Clerks

"Just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you."

1994 1h 32m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 2,880

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Convenience and video store clerks Dante and Randal are sharp-witted, potty-mouthed and bored out of their minds. So in between needling customers, the counter jockeys play hockey on the roof, visit a funeral home and deal with their love lives.

“Just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Paramount Plus EssentialSubscription

JustWatch TVRent

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Brian O'Halloran
Dante
Jeff Anderson
Randal
Marilyn Ghigliotti
Veronica
Lisa Spoonauer
Caitlin
Jason Mewes
Jay
Kevin Smith
Silent Bob
Scott Mosier
William the Idiot Manchild / Angry Hockey-Playing Customer / Angry Mourner
Scott Schiaffo
Chewlie's Rep

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Kevin Smith
Writers: Kevin Smith
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $3M — a 114.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

32 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Clerks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Kevin Smith, shot by David Klein. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson and Marilyn Ghigliotti carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Kevin Smith directs. David Klein behind the camera. Kevin Smith cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $3M — a 114.5× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
332 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Clerks Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Kevin Smith, shot by David Klein. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Kevin Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson and Marilyn Ghigliotti carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you.".
9IMDB entry: tt0109445 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 15 themes, including "salesclerk", "work", "new jersey", "gas station".

The technical file

Cinematography: David Klein
Editing: Kevin Smith
Makeup / hair: Leslie Hope
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $27,575
Box office: $3,158,707
Return: 11455% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Clerks (1994)

Awards

Sundance Filmmaker Trophy Dramatic

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Clerks Collection

A collection for the Clerks movies by Kevin Smith. Clerks was released in 1994, Clerks II in 2006 and Clerks III in 2022.

Also by

Kevin Smith

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-04-16
★ 9/10
Over the years, I have really enjoyed Smith's comic book writing, but this is the only film so far I have seen him direct. My cinephilic friends tend to dismiss his recent works, but this was very enjoyable. I like the influence he has had on independent cinema. 1994 certainly proved to be an important year for it, with the smash successes that independent studios had with 'Clerks' and 'Pulp Fiction'. I hope he sticks to directing films that he himself writes. I have the feeling he wants to expand his horizons but isn't quite sure how to go about it without alienating his huge fanbase. I have great confidence in him, and feel that if he puts his heart into it, he can be a great filmmaker, instead of a good one. I think for him to do so, he could do himself a great service and read a few less comic books and watch a lot more movies, particularly by the Hollywood greats from the Golden Age, such as Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh and John Ford. It would be quite exciting to see what he comes up with, once his creative juices are recharged.
Filipe Manuel Neto2023-03-02
★ 5/10
A rude but understandable film. I just saw this film, and honestly I was hoping for a slightly different comedy, with a more elaborate, more conventional structure and not based so much on endless dialogues. It is, however, an independent film, made a little outside of what traditional circuits and big studios are, and the budget is limited. If we consider all this, I think we can understand the film better. The film basically accompanies a day in the life of two commercial employees who hate their jobs but need them, like any mortal. They work closely together and are friends, but the day promises not to be easy for either of them. The film is based on jokes of a very rude nature, sometimes also on the inelegant manners of the characters. There are a lot of allusions to pop culture throughout the movie as well, and I didn't always get that. It's not the kind of humor I really enjoy, though the film has its moments. Perhaps this style of humor works better with young people and teenagers than with someone more adult... The cast features a number of actors that I don't really know. Brian O'Halloran and Jeff Anderson had their most relevant work in this film, from what I've seen. The film is quite restrained in terms of costumes and scenery, and I believe that real stores were used for the production. What can be considered a weakness, the low budget, was to some extent an advantage, taking into account the type of film they preferred to make here. The cinematography is very good and well used, and is perhaps the film's most artistic feature.