple times and the lines were quoted time and time again. A real classic.
Definitely watch all the films in the series in order Clerks Mallrats Chasing Amy Dogma Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back Clerks 2 Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Clerks 3
@@miketocci I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that your opinion of the later movies is colored by something other than the films themselves. I certainly wouldn't call them any worse than Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back.
Randal: "You're not allowed to rent here anymore!" Jay (having NO clue what just happened inside the store): "Yeah!" That always has me in tears. Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day, so he had to film at night.
I really hope this is merely your entry in the View Askewniverse, and you watch all the others in order. After this it's Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, etc. They get better with each entry, and are really worth the watch. So excited!
"Pulp Fiction" is the indie darling of the '90s, but for me it's "Clerks." Whereas Tarantino's movies featured established actors, Smith's debut was made with his friends and inexpensive equipment. It's the movie that made me think that this kind of work was within my reach.
Reservoir Dog was supposed to end up like Clerks until Harvey Keitel and Joel Weinstein got in the mix. ------ Keitel got the budget 10 fold higher, attracted high level up and coming unknown actors. ------ Heck no one knew who Stevie Buschemi and Tim Roth were before the made that movie. ----- Like I said in anothe rcomment if Kevin Smith had more budget we would have gotten the funeral parlor scene for sure. HA
Smith paid for most of the budget by paying with credit cards lol. Shooting in B&W was cheapest. Plus that Quickstop is where Smith actually worked. This still holds up and is so much fun. :-)
Credit cards that he got by posing as the owner of the video store they'd filmed at while he was working there. Put the place of business as a reference number and would never answer the phone with his own name in the daytime when it rang. "Mr. Smith? Oh yeah, he owns this place and like 7 other locations. Talking about opening two more before the end of the year because of how much profit he's bringing in."
Welcome to the View Askewneverse! Chasing Amy is my favorite script and the best post-movie debate I ever had was after watching Dogma! Great reaction, as always 💞
Made on a shoestring budget, by a man with nothing to lose. He risked everything. Personally I love his work. Not all of it hits, but it will make you ask yourself questions. That is worth its everything.
@@micperez819 My video store manager never called me in on a day off, and told me to call out sick and go on a road trip sometime. Some managers are cool!
The fact that Kevin Smith made this after the store was closed and with a budget of $25,000 some dollars and made one of the best movies ever, says a lot about his talent
The best part is that anyone can make this with a cell, mic, ring light, some friends, and a location connection. Film making has become unbelievably democratized.
Dogma is unavailable to stream or digital purchase. The film's rights are owned by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and their deal to distribute the film predates the existence of streaming and has since lapsed, effectively leaving the film in limbo.
The scene where Randal was reading off the porn titles were actually shot as two separate scenes because Jeff Anderson didn’t feel comfortable doing that in front of the kid.
This movie was inducted into the "Library of Congress" so it will live on as long as that continues....if that makes any difference. Kevin Smith is an icon and my personal hero. Thank you for watching this underrated classic!
This movie is legit timeless. The slang may change and the setting. But as a 24 year old who HATES his job and either feel like I’m getting left behind or falling below the totem poll that is success. But this movie is so comforting because it demonstrates how fuckin universal this feeling is. I saw it when I was 14 and liked it, but now I fuckin understand. Shit or get off the pot and take things day by day 😂
There was a Clerks animated series in the early 2000's that lasted for only 6 episodes. ABC network aired only 3 or 4 of them [EDIT: They only aired 2 episodes - Ep. 4 & 2] out of order before cancelling it, but the series was put out on dvd soon after. Really funny and I wish they kept it going. Dante, Randall, Jay and Silent Bob were all voiced by their live action counterparts. Some celebs did voice work on it, too, including Alec Baldwin, Charles Barkley (as himself), Bryan Cranston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gilbert Gottfried.
Not even 3 or 4. Legend has it that whatever exec who canceled it was on the phone with the director of network programming to cancel the show, between the first and second commercial break of the first episode. The only reason the second episode aired was that they simply could not get anything together to fill the timeslot with just one week's notice.
@@radwolf76 You're right, now that I think about it. If I remember correctly, the 2nd of the 2 they showed was episode 2, where they did a flashback/clip show remembering episode 1, which ABC never aired, making the jokes too confusing for audiences.
I saw this in the theater.I had no idea what I was going to see, but my friend was so psyched to see it. This is a cultural touchstone for those who came of age around '94.
I worked at Blockbuster from 1995-2000. Official district policy at the time was that employees got 5 free rentals a week of anything that wasn't on the new release wall. UNofficial store policy was that no new hire could start using this benefit without taking home and watching Clerks as their first free rental. Store manager called it a better training tape than anything corporate had ever sent us.
Smith wrote the role of Randall for himself (which is why he got all the best lines) but then had no confidence in his acting, so took the role of Silent Bob.
I was working a ma and pop video shop in Benicia, ca calked Ye Olde Video Shoppe circa '94 and friends with the owner. I remember the night we got this movie in and watched it the night before it was to hit shelves and it changed my life. 30 years ago this was revolutionary. The way they talked and pop culture conversations were right out of our social groups lives. Kevin Smith's bold hilarious big swings at comedy set pieces like the porn video titles being ordered in front of the mother with her baby in her arms. It's still funny. It's a moment in time and for me personally, it was art imitates life.
All 3 Clerks are amazing. I adore Kevin Smith and just the real simple truths in his films which honestly make them brilliant. These people were relatable for me personally and just adds so much.
@@WoahLookAtThatFreak Clerks 3 made me cry and emotional vs being as comedic as the first two. I’d listen to Smiths interview with Steve-O and maybe that’s why I grew more attached. However, Clerks 2 will always be my favorite.
