Clerks III (2022)

[Adam Lenhardt]

Title: Clerks III

Tagline: They're too old for this shift.

Genre: Comedy

Director: Kevin Smith

Cast: Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith, Rosario Dawson, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Trevor Fehrman, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Austin Zajur, Scott Schiaffo, Justin Long, Fred Armisen, Ben Affleck, Sarah Michelle Gellar

Release: 2022-09-04

Runtime: 115

Plot: Following a massive heart attack, Randal enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante, Elias, Jay, and Silent Bob to make a movie immortalizing his life at the convenience store that started it all.

The movie has been completed and delivered to Lionsgate. Kevin Smith expects the first trailer sometime in May:

 

[TravisR]

After how much I loved Clerks II and its perfect ending for Dante and Randal, I almost hate to see another straight up Clerks movie but I'll be there on the first day for this.

 

[Tommy R]

I’m totally looking forward to this!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

After how much I loved Clerks II and its perfect ending for Dante and Randal, I almost hate to see another straight up Clerks movie but I'll be there on the first day for this.

I thought "Clerks II" was Smith's not convincing attempt to recapture his mojo, so I wouldn't go into "Clerks III" with any feeling that it might ruin the conclusion to the former.

But I have zero faith in Smith as a filmmaker right now. "Zack and Miri" was his last half-decent movie, and he REALLY seems to have lost his way. (Asterisk: never saw "Tusk".)

I'll see "C III" and hope to be pleasantly surprised, but since he's not made a movie I genuinely enjoyed for more than 20 years...

 

[TravisR]

I thought "Clerks II" was Smith's not convincing attempt to recapture his mojo, so I wouldn't go into "Clerks III" with any feeling that it might ruin the conclusion to the former.

But I have zero faith in Smith as a filmmaker right now. "Zack and Miri" was his last half-decent movie, and he REALLY seems to have lost his way. (Asterisk: never saw "Tusk".)

I'll see "C III" and hope to be pleasantly surprised, but since he's not made a movie I genuinely enjoyed for more than 20 years...

My favorite of Kevin's movies are largely his earliest but personally, I liked Red State and thought it was an interesting change of pace for him. Someone's level of enjoyment of Tusk might depend on how warped their sense of humor is but for the sheer weirdness of Tusk and giving Michael Parks another lead role, I like it. Yoga Hosers is silly but inoffensive and I liked Jay And Silent Bob Reboot much more than I thought I would. I was a teenager when he made Clerks and Mallrats and he's not going to make a movie that connects with me and that I like as much as the movies that he made when he and I were young but I still like what he's doing.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

My favorite of Kevin's movies are largely his earliest but personally, I liked Red State and thought it was an interesting change of pace for him. Someone's level of enjoyment of Tusk might depend on how warped their sense of humor is but for the sheer weirdness of Tusk and giving Michael Parks another lead role, I like it. Yoga Hosers is silly but inoffensive and I liked Jay And Silent Bob Reboot much more than I thought I would. I was a teenager when he made Clerks and Mallrats and he's not going to make a movie that connects with me and that I like as much as the movies that he made when he and I were young but I still like what he's doing.

Time for the old "agree to disagree"!

"Yoga Hosers" was completely devoid of redeeming value - and I think it was offensive because Smith threw himself a pity party where he went after critics who didn't love all his films.

"Yoga Hosers" was so stupid and awful it made me wonder if KS was replaced by a pod person at some point. The smart, engaging guy of the 90s was nowhere to be found in that atrocity.

"Reboot" is marginally better, but barely. And it might be more depressing because it's such a pathetic attempt to recapture past glories.

I don't view KS's post-2001 movies as worse due to my age - I view them as worse because they objectively are.

 

[John Dirk]

I'm of the thought that it's better to end on a high note. Leave this franchise alone.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

"Reboot" is marginally better, but barely. And it might be more depressing because it's such a pathetic attempt to recapture past glories.

I saw "Reboot" as part of Kevin Smith's Reboot Roadshow, where he went around the country introducing the movie for one night only (well, sometimes two nights) engagements.

