Clerks
Miramax Films | Release Date: October 19, 1994 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
70
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Film ThreatBrad Laidman
Randal is a beautiful hostile piece of work that only could have come from America. He's the sort of guy who never put in a quality day at the office in his life, but somehow probably winds up winning the biggest lotto drawing ever with a ticket he stole from his loser best friend's Quickie Mart. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Although a few bits (the film is done in blackout sketch style) fall flat and a good ten minutes could be shaved off the running time with no visible damage, it's an impressive and irascible debut that rings true even when you're laughing too hard to hear it. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineStaff (Not Credited)
Unlike his models, however, Smith hasn't demonstrated that his sensibility reaches much beyond bathroom humor and meaningless drift. Read full review
70
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Much of "Clerks" is extremely funny and dead-on—in terms of its intentionally satirical, Gen-X-istential gloom. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Even augmented by the priceless commodity of Smith's talent, $25,575 can only be stretched so far. Apparently, it won't buy you a stellar cast - some very strong lines receive some rather flat deliveries. And some distinctly lame scenes survive the chopping block. Read full review
70
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
[Smith] also has an uncommonly sure sense of deadpan comic timing. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Nothing, no matter how outrageous, is beyond Smith, and his willingness to flaunt cinematic taboos is one of the reasons why Clerks is such a unqualified success. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Within the limitations of his bare-bones production, Smith shows great invention, a natural feel for human comedy, and a knack for writing weird, sometimes brilliant, dialogue. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
A few crude verbal exchanges nearly got Clerks an NC-17 rating; some (not all) of these provide some of the funniest moments in a film that's funny about 30% of the time. [24 Oct 1994]
80
VarietyTodd McCarthy
A randy, irreverent, slice-of-life no-budgeter that's played for laughs and gets them. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
Though the politically incorrect language is tough enough to have earned Clerks an initial NC-17 rating (re-rated R on appeal), its exuberance gives it an alive and kicking feeling that is welcome and rare. [19 Oct 1994]
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The latest slacker manifesto, Clerks lacks the grunge artistry of either "Stranger Than Paradise" or "Slacker," but it's a fast, likable 90 minutes at the movies. Read full review
50
Washington PostHal Hinson
Amateurishly acted, clumsily edited and slapped together out of what looks like surveillance camera footage, the thing bumps along not so much on talent as on audacity. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
If not all the gags work, the overall irreverence and all-American anomie are fairly contagious. Read full review
80
EmpireClark Collis
Smith's script simply crackles with an endless succession of humorous gags and on-the-ball observations while Anderson's brilliant performance as the shop assistant from hell is worthy of a film 100 times as expensive. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalAmy Gamerman
Rough around the edges, it's humor decidedly sophomoric in parts. But that's part of its charm. [19 Jan 1995, p.A16(E)]
60
The New YorkerMichael Sragow
The humor of two clerks arguing about ethics and sex deflates before the halfway mark, but the writer-director, Kevin Smith, dishes up some funny profanity in his low-budget black-and-white debut. Read full review
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