Smith worked in this store and they allowed him to film in there after hours. The window shutter was closed so that you couldn't tell they were filming at night. He had to sell his comic collection to finance the film and has since bight them all back and also now owns a comic shop. He also now owns the store and it's still there.
Love the Jersey vibe of this film, and how 1994 it was. I was around Dante and Randall’s age and we all had jobs, that were kind of secondary to school, the the hang out or loitering vibe was so real:)
As lifetime New Jerseyan, you have no idea how much this movie means to me! An old girlfriend used to get her piercings done at the tattoo shop in that very strip mall in Leonardo. My sister-in-law went to high school with Kevin Smith, in Atlantic Highlands.
I worked at Blockbuster for quite some time. When I first started, one of my co-workers insisted I needed to watch it. I absolutely loved it and became a fan of Kevin Smith's, working through the other movies he had made (this was '99, so Mallrats and Chasing Amy were both out on home video by then) before seeing Dogma in the theater. Years later one of the stores I worked at would ban any semblance of an "employee favorites" section because one of us had Clerks on our shelf and a customer rented it, then complained that we were making fun of customers with it.
One thing about Kevin Smith: the man likes to talk about the things he's interested in. If you're interested in learning more about the production of, "Clerks,", there's no shortage of interviews, monologues, podcasts etc. out there where he talks about behind the scenes production stuff, inspirations, thought processes, you name it.
Kevin worked at the store during the shooting of clerks. They shot at night while the store was closed which is why the shutters were closed. And it was shot in black and white due to budget and lighting.
I live less than 10 minutes from where this was filmed in Leonardo NJ. he was working the store during the day hence why the shutters are closed they filmed at night. how he got money to film this was there was a hurricane and him and Jason mewes had cars they had issured lost in the store and the insurance company gave them more then what they paid for the cars. most of the other actors are friends of his and he held auditions in the Atlantic Highlands movie theater which he now currently owns. and the reason for the black and white was exactly what you said it was cheaper and they didnt have to worry bout lighting as much
I live about 15 minutes from the shop, this movie was filmed at. So I always had a special place in my heart for this movie & and all the rest that came after this. Which are great movies should be watched on your channel.
Dogma won’t be available. The rights are privately owned by the Weinstein’s. This is why the movie isn’t on any streaming service. Also, the DVD is outta print and usually going for over $100 online.
Since the funeral scene was cut for time and money, Kevin Smith added a "deleted scene", where Randall and Dante went to the funeral and why they left in a hurry. It's on the 10th Anniversary DVD of Clerks titled "Clerks: The Lost Scene". It's actually animated, and the same animation style from the animated Clerks show is used. Also, another fun fact: Dante was originally supposed to die in the end; shot during a robbery. The test audience didn't like the ending, calling it too depressing. Kevin Smith ended up reshooting the ending. Bonus fact: the robber who shoots Dante in the original ending is played by Smith himself.
The viewaskew universe of movies are interconnected. Some actors come back and play same roles or different roles. The actor who plays Dante plays several other members of his family in future movies. First you got Clerks, Mallrats, Drawing Flies, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks 2, and more
Hey Daniel, you asked why Kevin Smith filmed in Black and White. ------- The reason being it's significantly cheaper to film 16 mm in B&W, since you have no color grading to pay for. Back when this was made, digital film really didn't exist, so making a low budget was extremely prohibitive. -------- The same happened with Spike Lee in making, "She's Gotta have it". -------- Limited sets, shot B&W, small cast, and heavy reliance on clever whitty dialoge to carry the movie.
I was working in a convenience store when this came out. Everything is true. Even the light that stops working every night for no apparent reason. The cult classic "Dark Star" actually began as a student film by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return Of The Living Dead) and John Carpenter (The Thing, Escape From New York, Halloween). Definitely worth a watch.
A movie could be made about how this movie was made. The movie was filmed and edited in that store while Kevin Smith was actually working at that store at the same time.
One of the funniest 90’s films ever! Amazing directorial debut from Kevin Smith. Can’t wait for you guys to react to his other films in the View Askewniverse (Kevin Smith’s cinematic universe). Mallrats and Dogma are some of my other favorites of his. Jay and Silent Bob are the best and you will see them in his other films. Snoochie Boochies!!!
HEy Daniel and Sam , This is what "Reservoir Dogs" was supposed to be like, but Tarantino was already know as a great script writer in hollywood. ------- So when his script got passed around in movie producer circle and eventually landed in the hands of Harvey Kietel it changed everything. --------- Just imagine if kevin Smith got backed by Harvey Kietel, we could have actually seen the casket being knocked over at the funeral parlor. Fortunately, fate had other things in store for Kevin Smith.
This captures for me, because I was living it, and so were a lot of my friends, the existential angst that comes from the post high school malaise... One the verge of adulthood, but not adults yet...
@@LA_HA I watched this movie years ago with an ex who was several years younger than me and went to college and graduated in 4 years, and then moved on. This period of life never existed for her, and she shouldn't grasp that other people lived it. It was an eye opening moment.
@@phunkjnky [Edited for additional information] I admit to being in your ex's shoes when I first saw this movie. Of course, you know people live different lives than you do -- some better, some worse. It's always a "culture" shock when you're young to see movies that Show a way of life that's worse than yours and you're used to seeing in movies. Unfortunately, it's not just foreigners that are surprised to see poor and/or unhappy 20-something Americans like Dante. It's kinda like what happened in the 70s when the grittier New York School of Film became popular in direct competition with the happiness and optimism of the Hollywood films that have always ruled American culture and cinema TV and other entertainment media included)
12:19 Scott Mosier was the producer of this film and also played two roles. He was Willem (the snowball guy aka Grizzly Adams) and the guy who interrupted the hockey game. So at the moment I timestamped, he's yelling down to himself. There is another guy (the egg man, the offended customer) who played at least 4 roles.
