The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
Back to trending 
Clerks
Comedy · 1994
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.
Movie details
Clerks
“Just because they serve you doesn't mean they like you.”
1994 Comedy 1h 32m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.4 / 10
Community rating
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.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Clerks?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Bill Burr: Drop Dead Years
Comedy · 2025
In what might be his most personal and introspective hour yet, Bill offers hilarious takes on everything from male sadness to dating advice.
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon
Comedy · 2023
Ricky Gervais dishes out controversial takes on political correctness and oversensitivity in a taboo-busting comedy special about the end of humanity.
Ricky Gervais: Mortality
Comedy · 2025
Ricky Gervais tackles life, death and the state of the world in a brutally honest special that spares no topic, even his own mortality.
Jimmy Carr: Live
Comedy · 2004
With his first ever DVD, Jimmy’s unique brand of humour demonstrates the observations he makes on life’s taboos using witty one-liners and offensive putdowns. Recorded during the acclaimed comedian’s sell out shows at London’s Bloomsbury theatre.
Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out
Comedy · 2017
No-nonsense comic Bill Burr takes the stage in Nashville and riffs on fast food, overpopulation, dictators and gorilla sign language.
Ricky Gervais Live 4: Science
Comedy · 2010
Ricky Gervais Live IV Science or the way things worked before we invented God. The hilarious fourth live smash hit stand up show from Ricky Gervais, following his complete sell out tour - filmed live at London's Hammersmith HMV Apollo
Louis C.K.: Oh My God
Comedy · 2013
Filmed at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ on February 15th and 16th, 2013, Oh My God is Louis C.K.'s fifth stand-up special, his first for HBO since 2007's Shameless, and his first since winning a Emmy Award for writing on his acclaimed show on FX, Louie. Performed in the round in front of a live audience, he discusses such topics as the food chain, animals, divorce, strange anecdotes, broken morality, murder and mortality.
Jimmy Carr: Comedian
Comedy · 2007
Recorded live at London's Bloomsbury theatre, the posh-suited gagster unleashes his rapid-fire wit upon his audience, with jokes that are just too rude for TV.
Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself
Comedy · 2006
A recorded live performance of ventriloquist Jeff Dunham portrays a comedian whose revival of an old-fashioned art has made ventriloquism more relevant to modern societal concerns. Starring his six main characters, from Bubba Jay, a Nascar-obsessed hick, to Peanut, a flamboyant gay monkey, Dunham’s puppets have dirty but inoffensive senses of humor that mock the American Dream.
Ricky Gervais Live 3: Fame
Comedy · 2007
The third of Ricky Gervais' themed live stand-up shows.
Where it lives
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Kevin Smith
Written by
Kevin Smith
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
Court is in session
Put Clerks on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.