Clerks in a film about a day in the life of Dante Hicks. Dante is 22 and is working a convenience store. It is implied that Dante dropped out of college and began work at the Quik-Stop Groceries(QSG) convenience store. In the video store next to the QSG works Randal Graves. Randal has been friends with Dante since high school and the two have chosen similar life paths. Dante hates his job but respects the unwritten rule that “the customer is always right.” Randal also hates his job, but has given up on respecting customers. Dante is in a long-term relationship with a girl named Veronica. Though there is the occasionally fight, as we see in the first act, the relationship is very stable. This is interrupted by the newly announced engagement of his ex-girlfriend, Caitlin. Dante is thrown for a loop by this information.

Plot: A-

The film uses the two different mindsets of the main characters as tool to drive the plot and as a main theme. Though the two are best friends they are always at odds with each other. Randal spends most of his day hanging out with Dante in the QSG and ignoring the angered customers of the video store. Dante doesn’t care much for this behavior and believes that their job titles should affect the way they behave during working hours. This tension is laid out through the movie and is only a titular factor in the finale of the movie.

Themes and Motifs: A-

The acting in the film itself is decent. Everyone plays there character well. The issue though is that the characters lend themselves to bad acting. Jeff Anderson(Randal) is the worst in the film. His character is very two dimensional and has a monotonous voice. Most all of  the characters in the film are in fact two dimensional. All except Dante. This is because all characters in the film are simply automatons around Dante. Though this works for the story, It makes Dante the only real character in the film.

Acting: B

Character Development: B

The film is shot in black and white. This could’ve either been an artistic choice to reflect the two ideologies of the main characters, or a budget decision. The film was made on a mere $27,000, about $47,000 today. Either way it worked for the film. The film was made in 1993 and color was a given in this age of cinema. Black and white works in two ways. The first, it reflects the differing ideologies of Dante and Randal. The second, it highlights the overall class of the neighborhood. It is almost saying the area is too poor to afford to be in color. They way the film is shot also is a major factor. The film focuses on the two main stores and storefronts, The QSG and the video store. The film captures the exterior and interior of the area extremely well. When interior it shows how cramped the store is. It also shows how Dante feels in the store by mostly focusing on the counter area and areas adjacent to the counter. It does the same for the video store.  

Cinematography: A

Overall Grade: B+