The film was budgeted at around $27,000.00, financed by credit cards and Kevin selling off his comic book collection. The QuikStop and RST Video were where Kevin worked (both were owned by the same people), and Kevin shot at night, worked during the day, and once the film was shot, worked the store and edited when he wasn't at work. Helping him was the producer Scott Mosier (who played Willam aka Snowball, and the angry customer who yeeted the ball off the roof ending the hockey game), and Scott also worked at the store through the editing/post-production. It was shot in 16mm and in black and white to save money (black and white stock was cheaper to buy and process). Kevin had done a lot of writing skits in high school, so he got really inspired after seeing Richard Linklater's first film 'Slacker'. Originally, the role of Randall was written for Smith himself...but he got realistic about working in the store, directing, and acting in the film, and decided one had to take precedence. So, he created Silent Bob as the foil to his friend Jason Mewes aka Jay. Eventually, Kevin and the film got to Sundance, where I think it won the top honor, among other film festival honors. Miramax picked up distribution rights and it became a success. In 2019, it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. Since the film came out, Kevin bought and owns the QuikStop as well as a comic book store in Red Bank, NJ...'Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash'. There have been 2 sequels, an animated series, comic books, and several connected View Askewverse films, many featuring Jay and Silent Bob. Kevin not only directs those films but has done other films...and has directed a few episodes of the CW 'Arrowverse'/DC Comics TV shows like 'Supergirl'. He has script-doctored many big studio projects, even writing a Tim Burton-helmed, Nicholas Cage-starring 'Superman' movie that collapsed before being filmed. A lot of what Kevin also does is create his various SMODcasts, which are podcasts about comics, movies, and TV shows he loves and other topics. He also produced a number of very funny DVDs of his talks on university campuses around the country about him and his movies and experiences in Hollywood. His story about Tim Burton, Planet of The Apes, and the 'Chasing Dogma' comic he wrote is hysterical...and one of the reasons I despised Burton's 'Planet of the Apes'. Another film like 'Clerks' was made for about the same amount of money around the same time and another Sundance darling is 'The Brothers McMullen' by Edward Burns. It was shot in color and is about 3 Irish-American brothers and their love lives. Burns played Private Reiben in 'Saving Private Ryan'.
RIP Lisa Spoonauer (Kaitlyn Bree). Other facts. Lisa and Jeff Anderson were married IRL for a few years after Clerks was made. The "milk maid" is played by Kevin Smith's mother. The person buying the Slim Jim is Kevin Smith's sister.
Kevin Smith worked at the convenience store. He filmed at night when they were closed… the B&W hid that fact (outside, at least). And the scene inside the funeral home was animated since they couldn’t get inside of a real one. The animation was left “on the cutting room floor” but is still available if you look for it. Great reaction! I love how you pick up on some of the subtleties like the recurring shoe polish joke. Great editing too.
10:15 This scene is funnier when you realize that while the customer is offended that Randall is talking about “Jizz Moppers”, he is wearing an over coat (think flashers) and buying paper towels and glass cleaner/Windex. Two items a “Jizz Mopper” would use to clean the nudie booth windows.
Kevin Smith actually worked in that store from 89-93. He went to Vancouver film school and left to come home and make Clerks. The manager allowed them to shoot at night when the store was closed hence why the shutters were closed in the film. They shot in B&W as it was cheaper than shooting with colour film.
I watched Clerks freshman year in college with a group of friends (right around the time the movie came out on VHS). We quoted this movie the whole year. Good times.
It was filmed in black and white simply because color film was more expensive and they were on a shoestring budget.. It ended up being accidentally a great choice because it gave the film a distinctive look and most critics thought at the time that it was a deliberate choice that was meant to kind of make the movie seem like you're watching it throught the stores' security cameras.
Kevin Smith financed this movie by selling his comic book collection, maxing out a bunch of credit cards, and borrowing money from his mom. He was able to shoot at the convenience store because he worked there. Most of the movie was shot at night, after the store closed for the day, and pretty much everyone in it were people he knew from around town: Jay was a kid he used to hang with at the local youth center, "Grizzly Adams" is the movie's producer, who he met in film school, Randall was a local guy, and I think Kevin's mom is in it, too (I think she's the woman doing the milk thing). Black and white is cheaper than having to process color film, and it's easier to disguise night for day. Movie sold for over $2 million after screening at Sundance and had to go through an appeals process to get an R rating because of how dirty the dialog is. It's also a big part of why 1990s filmmaking is so great: so many amateur film dorks, like Kevin Smith, came onto the scene to make such wonderful independent work that wound up completely blowing up (see also: early Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Richard Linklater, among others). It's great.
Kevin Smith's first movie, filmed at night at the convenience store where he was working. (Thus the shutters that don't work.) Not low-budget, more precisely _no_ budget, as Kevin paid for it by maxing out all his credit cards. (Thus the black-and-white, as he couldn't afford color film.) One of the highest-grossing films in relation to its budget, it launched his career. Great script, and the low budget / low talent acting somehow made it so much funnier since it looked and sounded so much like real life. I saw it in the theater and nearly got a hernia laughing.
Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day and filmed at night. The gummed locks and the shoe polish sign was a ruse to conceal all the store scenes were shot at night (when the store was closed.)
Ahh the intro music to a TBR Schmitt reaction to a good movie. Soothing, anticipatory, outstanding. :) The order of those three for me is as follows: 1. Something About Mary 2. Clerks 3. Raising Arizona.
I'm 33 now, working in retail for 13 years, and Randall's quote "This job would be great if it weren't for the fucking customers" is spot on, 100% my attitude every day. The best part is most of my customers know how I feel and they sympathize lol
When this movie dropped, I was just out of the Navy, and worki g two jobs. One was in a convenience store, the other was in a video rental place. This movie SPOKE to me.
