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Clerks III
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Wikipedia article
'Clerks III' is a 2022 American comedy film written, produced, directed, and edited by Kevin Smith and stars Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Trevor Fehrman, Austin Zajur, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, and Smith. It serves as the sequel to the 1994 and 2006 'Clerks' films, and is the ninth overall feature film set in the View Askewniverse. In the film, Randal Graves, who after surviving a massive heart attack, enlists his friends and fellow clerks Dante Hicks, Elias Grover, Jay and Silent Bob to make a movie about their lives at the Quick Stop Convenience store that started it all.
The film had its world premiere on September 4, 2022, in Red Bank, New Jersey, before its release on September 13, by Lionsgate.
Plot
Fifteen years after Dante and Randal bought the Quick Stop, the pair's lives continue much as before, including hockey games on the roof and dealing with Jay and Silent Bob, who have taken over the former RST Video and turned it into a legal marijuana dispensary. (Although they still secretively deal outside the building for nostalgia's sake.) Dante is still mourning the deaths of Becky and their unborn daughter Grace after they were hit by a drunk driver years prior, and privately sees Becky's spirit following him around and urging him to move on.
One day, while Elias and his friend Blockchain are trying to sell Randal on their new NFT kites (which contain an image of the Buddy Christ), Randal suffers a near-fatal heart attack. After the surgery, Randal's doctor urges Dante to keep Randal's mood up while he recovers, and warns that he is also at risk for the same kind of heart attack. Recovering afterwards, Randal decides he has wasted his life and needs a new purpose, declaring he will make a movie about his and Dante's lives at the Quick Stop. Meanwhile, Elias renounces his Christianity and decides to become a Satanist after blaming his faith for Randal's heart attack.
After holding some failed auditions, Randal decides he will not only write and direct but also star in the film as himself, alongside Dante in a supporting role. Rather than cast actors, they decide to cast their friends and actual customers to play themselves. This includes Jay, Silent Bob, and Veronica, who agrees after rekindling her romance with Dante. Dante takes on the producer role and convinces his ex-fiance Emma to loan the production $30,000, with Dante's half of the Quick Stop as collateral. Silent Bob is made the cinematographer (deciding to shoot the movie in black-and-white), while Elias and Blockchain are hired as production assistants.
As the shoot for the tentatively-titled 'Inconvenience' ensues, Dante grows increasingly frustrated with Randal's micromanaging direction and perceived disrespect towards him in the script. After Randal tries to recreate the donkey show that took place at Mooby's, Dante panics and abandons filming due to the location reminding him of Becky. Later, a drunk Dante finally explodes at Randal for never respecting him or acknowledging his support over the years, and for forcing him to relive the worst moments of his life. Suddenly, Dante collapses and suffers a heart attack as well. When Randal decides to leave Dante at the hospital to continue work on the movie, Elias yells at him for his behavior and reveals Dante's deal with Emma.
Fueled by guilt, Randal finishes editing the movie and sneaks back into the hospital with Jay and Silent Bob's help. He shows Dante the finished film, which he has re-edited so that Dante is the main character, declaring that the story was always about him. Dante watches the film with the spirit of Becky, appreciative of his friend's gesture, before he peacefully passes away.
Sometime later after Dante's funeral, Emma arrives at the Quick Stop to take over the store, or to collect the $30,000 she loaned Dante. Blockchain arrives and excitedly reveals that the NFT kites sold out immediately, making him and Elias millionaires. Elias, who has joined Randal as co-owner of the store in Dante's stead, uses his share of their earnings to pay back Emma. After Elias, Blockchain, Jay, and Silent Bob go outside to fly one of the NFT kites, Randal privately mourns Dante at the cash register, unknowingly joined by his spirit. Meanwhile, Jay's daughter Milly inspects the expiration dates on some oat milk.
During the credits, director Kevin Smith thanks audience members for seeing the movie before reading some narration he cut from the final scene, where it is revealed that Randal continued to make movies until the age of 90, all while still working at the Quick Stop.
Cast
* Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks
* Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves
* Marilyn Ghigliotti as Veronica Loughran
* Rosario Dawson as Becky Scott
* Trevor Fehrman as Elias Grover
* Jason Mewes as Jay
* Kevin Smith as Silent Bob
* Amy Sedaris as Doctor Ladenheim
* Austin Zajur as Blockchain Coltrane
* Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as Emma Bunting
* Harley Quinn Smith as Millennium "Milly" Faulken
* Ben Affleck as Boston John
* Michelle Buteau as Lisa
* Marc Bernardin as Lando
* Kate Micucci as Mary, a Mooby's employee
* Justin Long as Orderly
Additionally, Fred Armisen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Melissa Benoist, Chris Wood, Anthony Michael Hall, Danny Trejo, Ralph Garman, and Impractical Jokers' Brian Quinn, Sal Vulcano, James Murray, and Joe Gatto all appear as actors auditioning for 'Inconvenience'. Various customers from the original 'Clerks' reprise their roles for 'Inconvenience'. Other View Askew alumni cameos include John Willyung reprising his role as Cohee Lundin from 'Chasing Amy', as well as Scott Mosier and Ethan Suplee each reprising their role of Willam Black from both 'Clerks' and 'Mallrats'.
