I am a big Kevin Smith fan, even if some of his recent films have been a bit off. But Clerks III is, in my opinion, his best film since Zack and Miri Make A Porno, which was nearly 15 years ago. Back in the 90's and early 00's he made a career in pushing the envelope with his signature crude and juvenile sexual humour with the likes of Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and of course Clerks II. Then around the late 00's, he began a bit of a wobbly period where he dabbled in other genres with varying results.
Now with Clerks III, he truly is back on form, with the best acting of the three, Brian O'Halloran delivers a monologue that you could swear wasn't acting. Smiths signature humour is still there, but instead of trying to push the envelope like he did in his earlier work, he smartly dials it back and evolves as the main characters age.
Talking of which, Smiths signature characters Jay and Silent Bob make a return, played by Jason Mewes and Smith himself, as well as Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves. Those characters could very easily be written like they haven't grown up a bit since the first movie, but they are written like they've gotten older and act accordingly whilst retaining the sense of humour and personality.
The second movie has has a melancholic undertone with its themes of getting older and life moving on whilst still being uproariously funny, while this movie takes that a bit further and really hits hard with dark themes like mortality and grief, yet still retains the heart and humour of its predecessors and delivers an emotional gut punch which left me dead silent after the credits rolled, then walk out of an almost empty cinema and still contemplating the ending on the walk home through an empty shopping centre. Well done Kevin Smith!!!
Now with Clerks III, he truly is back on form, with the best acting of the three, Brian O'Halloran delivers a monologue that you could swear wasn't acting. Smiths signature humour is still there, but instead of trying to push the envelope like he did in his earlier work, he smartly dials it back and evolves as the main characters age.
Talking of which, Smiths signature characters Jay and Silent Bob make a return, played by Jason Mewes and Smith himself, as well as Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves. Those characters could very easily be written like they haven't grown up a bit since the first movie, but they are written like they've gotten older and act accordingly whilst retaining the sense of humour and personality.
The second movie has has a melancholic undertone with its themes of getting older and life moving on whilst still being uproariously funny, while this movie takes that a bit further and really hits hard with dark themes like mortality and grief, yet still retains the heart and humour of its predecessors and delivers an emotional gut punch which left me dead silent after the credits rolled, then walk out of an almost empty cinema and still contemplating the ending on the walk home through an empty shopping centre. Well done Kevin Smith!!!