"I don't appreciate your ruse...your cunning attempt to trick me."
There's no telling how many times I've used that phrase. 😂
Another one I use from time to time is "I hate people but love gatherings."
Ha same!
This is one of the most Gen X movies ever made. I was a senior in high school when this came out and it was everything. We watched it on repeat and I still quote it regularly…the view askewniverse is a lot of fun. Mallrats, Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks II, Clerks 3, Jay & Silent Bob strike back and Jay & Silent Bob reboot. Stoner classics.
I agree. I graduated high school in 1995,damn I miss the 90’s.
Agreed
Clerks and Dogma have been some of my most favorite movies for well over 20 years now.
And each sequel is terrific, and he NAILED that highly emotional third film. A terrific trilogy.
Clerks 3 fucking sucks.
The plot is boring, the dialogue is poorly written and delivered, the camera work is entirely simple shot/reverse-shot, there was almost no effort from costume hair and makeup, etc.
The other films, I enjoy for the most part, particularly Clerks II. But Clerks 3 is truly a bad movie.
It was like Kevin Smith forgot everything he ever learned about filmmaking.
I am an actor and got cast in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back for a whole week. It was a great experience. I had all of my scenes with Will Farrell. Unfortunately Kevin Smith seriously overshot on that film (I don't know if he always overshoots, but he did this film). So a lot of Will Farrell's scenes got cut out, hence all of my scenes got cut. You can still see me in some scenes, but all of my dialogue was cut. I finally bought the Criterion collection release of the movie on dvd. It was a 2 disc set because it included all of the cut scenes. There were tons of scenes cut out, but I finally got to see my scenes. I also got to meet Mark Hamill at the cast party.
That's awesome, I've heard that both Will Farrell and Mark Hamill are really cool guys.
@@kingfield99 They were. Nearly every line that Will Farrell said was improvised.
I think Will Farell's funniest scene he ever did was the cutscene where he was in the cabin restroom masturbating to a copy of Field & Stream.
@@johnmaynardable well that might confirm a lot of the comments i see about Will Ferrell potentially improvising a lot of lines in the films he stars in
What is Will like?
I was 24 and working retail when this came out, and I felt almost every single thing this movie presented.
In the original version, Dante got shot in the end, and dies. No, really. But the producers made them change the ending to be an upbeat one, thankfully!
@@elcorado83 it made making sequels a bit easier to have him alive at the end, I think.
I was 18 and working retail before college when this came out. I felt most of the things. It was a huge film at colleges for the first couple of years. I still come back to it once in a while because it's a good story with some good, raw acting talent.
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
"I'm not even supposed to BE HERE today!" 😂🤣😂🤣😂
"I'M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!" As the Planet of the Apes chimps poke at Dante's brains...
That line is what I use as a ringtone for the person from my job who calls offering overtime shifts. As a reminder.
I wanted to like this comment but it has 37 likes so I couldn’t do it lol
I worked in a shitty video store for a couple of years and when I saw this for the first time, Randall became my hero.😂
When this came out, I’d worked at music & convenience stores for 4-5 years. It was essentially my life in many ways, so I couldn’t help but love it. It brings back fond memories.
And yet today, I miss the shitty video stores.
@5:12 "divide that by 3" and then multiply her number by 3 is so on point and hilarious. 😂 💯
Some post-watch nuggets:
Kevin Smith worked at that convenience store at the time, and could only secure permission to film at night (when the store was closed). The gum being stuffed into the locks on the shutters was added to the story to explain why there was never any sunlight during the daytime scenes inside.
"There's a million fine women in this world..." was originally supposed to be Jay's line, but Jason Mewes kept flubbing it until Smith finally said, "I'll do it!" Silent Bob was intended to actually be silent for the entire film.
Jeff Anderson, the actor who played Randal, refused to read off all the adult video titles in front of the toddler, which is why the camera moves to a closeup of him for most of that scene.
In the original (scripted) ending, Randal goes home after helping clean up from their fight, and Dante is then shot dead by a robber before he can lock up and leave. Smith changed the ending after receiving negative feedback following advance screenings, a decision which was wise both because it makes for a more satisfying conclusion to this movie and because it wound up making the two Clerks sequels possible (an eventuality that Smith hadn't even considered while making this movie).
You nailed it on the black & white filming--it was cheaper (and easier) to light, as well as to develop.
Speaking of the (lack of) budget, the film was made for a total of $27,575. In the same year (1994), the average price of a new car in the United States was $17,903. So Smith filmed a cult classic (which grossed over $4M in a limited theatrical release) and launched an ongoing career for about the cost of a well equipped Buick.
Haha aww that is so sweet about Anderson's protective standards :)
I think Dante and Randal actually work for the same boss who owns both stores, so it’s normal for Randal to work the register at the convenience store.
Love Kevin Smith's use of dialogue even with how ridiculous it can be. Hope you 2 can continue with the "View Askewniverse" down the line.
This film inspired so many filmmakers. It shows you you can make a movie without a lot of money.
Because good ideas are free.
Blair Witch supposedly!
@@darkstar3116 David S. Goyer?
And yet SLACKER was the film that inspired this.
@@Theomite I have the Criterion!
Kevin Smith’s Mallrats is underrated and Chasing Amy is fantastic!
Chasing Amy is my favorite Kevin Smith movie!!
Chasing Amy is terrific. Had a crush on her ever since.
"Dogma" has long been a favorite of mine.
I'm with you on Mallrats. Been quoting that shit for decades lol.
Mallrats is so good! It holds up so well.
Because they filmed it at night when the store was closed, they came up with the shutters being jammed so you couldn't tell it was night outside.
I work in a supermarket and have for 20 years. This is an accurate representation of the retail life. Getting stupid questions, things going wrong, staff discussing dumb customers, getting called in on your day off and so on. I think like Randal, but don’t act on my thoughts. Would love to rip into customers 😂
This movie was absolutely loved by those that knew about it back in the mid-90s. People would watch it multiple times and the lines were quoted time and time again. A real classic.