Production
Development
During press for 'Clerks II', Kevin Smith briefly discussed the possibility of a 'Clerks III'. Stating that "if there's ever gonna be a 'Clerks III', it would be somewhere down the road in my 40s or 50s, when it might be interesting to check back in on Dante and Randal. But I don't know about Jay and Bob so much, 'cause at 45, leaning on a wall in front of a convenience store might be a little sad." Smith repeated this sentiment on one of the audio commentary tracks on the 'Clerks II' DVD, to which Jeff Anderson jokingly replied, "Oh, don't get me started", referring to Anderson's well known doubts about making 'Clerks II' when first approached by Smith.On March 29, 2012, Smith expressed his interest in producing 'Clerks III' as a Broadway play after seeing the Theresa Rebeck comedy 'Seminar' starring Alan Rickman, with whom Smith had previously worked on 'Dogma'.
On December 10, 2012, Smith released a special Hollywood Babble-On episode, 'Hollywood Babble-On #000: GIANT SIZED ANNUAL # 1: CLERKS III, AUDIENCE 0', in which he revealed greater details on his plans for 'Clerks III'. Smith stated that an ongoing audit over residuals from 'Clerks II' with The Weinstein Company was causing a delay in several key 'Clerks III' cast and crew members, including Anderson and Scott Mosier, from coming on board until the audit was resolved. Smith also revealed that he would like to crowdsource 'Clerks III', either through Kickstarter or Indiegogo, with contributors receiving anything from DVDs, posters, and even roles as extras in the film. On June 5, 2013, he changed his mind on crowdsourcing, stating "I've got access to money. And worst-case scenario, I can put up my house."
Smith worked on a script for 'Clerks III' from March to May 2013, stating when he completed it that it was "'The Empire Strikes Back'" of the series. This script featured a story about Randal having a nervous breakdown after the Quick Stop is destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, and trying to manage it by getting in line for a film called 'Ranger Danger' a year before it opens. Randall would have gained a small cult following and set up his own miniature Quick Stop, only for there to be a shooting at the theater. In July 2013, Jason Mewes stated that they were now just waiting to hear back from The Weinstein Company about funding.
On September 26, 2014, Smith stated on his 'Hollywood Babble-On' podcast,[https://archive.today/20140929183449/https://soundcloud.com/hollywoodbabbleon/183-september-26-2014 #183: September 26, 2014 - Hollywood Babble-On] that he was glad that he made 'Tusk':
There were plans to start shooting 'Clerks III' in May 2015, but these were put on hold to film another sequel, 'Mallrats 2'. However, by June 2016 the plans for a 'Mallrats' sequel had been turned into plans for a 'Mallrats' TV series.
The initial plans to film 'Clerks III' came to a halt in 2017, when Smith announced that one of the four leads, whom he later revealed to be Jeff Anderson, opted out of reprising his role despite a completed script. At the time, Smith doubted the film would ever be made. In 2018, Smith suffered a near-fatal heart attack before one of his comedy shows. This experience inspired him to rewrite the 'Clerks III' script from scratch, doing away with the original planned storyline. Smith later reflected that the original script strayed too far from the original 'Clerks', noting it was written by "a guy who didn't know a thing about death" and he was ultimately glad it was never made. Smith later reused the original opening scene, featuring Jay and Silent Bob getting arrested (alongside Dante and Randal in the original 'Clerks III' script) for 'Jay and Silent Bob Reboot'.
In July 2019, Smith announced that he would do a live reading of the original, now-aborted 'Clerks III' script at the First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. The reading was held on August 3, 2019. That same month, Smith revealed at San Diego Comic Con that he was writing a new script for 'Clerks III' and promised to make the film.
On October 1, 2019, Smith confirmed on Instagram that 'Clerks III' was happening and that Jeff Anderson agreed to reprise his role as Randal. The new script will follow Randal, after surviving a heart attack, and Dante making a movie about their lives at the store, a plot initially conceived as a film adaptation of 'Clerks: The Animated Series' titled 'Clerks: Sell Out'.
In January 2021, Smith announced the script was complete. In July 2021, Lionsgate obtained the rights to produce and distribute the film, while also confirming Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman would reprise their roles of Becky Scott and Elias Grover from 'Clerks II' respectively.
Filming
Principal photography began on August 2, 2021, in Red Bank, New Jersey. Filming wrapped on August 31, 2021.Post-production
Post-production was completed on February 13, 2022, with Smith announcing a trailer was slated to debut in May. On May 28, 2022, Smith stated he viewed the first cut of the trailer and was set to release it during San Diego Comic-Con 2022, which would run from July 2124. On June 29, 2022, Smith announced the trailer would instead drop online on July 6.The film is dedicated to Lisa Spoonauer, who played Caitlin Bree in the original 'Clerks'. Spoonauer passed away in 2017.
Release
'Clerks III' had its world premiere on August 24, 2022 in Los Angeles, followed by a roadshow tour that began September 4, 2022, in Red Bank, New Jersey. It was released on September 13, 2022 by Lionsgate and Fathom Events. The film was previously scheduled for release in July 2022.
The film is set for a limited release on September 16, in the United Kingdom.
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 65% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "'Clerks III' isn't even supposed to be here today -- but this surprisingly emotional return to the Quick Stop wraps up the trilogy in fan-pleasing fashion." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Notes
References
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