REVIEW: ‘Clerks III’ Continues Kevin Smith’s Comeback Tour

Clerks III, written and directed by Kevin Smith, continues the geek guru’s return to his long-running View Askewniverse. The film once again takes place at the Quick Stop convenience store, following the misadventures of clerks Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson). Randal suffers a near-fatal heart attack one day, and though he survives, he’s at a loss for what he wants to do with his life. Then it comes to him: make a movie about his life experiences! Randal manages to rope in Dante alongside their hyper-religious co-worker Elias (Trevor Fehrman) and friendly neighborhood stoners Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith).

The eagle-eyed may look at this plot and think it bears similarities to Smith’s real life, as he nearly died from a heart attack in 2018 and the first Clerks film was his entry into filmmaking. And while that’s true, Smith is working on a far deeper thematic level with Clerks III than expected. In the same way that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot turned out to be less a skewering of reboot culture and more of a heartfelt way for a father to connect with his daughter, Clerks III is hiding a surprisingly poignant and, at times, a heartbreaking story within its seemingly meta concept. In a way, Smith is reckoning with his place in pop culture and his mortality.

Fans of Smith’s previous films will be happy to know he still manages to keep his trademark sense of humor and rapid-fire pop culture references. Scenes feature Randall and Dante debating about what Star Wars characters they would be and Randall quoting The Mandalorian and Elias calling superheroes “false gods.” It even extends to Smith’s filmography — choices that Randall and Dante make while filming end up unintentionally (in the movie, at least) recreating scenes from the first Clerks. What stops this from becoming entirely self-indulgent is the aforementioned emotional heft and O’Halloran and Anderson’s performances.

Both Anderson and O’Halloran seem to step back into their standard roles, with Anderson playing Randal as the laid-back, foul-mouthed free spirit and O’Halloran playing Dante as perpetually put upon and seemingly the only adult in the room. Yet as the film progresses, it’s revealed that both men are dealing with some weighty burdens. It all culminates in a shouting match during the film’s third act, where Dante lays his soul bare. Viewers will feel the pain radiating from O’Halloran, who gives an intensely emotional performance. The rest of the cast is ever dependable, especially Mewes and Smith, who slips back into Jay and Silent Bob like a pair of comfy pajamas. As is the custom with his projects, Smith reaches into his seemingly massive Rolodex to pepper the film with some smart cameos. Not only are there alums from his tenure on Masters of the Universe: Revelation, but he somehow managed to convince Amy Sedaris to take a role as the doctor who saves Randal — which is fantastic!

And keeping in line with his previous work on the Clerks film, Smith opts to shoot most of the action in the Quick Stop, occasionally shifting to Jay and Silent Bob’s weed shop. This essentially makes the Quick Stop a significant character in the film, as it’s the center of most of the action, from Randal’s heart attack to where the filming, both in-universe and in the real world, takes place. However, this leads to a smattering of references from the previous two films, which may be a bit off-putting to audience members who haven’t seen them. a subplot involving cryptocurrency also falls flat; props to Smith for being in tune with today’s trends, but it doesn’t mean that some of these trends are meant for comedic fodder.

Clerks III finds Kevin Smith tackling the chaotic nature of life and his mortality. If you’ve loved his films, you will definitely find something to enjoy here. As for the rest of the potential audience…well, everyone loves a good comeback story.

Clerks III will play in select theaters on September 13, 2022.