When this came out, I was managing a 7-Eleven, and I was shocked at how accurate the portrayals were.
Silent Bob almost never speaks....but when he does, he drops KNOWLEDGE.
Definitely watch all the films in the series in order
Clerks
Mallrats
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Clerks 2
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
Clerks 3
Definitive List
I enjoyed them all up till Jay and silent strike back havent seen the rest so can't say anything about them
@@miketocci They're all good in their own way.
@@DanielGonzalez-vo5ni Clerks 2 is underrated. Reboot is fun
@@miketocci I'm going to go ahead and make the assumption that your opinion of the later movies is colored by something other than the films themselves. I certainly wouldn't call them any worse than Jay and Silent Bob Strikes back.
Randal: "You're not allowed to rent here anymore!"
Jay (having NO clue what just happened inside the store): "Yeah!"
That always has me in tears.
Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day, so he had to film at night.
That's like my favorite part lol
I really hope this is merely your entry in the View Askewniverse, and you watch all the others in order. After this it's Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, etc. They get better with each entry, and are really worth the watch. So excited!
In a row? The best line in the whole movie!!
"Pulp Fiction" is the indie darling of the '90s, but for me it's "Clerks." Whereas Tarantino's movies featured established actors, Smith's debut was made with his friends and inexpensive equipment. It's the movie that made me think that this kind of work was within my reach.
Reservoir Dog was supposed to end up like Clerks until Harvey Keitel and Joel Weinstein got in the mix. ------ Keitel got the budget 10 fold higher, attracted high level up and coming unknown actors. ------ Heck no one knew who Stevie Buschemi and Tim Roth were before the made that movie. ----- Like I said in anothe rcomment if Kevin Smith had more budget we would have gotten the funeral parlor scene for sure. HA
@@lethaldose2000 I had heard about the funeral scene (probably from the D.V.D.), but the rest is interesting. That explains a lot.
@@BK_gamer_ the funeral parlor scene finally showed up in the Clerks comics
@K2da_ G
Tim Roth wasn't completely unknown! He was in The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, And Her Lover a few years prior, which is an awesome movie.
@@lapislazuli5035, Also, The Hit, which may have been his film debut.
Smith paid for most of the budget by paying with credit cards lol. Shooting in B&W was cheapest. Plus that Quickstop is where Smith actually worked. This still holds up and is so much fun. :-)
Credit cards that he got by posing as the owner of the video store they'd filmed at while he was working there. Put the place of business as a reference number and would never answer the phone with his own name in the daytime when it rang. "Mr. Smith? Oh yeah, he owns this place and like 7 other locations. Talking about opening two more before the end of the year because of how much profit he's bringing in."
Welcome to the View Askewneverse! Chasing Amy is my favorite script and the best post-movie debate I ever had was after watching Dogma! Great reaction, as always 💞
One of my favorite movies. Chasing Amy (also Jay and Silent Bob) is also funny but also heartbreaking. Anyway, I hope y'all like this. 🙂
'You can't divide that by 3.'
Good one, my dude.
My understanding was it was partially modeled after Divine Comedy with Dante as Dante and Randell as Virgil.
The milk maid is Kevin Smith's mom. I work at a grocery store,milk maids are definitely a thing.
@MarkDemeo, Well, I'm a milk butler then, and I don't feel the need to apologize for it!!! 😂 😂 😂
Made on a shoestring budget, by a man with nothing to lose. He risked everything.
Personally I love his work. Not all of it hits, but it will make you ask yourself questions. That is worth its everything.
If he had nothing to lose, then he didn't risk anything.
@@captainobvious8949 2che Rather he gave all that he had. Including his comic book collection at the time. Poor wording on my part.
He had everything to lose. If this hadn't been big at Sundance he'd probably still be paying off all the credit cards he maxed out
I was working at a video store when this came out. The manager made us all illegal copies of it. The stupid questions part is absolutely true.
@Emily Wilhite Ah, the good old days, when you could just tape over that cutout in the VHS tapes, and record them onto your own tapes ;)
Thats a cool manager you had
@@micperez819 My video store manager never called me in on a day off, and told me to call out sick and go on a road trip sometime. Some managers are cool!
The fact that Kevin Smith made this after the store was closed and with a budget of $25,000 some dollars and made one of the best movies ever, says a lot about his talent
I hope Kevin Smith came back and bought that C-store. It founded an empire
The best part is that anyone can make this with a cell, mic, ring light, some friends, and a location connection. Film making has become unbelievably democratized.
You absolutely should continue the entire View Askewniverse. Seriously, watch them all. In order.
That's it. That's all that needs to be said.
Dogma is unavailable to stream or digital purchase. The film's rights are owned by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and their deal to distribute the film predates the existence of streaming and has since lapsed, effectively leaving the film in limbo.
@@Mongo61 Other reactors have managed it. Recently Shanelle Riccio did a reaction to it.
torrent that shit. not like all of us dont do it already
Yep, given who owns the rights, this is the most justifiable bit of piracy ever.
Dogma has been my favorite for well over 20 years. I wish I'd kept the special edition DVD I had bought.
The scene where Randal was reading off the porn titles were actually shot as two separate scenes because Jeff Anderson didn’t feel comfortable doing that in front of the kid.
I've been watching a ton of movies my entire life and I can confidently say I've seen Clerks more than any other flick.
This movie was inducted into the "Library of Congress" so it will live on as long as that continues....if that makes any difference. Kevin Smith is an icon and my personal hero. Thank you for watching this underrated classic!
