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.
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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
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
7.7 / 10
242K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
90 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
70 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
7.4 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
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.
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Where it lives
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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.