I liked it well enough for what it was, but it wasn't really a movie. It was a chain of loosely connected callbacks, fan service, and in jokes. Played great with an audience of his fans; I'm not sure the same would have been said watching at home alone.

What makes Clerks III potentially better is that it's become a franchise where the passage of time is baked into it. Since Clerks II, Smith had a heart attack that nearly killed him. If he's got things to say about how that brush with death changed his perspective on things, the Clerks characters would be the perfect outlet.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I saw "Reboot" as part of Kevin Smith's Reboot Roadshow, where he went around the country introducing the movie for one night only (well, sometimes two nights) engagements.

I liked it well enough for what it was, but it wasn't really a movie. It was a chain of loosely connected callbacks, fan service, and in jokes. Played great with an audience of his fans; I'm not sure the same would have been said watching at home alone.

What makes Clerks III potentially better is that it's become a franchise where the passage of time is baked into it. Since Clerks II, Smith had a heart attack that nearly killed him. If he's got things to say about how that brush with death changed his perspective on things, the Clerks characters would be the perfect outlet.

This assumes KS circa 2022 still has the talent to find something to say and to say it in a worthwhile manner.

I've just seen so little evidence that the KS of the 90s still exists that I - obviously - enter "C3" with intense skepticism.

I thought "C2" was a panic move anyway. After 2001, he declared he was done with the "Askewniverse", but after one - one! - poorly received movie, he ran back to the safety of those characters.

I appreciated his decision to move on and thought it was sad that he bailed on those intentions so quickly.

"C2" isn't a total loss, but it still felt more sad than funny/endearing to me.

I'll see "C3". Maybe I'll get a pleasant surprise!

 

[Alex...]

 

[Alex...]

Trailer drops tomorrow.

​

 

[Joe Wong]

And here it is...

 

[TravisR]

That definitely put a smile on my face.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Looks like fun!

 

[Ross Gowland]

It has the right look to begin with, but then just becomes a series of meta jokes, which is something the original never had (nor the sequel). His later ViewAskewniverse film did, but I like them a lot less.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Since I do a lot more driving between states, I have time to blow, and sometimes I'll check out KS's Fat Man Beyond Youtube podcasts, and check out their (his and Mark Bernardin's) views on pop cultural and shows/films.

I'll check out Clerks3, but not expecting much out of it. Reboot was fun to watch with a theater full of KS fans, but it was pretty pedestrian, otherwise.

 

[Tommy R]

Just saw Clerks III tonight and loved it. Very funny and very emotional. Tonight was the final night it was playing in my area, and was playing in very few theaters with only one showing at 7pm. I’m very happy I caught it.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

This movie was for sale on iTunes, so I picked it up and watched it. Weird seeing a Clerks movie in 4K with HDR, given where the franchise started.

It has the right look to begin with, but then just becomes a series of meta jokes, which is something the original never had (nor the sequel). His later ViewAskewniverse film did, but I like them a lot less.

The movie has a lot of meta elements, since it's basically telling the story of how the first Clerks got made, but none of it breaks the reality of the world of the movie. The references are there if you recognize them, but the movie doesn't rely on you recognizing them to work. And other than a few references to Jay & Silent Bob's adventures in the other movies (and Jay's daughter Milly at Dante's funeral, it avoided leaning too heavily into the View Askewniverse of it all.

Just saw Clerks III tonight and loved it. Very funny and very emotional. Tonight was the final night it was playing in my area, and was playing in very few theaters with only one showing at 7pm. I’m very happy I caught it.

It's my least favorite of the three Clerks movies, but it's my favorite of Kevin Smith movie since Clerks II by a significant margin. I appreciated that it didn't back away from the sadness inherent in the story. After he got crucified for Jersey Girl, he retreated into his comfort zone a bit. This movie was as unapologetically as emotional as that one was,

 

[TonyD]

Just finished it.

It’s my favorite and I think His best movie.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I watched the BD the other day and thought it was largely terrible.

A mix of cheap meta jokes and fake emotion.

Even the disc's audio commentary isn't good.