This movie is legit timeless. The slang may change and the setting. But as a 24 year old who HATES his job and either feel like I’m getting left behind or falling below the totem poll that is success. But this movie is so comforting because it demonstrates how fuckin universal this feeling is. I saw it when I was 14 and liked it, but now I fuckin understand. Shit or get off the pot and take things day by day 😂
I absolutely love Kevin Smith and his entire View Askew universe of movies are all must watch!
Clerks 3 was the most New Jersey movie ever I loved it
Even CLERKS III?
@@Theomite I haven't seen Clerks 3 yet. 🤷♂️
@@jasonsabbath6996 You might wanna...not.
Boy oh boy do I miss the 90’s!! 😭😂 Classic!!
There was a Clerks animated series in the early 2000's that lasted for only 6 episodes. ABC network aired only 3 or 4 of them [EDIT: They only aired 2 episodes - Ep. 4 & 2] out of order before cancelling it, but the series was put out on dvd soon after. Really funny and I wish they kept it going. Dante, Randall, Jay and Silent Bob were all voiced by their live action counterparts. Some celebs did voice work on it, too, including Alec Baldwin, Charles Barkley (as himself), Bryan Cranston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gilbert Gottfried.
Not even 3 or 4. Legend has it that whatever exec who canceled it was on the phone with the director of network programming to cancel the show, between the first and second commercial break of the first episode. The only reason the second episode aired was that they simply could not get anything together to fill the timeslot with just one week's notice.
@@radwolf76 You're right, now that I think about it. If I remember correctly, the 2nd of the 2 they showed was episode 2, where they did a flashback/clip show remembering episode 1, which ABC never aired, making the jokes too confusing for audiences.
I love that show and am surprised they even got one episode on network tv lol
I saw this in the theater.I had no idea what I was going to see, but my friend was so psyched to see it. This is a cultural touchstone for those who came of age around '94.
I worked at Blockbuster from 1995-2000. Official district policy at the time was that employees got 5 free rentals a week of anything that wasn't on the new release wall. UNofficial store policy was that no new hire could start using this benefit without taking home and watching Clerks as their first free rental. Store manager called it a better training tape than anything corporate had ever sent us.
“In a row?” Best punch line ever.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen you guys laugh so hard. Thanks for reacting to this. One of my favorites.
Coincidentally I'm revisiting this great film today because today I have turned... THIRTY SEVEN! 😄
In a row ?
@DOS Nostalgia Nice :) I'll be 36 in June. Time flies when you're getting old :P
Hey, try not to blow out any candles on your way to the parking lot!
Smith wrote the role of Randall for himself (which is why he got all the best lines) but then had no confidence in his acting, so took the role of Silent Bob.
This is hands down my favorite movie of ALL time.
Hope this is the start of a chronological journey through Kevin Smith's filmography.
I love this film. It really is hilarious.
Clerks 2 is also good!
Clerks III is sad.
I was working a ma and pop video shop in Benicia, ca calked Ye Olde Video Shoppe circa '94 and friends with the owner. I remember the night we got this movie in and watched it the night before it was to hit shelves and it changed my life. 30 years ago this was revolutionary. The way they talked and pop culture conversations were right out of our social groups lives. Kevin Smith's bold hilarious big swings at comedy set pieces like the porn video titles being ordered in front of the mother with her baby in her arms. It's still funny. It's a moment in time and for me personally, it was art imitates life.
All 3 Clerks are amazing. I adore Kevin Smith and just the real simple truths in his films which honestly make them brilliant. These people were relatable for me personally and just adds so much.
I didn't care much for Clerks 3, but Clerks 2 is underrated in my opinion
@@WoahLookAtThatFreak Clerks 3 made me cry and emotional vs being as comedic as the first two. I’d listen to Smiths interview with Steve-O and maybe that’s why I grew more attached. However, Clerks 2 will always be my favorite.
Kevin Smith actually worked in that convenience store when he filmed this.
Also, Kevin plays Silent Bob.
I seem to remember that 'Clerks' budget was like 30k....and it's STILL an absolute CLASSIC!!
Smith worked in this store and they allowed him to film in there after hours. The window shutter was closed so that you couldn't tell they were filming at night. He had to sell his comic collection to finance the film and has since bight them all back and also now owns a comic shop. He also now owns the store and it's still there.
Love the Jersey vibe of this film, and how 1994 it was. I was around Dante and Randall’s age and we all had jobs, that were kind of secondary to school, the the hang out or loitering vibe was so real:)
As lifetime New Jerseyan, you have no idea how much this movie means to me! An old girlfriend used to get her piercings done at the tattoo shop in that very strip mall in Leonardo. My sister-in-law went to high school with Kevin Smith, in Atlantic Highlands.
Yes! This movie solidified being 30 years old or older so well! Great reaction TBR! Loved it!😂❤🎉
I worked at Blockbuster for quite some time. When I first started, one of my co-workers insisted I needed to watch it. I absolutely loved it and became a fan of Kevin Smith's, working through the other movies he had made (this was '99, so Mallrats and Chasing Amy were both out on home video by then) before seeing Dogma in the theater. Years later one of the stores I worked at would ban any semblance of an "employee favorites" section because one of us had Clerks on our shelf and a customer rented it, then complained that we were making fun of customers with it.
This movie changed my life so much I made the 10 hour drive to visit the Quick Stop in Red Bank new Jersey. Smith is so good at dialogue.
One thing about Kevin Smith: the man likes to talk about the things he's interested in. If you're interested in learning more about the production of, "Clerks,", there's no shortage of interviews, monologues, podcasts etc. out there where he talks about behind the scenes production stuff, inspirations, thought processes, you name it.
Kevin worked at the store during the shooting of clerks. They shot at night while the store was closed which is why the shutters were closed. And it was shot in black and white due to budget and lighting.
