Clerks 3

[KaijuDude1992]

This actually looks a lot better than I expected it too and I honestly can't wait to rewatch both of the previous Clerks movies before this comes out because I haven't seen those in years.

I'm really hoping this ends up being good though because I haven't enjoyed a Kevin Smith movie in a very long time, but it already looks alot better than that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot.

 

[NotNickFury]

But is there still someone in the back checking umpteenth cartons of milk?

Haven't seen Jay and Silent Bob Reboot yet, but this looks like it could be fun. That line about Jay and Silent Bob being the R2D2 and C-3PO of the franchise was very on-the-nose, but not out of character for this series. More so considering how big of a Star Wars guy Kevin Smith is.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Best line the trailer: "A Sequel, what Am I a hack?" and Silent Bob points in agreement.

 

[MadVillainy]

AS someone who hasn't seen any of the Clerks movies (I've been meaning to for years) this looked pretty funny and heartfelt.

It does feel a bit too meta, but we'll see. I'll watch the first 2 before seeing this

 

[Slick]

Kevin Smith Reveals He's Buying New Jersey Movie Theater, Announces Next Film

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I guess with the limited screenings not a lot of people have seen this, but I caught a Fathom Events screening tonight, and I loved it. The trailer plays up the meta hard, and I won’t act like there isn’t a lot of that going on, but the film has so much heart. It gets deep into these characters, and I honestly got very emotional during the film. It’s a solid wrap up to Smith’s Askewniverse if this is all he does in that world, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Jay and Silent Bob will pop up again.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I saw it. I think it and Clerks II are of similar quality, with Clerks II being funnier and Clerks III being better drama wise. I have things to say about 2 specific story points, but I want to marinade on it a bit

 

[Drizzle]

I'm on the fence about seeing this in theaters. It's only got one screening per day at an out of the way theater by me. Looks like it's exclusively in Regal theaters?

 

[Spider-Fan]

I saw it at an AMC

 

[BatLobster]

I guess with the limited screenings not a lot of people have seen this, but I caught a Fathom Events screening tonight, and I loved it. The trailer plays up the meta hard, and I won’t act like there isn’t a lot of that going on, but the film has so much heart. It gets deep into these characters, and I honestly got very emotional during the film. It’s a solid wrap up to Smith’s Askewniverse if this is all he does in that world, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion Jay and Silent Bob will pop up again.

I also got hit with an emotional ton of bricks during this movie. It won't be for everyone, but if you've followed Smith's career and care at all about these characters, it's definitely worth seeing.

 

[Slick]

Missed my opportunity to watch this in theaters so I’ll catch it when it hits on demand. However we do also have this coming in November.
GET READY FOR MORE MISADVENTURES WITH YOUR FAVORITE ASKEWNIVERSE CHARACTERS IN 'QUICK STOPS' :: Blog :: Dark Horse Comics
Already put it on my pull list at my local comic shop.

 

[Spider-Fan]

I have marinated on this movie for a while and watched many reviews, and overall I like this movie. But I strongly disagree with 2 choices the movie makes:

Spoiler

Becky and Dante's child being killed off was a bad call. I think this did a disservice to Dante as a character. Clerks II's uplifting ending about Dante taking control of his life and future is wasted. I get Dante needs a struggle, but this feels like an excuse to just have Dante and Randall together without the complication of Dante having a family to wrote for. If you are going to fridge a character like this, you need a good reason to do it. I don't think Clerks III provides one. We get a great monologue later in the movie out of it, but I think we could have done better than this.

Also related to that, killing Dante just seems like tossing more salt on that wound. Yay he gets to reflect on his life on his imaginary movie theater, but the movie spends most of its time just crapping on Dante to the point it becomes cruel.

I am not a fan of this particular plot line. I would like to have seen Becky and Dante's child worked into this movie and being a parent used as part of Dante's struggle. If you absolutely needed to kill Becky, why couldn't she have died of cancer or something and left Dante as a struggling single father? I would have preferred this to the off-screen drunk driver killing them both sometime apparently very soon after Clerks II ends. I may even have been more okay with Dante dying and Randall being responsible for Dante's child now that he dies and that can be how he carries his legacy. The bones of what Kevin wants to do here could have worked, but I dislike the execution.

Also, you cannot edit a movie in a single evening. I get it is a movie, but I cannot accept that lol!

Again, I like this movie as a whole. But I do think it ranks 3rd for me in this trilogy. Now that I had time to reflect a bit more.

