Randal and Dante want to be here today

 CLERKS III (2022)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

I'll take the View Askewniverse over the Marvel/DC Universe any day of the week. When I infrequently see a superhero movie, I often tell myself, "I am not even supposed to be here today!" When I see a new flick by Kevin Smith about that little world between Red Bank and Leonardo, NJ, I often say, "I am so happy to revisit." I can't help but enjoy this newest "Clerks" sequel with its strong emotional chords, pop culture references galore, and the return of some of my favorite characters of the  last 30 years. Keep On Truckin' I say.

Sarcastic and hardly mellowed 50-year-old Randal (Jeff Anderson) and the somewhat straight arrow Dante (Brian O'Halloran) are still running the Quik Stop convenience store they bought at the end of "Clerks II." Some things have changed. Silent Bob and Jay (Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes) are now the proprietors of a weed store, sorry a marijuana dispensary (I've got to get with the current vernacular) replacing the kaput RST video store from way back. The two stoners still operate outside the store front like they are selling something illegal. Dante is grieving over the loss of Becky (Rosario Dawson) and their unborn little girl - they lost their lives to a drunk driver. Meanwhile, wait a doggone Snootchie Boochie moment, is this a comedy? Yes, it is and full of some dramatic moments that made me, dare I say, well up with tears. Not something I expected from a crass, vulgar and infantile movie series, or let's change it to a more sophisticated take on the crass, vulgar and infantile. 

I didn't even get to Randal's sudden heart attack or the return of the born-again Christian transforming himself into a born-again Satanist clerk Elias (a better-than-ever Trevor Fehrman) and his own Silent Bob-type sidekick Blockchain (Austin Zajur). Once Randall recovers after some more Star Wars references (can we start referencing some other franchises for once, Kevin?) and the inclusion of the "Mandalorian"/"Strangers With Candy" actress, Amy Sedaris as a surgeon, he has a eureka moment and decides to make a low-budget movie about his life! Of course, Dante has issues with his portrayal in the script and Jay, who has smoked probably a trillion Mary Janes since 1994, confuses Dante for someone named...Sergio? Randal feels he has seen enough movies to make a movie about life in a convenience store called "Inconvenience." Oh, this is super-meta of course and nothing makes me smile more than seeing the various auditions (Ben Affleck being one, and Freddie Prinze, Jr. as himself) or the fact that Jay will not dance in a scene until the whole crew disappears! Yep, that includes the camera operator. Oh, and how delighted I was to see the return of the foul-mouthed Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) who can still yell at Dante like it is 1994 all over again. Or the terrifically spry Rosario Dawson as a Force Ghost of sorts, giving occasional advice to the still-mourning Dante.

"Clerks III" is less raunchy and more invested in its characters than ever before. Sure, some of it can be repetitive and off-the-wall silly but that goes without saying in a Kevin Smith movie. I laughed a lot, enjoyed the behind-the-scenes antics of making "Inconvenience," and delighted in seeing the return of the many colorful characters of this New Jersey town. More importantly, Smith still draws a steady balance between emotion and humor, evoking the mutual and unbreakable bond between Randal and Dante. It is that bond that makes "Clerks III" oddly moving and still tickles your funny bone.