I live less than 10 minutes from where this was filmed in Leonardo NJ. he was working the store during the day hence why the shutters are closed they filmed at night. how he got money to film this was there was a hurricane and him and Jason mewes had cars they had issured lost in the store and the insurance company gave them more then what they paid for the cars. most of the other actors are friends of his and he held auditions in the Atlantic Highlands movie theater which he now currently owns. and the reason for the black and white was exactly what you said it was cheaper and they didnt have to worry bout lighting as much
When this first came out we all rewatched it repeatedly.
THIS MOVIE IS A CLASSIC!
I live about 15 minutes from the shop, this movie was filmed at. So I always had a special place in my heart for this movie & and all the rest that came after this. Which are great movies should be watched on your channel.
I hope this is the beginning of a Kevin Smith binge. I adore his movies. Clerks I and II, Dogma, Chasing Amy, and Zack and Mirri...
Berserker!
Dogma won’t be available. The rights are privately owned by the Weinstein’s. This is why the movie isn’t on any streaming service. Also, the DVD is outta print and usually going for over $100 online.
One of my favorite 4 films Kevin Smith did. Was a wonderful treat to see you and your lovely wife break it down :) keep the View Askew coming.
This is a comedy classic! I watched this so many times, I could quite possibly quote the whole thing hahaha
Kevin Smith was working at the video store and the Quick Stop while filming Clerks.
Since the funeral scene was cut for time and money, Kevin Smith added a "deleted scene", where Randall and Dante went to the funeral and why they left in a hurry. It's on the 10th Anniversary DVD of Clerks titled "Clerks: The Lost Scene". It's actually animated, and the same animation style from the animated Clerks show is used.
Also, another fun fact: Dante was originally supposed to die in the end; shot during a robbery. The test audience didn't like the ending, calling it too depressing. Kevin Smith ended up reshooting the ending. Bonus fact: the robber who shoots Dante in the original ending is played by Smith himself.
I think it was Smith's cousin who was the shooter not Smith himself. The guy who plays the shooter speaks in the 10th anniversary edition.
The viewaskew universe of movies are interconnected. Some actors come back and play same roles or different roles. The actor who plays Dante plays several other members of his family in future movies. First you got Clerks, Mallrats, Drawing Flies, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl, Clerks 2, and more
I used to be on the fence about you guys, but the fact that you enjoyed clerk, so much push push me into your corner fun reaction. Thanks.
love clerks. Clerks II is my favorite. the banter in that are just top tier lolol
Hey Daniel, you asked why Kevin Smith filmed in Black and White. ------- The reason being it's significantly cheaper to film 16 mm in B&W, since you have no color grading to pay for. Back when this was made, digital film really didn't exist, so making a low budget was extremely prohibitive. -------- The same happened with Spike Lee in making, "She's Gotta have it". -------- Limited sets, shot B&W, small cast, and heavy reliance on clever whitty dialoge to carry the movie.
i can't count the number of times I've said "this job would be great if it wasn't for the fucking customers" in the past 28 years.
I was working in a convenience store when this came out. Everything is true. Even the light that stops working every night for no apparent reason.
The cult classic "Dark Star" actually began as a student film by Dan O'Bannon (Alien, Return Of The Living Dead) and John Carpenter (The Thing, Escape From New York, Halloween). Definitely worth a watch.
A movie could be made about how this movie was made. The movie was filmed and edited in that store while Kevin Smith was actually working at that store at the same time.
Clerks 3 lol
One of the funniest 90’s films ever! Amazing directorial debut from Kevin Smith. Can’t wait for you guys to react to his other films in the View Askewniverse (Kevin Smith’s cinematic universe). Mallrats and Dogma are some of my other favorites of his. Jay and Silent Bob are the best and you will see them in his other films. Snoochie Boochies!!!
HEy Daniel and Sam , This is what "Reservoir Dogs" was supposed to be like, but Tarantino was already know as a great script writer in hollywood. ------- So when his script got passed around in movie producer circle and eventually landed in the hands of Harvey Kietel it changed everything. --------- Just imagine if kevin Smith got backed by Harvey Kietel, we could have actually seen the casket being knocked over at the funeral parlor. Fortunately, fate had other things in store for Kevin Smith.
This captures for me, because I was living it, and so were a lot of my friends, the existential angst that comes from the post high school malaise... One the verge of adulthood, but not adults yet...
Yep. A lot of people felt this way
@@LA_HA I watched this movie years ago with an ex who was several years younger than me and went to college and graduated in 4 years, and then moved on. This period of life never existed for her, and she shouldn't grasp that other people lived it. It was an eye opening moment.
@@phunkjnky [Edited for additional information] I admit to being in your ex's shoes when I first saw this movie. Of course, you know people live different lives than you do -- some better, some worse. It's always a "culture" shock when you're young to see movies that Show a way of life that's worse than yours and you're used to seeing in movies.
Unfortunately, it's not just foreigners that are surprised to see poor and/or unhappy 20-something Americans like Dante.
It's kinda like what happened in the 70s when the grittier New York School of Film became popular in direct competition with the happiness and optimism of the Hollywood films that have always ruled American culture and cinema TV and other entertainment media included)
12:19 Scott Mosier was the producer of this film and also played two roles. He was Willem (the snowball guy aka Grizzly Adams) and the guy who interrupted the hockey game. So at the moment I timestamped, he's yelling down to himself.
There is another guy (the egg man, the offended customer) who played at least 4 roles.
That's Walt Flanagan.
Love Kevin Smith and his many works of art!!! Please continue in his cinematic universe! Dogma is my personal favorite.
Great reaction as always!!!
The film was budgeted at around $27,000.00, financed by credit cards and Kevin selling off his comic book collection.