 

[Drizzle]

I have marinated on this movie for a while and watched many reviews, and overall I like this movie. But I strongly disagree with 2 choices the movie makes:

Spoiler

Becky and Dante's child being killed off was a bad call. I think this did a disservice to Dante as a character. Clerks II's uplifting ending about Dante taking control of his life and future is wasted. I get Dante needs a struggle, but this feels like an excuse to just have Dante and Randall together without the complication of Dante having a family to wrote for. If you are going to fridge a character like this, you need a good reason to do it. I don't think Clerks III provides one. We get a great monologue later in the movie out of it, but I think we could have done better than this.

Also related to that, killing Dante just seems like tossing more salt on that wound. Yay he gets to reflect on his life on his imaginary movie theater, but the movie spends most of its time just crapping on Dante to the point it becomes cruel.

I am not a fan of this particular plot line. I would like to have seen Becky and Dante's child worked into this movie and being a parent used as part of Dante's struggle. If you absolutely needed to kill Becky, why couldn't she have died of cancer or something and left Dante as a struggling single father? I would have preferred this to the off-screen drunk driver killing them both sometime apparently very soon after Clerks II ends. I may even have been more okay with Dante dying and Randall being responsible for Dante's child now that he dies and that can be how he carries his legacy. The bones of what Kevin wants to do here could have worked, but I dislike the execution.

Also, you cannot edit a movie in a single evening. I get it is a movie, but I cannot accept that lol!

Again, I like this movie as a whole. But I do think it ranks 3rd for me in this trilogy. Now that I had time to reflect a bit more.

I watched this last night and I'm pretty much in agreement with you. I liked it a lot, it's definitely the best Kevin Smith movie I've seen since Zack and Miri. Granted, there's a few I've missed since then as I haven't seen Red State, Tusk or Yoga Hosers but this was still a BIG step up from Jay and Silent Bob Reboot. But I still had issues with

Spoiler

Dante being dragged through the **** for this whole movie. Becky didn't need to be killed off, and by extension neither did their unborn child, and I had actually forgotten that Becky was pregnant in Clerks II (it's been a while since I've watched it) and from what I remember I don't think it was mentioned here. It just felt kind of mean-spirited.

 

[Teelie]

Reposting this from the Cinema thread.

I just watched back to back the Clerks trilogy and having finished Clerks III I get why it was divisive with some fans. Some things I did not like about it but it also felt like their reality where things don't alway so neatly and nicely tidy up. Dante and Randal's lives really hit home in a way even though I'm not in their position or age. 30 years off and on working in that store, loving and hating it, eventually owning it and giving it their all.

They were also so transparently Kevin Smith more so than they were in Clerks or Clerks II. He had his near death experience several years ago so there is no way he could not write it into this movie somehow. I thought it was fitting if a little too on the nose (this doctor was almost a carbon copy of the actual doctor from what I recall of Smith's experience).

The ending was definitely unexpected too. Not where I would have imagined going but I know why he did it. He couldn't help it. Most disappointed with how he handled Rebecca though.

Spoiler: Spoiler for the characters

I didn't like Smith killing off Rebecca and their unborn daughter pretty much right after Clerks II ended and then having Dante grieve for 15 years going absolutely nowhere. While it does fit into the unpredictability of life and the messiness of losing someone with Dante being once again stuck in neutral, it felt like such a wasted oppurtunity for Dante and Rebecca to have a more contentious relationship with Dante screwing it up again and his daughter Grace being at odds with him but maybe that is too predictable a trope. His life as a convienence store clerk with a nearly adult daughter who can't stand him might have been a better and less bitter story.

Then killing Dante off abruptly with a heart attack, the otherside of the coin where Kevin Smith could have landed, felt like he was trying to do some kind of duality. Leaving Randal semi-alone is harsh. He has Elias but Elias is a poor stand in for Dante and I guess this is Smith's way of saying there will never be another Clerks movie.

I kind of wish he would do another Clerks movie, in say another 15-20 years with a now senior aged Randal and middle aged Elias still running the store with Jay and Silent Bob up to whatever pot related shenanagins they are involved in, as well as the rest of the customers and aquaintences making appearances.

It could not be the same without Dante but then that is also the point. Seeing Randal in this place over the course of 50 years would be something. What has happened to him without his best friend and anchor? Does he ever grow up or find love himself?

I can't think of any series where the same characters played by the same actors grow up and grow old over such a long time period. Then again maybe it is for the best it ends here. That could easily be a severe misfire if not handled properly.

As it turns out, I agree with some of the sentiment expressed here.