The QuikStop and RST Video were where Kevin worked (both were owned by the same people), and Kevin shot at night, worked during the day, and once the film was shot, worked the store and edited when he wasn't at work. Helping him was the producer Scott Mosier (who played Willam aka Snowball, and the angry customer who yeeted the ball off the roof ending the hockey game), and Scott also worked at the store through the editing/post-production. It was shot in 16mm and in black and white to save money (black and white stock was cheaper to buy and process).
Kevin had done a lot of writing skits in high school, so he got really inspired after seeing Richard Linklater's first film 'Slacker'. Originally, the role of Randall was written for Smith himself...but he got realistic about working in the store, directing, and acting in the film, and decided one had to take precedence. So, he created Silent Bob as the foil to his friend Jason Mewes aka Jay.
Eventually, Kevin and the film got to Sundance, where I think it won the top honor, among other film festival honors. Miramax picked up distribution rights and it became a success. In 2019, it was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.
Since the film came out, Kevin bought and owns the QuikStop as well as a comic book store in Red Bank, NJ...'Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash'. There have been 2 sequels, an animated series, comic books, and several connected View Askewverse films, many featuring Jay and Silent Bob. Kevin not only directs those films but has done other films...and has directed a few episodes of the CW 'Arrowverse'/DC Comics TV shows like 'Supergirl'. He has script-doctored many big studio projects, even writing a Tim Burton-helmed, Nicholas Cage-starring 'Superman' movie that collapsed before being filmed.
A lot of what Kevin also does is create his various SMODcasts, which are podcasts about comics, movies, and TV shows he loves and other topics. He also produced a number of very funny DVDs of his talks on university campuses around the country about him and his movies and experiences in Hollywood. His story about Tim Burton, Planet of The Apes, and the 'Chasing Dogma' comic he wrote is hysterical...and one of the reasons I despised Burton's 'Planet of the Apes'.
Another film like 'Clerks' was made for about the same amount of money around the same time and another Sundance darling is 'The Brothers McMullen' by Edward Burns. It was shot in color and is about 3 Irish-American brothers and their love lives. Burns played Private Reiben in 'Saving Private Ryan'.
RIP Lisa Spoonauer (Kaitlyn Bree). Other facts. Lisa and Jeff Anderson were married IRL for a few years after Clerks was made. The "milk maid" is played by Kevin Smith's mother. The person buying the Slim Jim is Kevin Smith's sister.
Keep watching all of Kevin Smith’s films. They’re all great and they’re all connected. My favorites being Chasing Amy & Dogma.
Matt Damon in "Dogma": "You're a pure soul... but you didn't say 'God bless you' when I sneezed!"...
Kevin Smith worked at the convenience store. He filmed at night when they were closed… the B&W hid that fact (outside, at least). And the scene inside the funeral home was animated since they couldn’t get inside of a real one. The animation was left “on the cutting room floor” but is still available if you look for it.
Great reaction! I love how you pick up on some of the subtleties like the recurring shoe polish joke. Great editing too.
10:15 This scene is funnier when you realize that while the customer is offended that Randall is talking about “Jizz Moppers”, he is wearing an over coat (think flashers) and buying paper towels and glass cleaner/Windex. Two items a “Jizz Mopper” would use to clean the nudie booth windows.
"O, he got it?!?!" Is the best reaction I've seen so far to that conversation
Kevin Smith actually worked in that store from 89-93. He went to Vancouver film school and left to come home and make Clerks. The manager allowed them to shoot at night when the store was closed hence why the shutters were closed in the film. They shot in B&W as it was cheaper than shooting with colour film.
Kevin Smith actually worked in the store, filmed it at night which would explain the window shutters
In a row? Greatest line ever!
I watched Clerks freshman year in college with a group of friends (right around the time the movie came out on VHS). We quoted this movie the whole year. Good times.
It was filmed in black and white simply because color film was more expensive and they were on a shoestring budget.. It ended up being accidentally a great choice because it gave the film a distinctive look and most critics thought at the time that it was a deliberate choice that was meant to kind of make the movie seem like you're watching it throught the stores' security cameras.
Cool reaction as always Schmitt & Samantha, you both have a good night
Kevin Smith financed this movie by selling his comic book collection, maxing out a bunch of credit cards, and borrowing money from his mom. He was able to shoot at the convenience store because he worked there. Most of the movie was shot at night, after the store closed for the day, and pretty much everyone in it were people he knew from around town: Jay was a kid he used to hang with at the local youth center, "Grizzly Adams" is the movie's producer, who he met in film school, Randall was a local guy, and I think Kevin's mom is in it, too (I think she's the woman doing the milk thing). Black and white is cheaper than having to process color film, and it's easier to disguise night for day. Movie sold for over $2 million after screening at Sundance and had to go through an appeals process to get an R rating because of how dirty the dialog is. It's also a big part of why 1990s filmmaking is so great: so many amateur film dorks, like Kevin Smith, came onto the scene to make such wonderful independent work that wound up completely blowing up (see also: early Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and Richard Linklater, among others). It's great.
This is one of my favorite movies ever. If you're a 90s kid, you get this and Mallrats 100%
Kevin Smith's first movie, filmed at night at the convenience store where he was working. (Thus the shutters that don't work.) Not low-budget, more precisely _no_ budget, as Kevin paid for it by maxing out all his credit cards. (Thus the black-and-white, as he couldn't afford color film.) One of the highest-grossing films in relation to its budget, it launched his career. Great script, and the low budget / low talent acting somehow made it so much funnier since it looked and sounded so much like real life. I saw it in the theater and nearly got a hernia laughing.
Kevin Smith worked at the store during the day and filmed at night. The gummed locks and the shoe polish sign was a ruse to conceal all the store scenes were shot at night (when the store was closed.)
Ahh the intro music to a TBR Schmitt reaction to a good movie. Soothing, anticipatory, outstanding. :) The order of those three for me is as follows: 1. Something About Mary 2. Clerks 3. Raising Arizona.