I'm From New Jersey - A Clerks 3 Review (spoilers)

[@jonathannevarez4930]

I cant wait for Clerks 4! Where Randall became famous after making his movie and spent a career of making sometimes funny, sometimes controversial movies, and then decides to make a movie about turning a person into a walrus!

[@NeroLeMorte]

Some say it's based on real life events of a stoner director.

[@ralphhicks2712]

Also Randall goes way over board As a vegan because his very woke daughter said he will be healthier and all of woke Hollywood and his woke fans will think he is really cool all while quitting smoking but doubling down on heavy pot smoking because that kind of smoking is good for your severe heart problem .Not!!! But it makes you look cool to your fans and Hollywood so just jumpstart your COPD because you want to look cool and hip.

[@rippspeck]

@@ralphhicks2712 Oh boy, you suck at sarcasm.

[@ralphhicks2712]

@@rippspeck Not really trying to be sarcastic as much as trying to state fact.I Love Kevin but I'm concerned his pot smoking will kill him eventually not from THC but from the actual smoking itself. I have severe heart problems and a pacemaker and my doctor freaks out over 4 cigars a year.I have a lot of friends who smoke weed. Unfortunately they can't seem to quit or put it down. I think the weed has affected his decision making he seemed to write better without it .I also really wish he would quit trying to please everyone else and the whole woke ideology. I don't care about people being progressive but stop trying to hit all those beats to a group of people who don't really care "Hollywood ".What made his movies and writing great was it was from the heart and he wasn't trying to please anyone but his self and his target audience.

[@shawnhilliard]

It's truly sad how possible this is lol

[@pastichiorocker]

Ever since Scott Mosier stopped producing his movies he kinda lost the plot. I feel that Mosier kept him in line and on point. Also, Smith's output has been very inconsistent since he started smoking weed. He said that he can't write without smoking a blunt first, so that might explain some things...

[@jayreed9630]

He should pretend he's 30 again and put it down for a bit while writing. Everything after Red State sucks more or less and even only that flick was decent.

[@wiseauserious8750]

It's a perfect example of correlation rather than causation, because he started smoking weed at the exact same time that Scott left, which is exactly when his movies did a complete nosedive, at least in my opinion. So it's impossible to know whether it was because of Scott leaving or Kevin beginning to smoke weed regularly

[@Qwazin]

A perfect example of that is the feedback Mosier gave Kevin on the jail scene in Clerks 2. I can't believe it was originally intended to be Silent Bob giving the inspirational speech about how they should buy the Quick Stop, until Mosier pointed out it felt too predictable, which is what made Kevin come up with the idea of Randal do it instead. Mosier always pushed him into original and inspired territory whenever Smith started to get lazy.

[@petewillson205]

Yep

[@Moowe291]

Weed doesn't destroy you. Just like alcohol, it's a sign that a bigger issue is the problem, not the drug itself.

[@Qwazin]

Every movie Kevin Smith has made after Zack and Miri feel like cinematic tantrums. They've been mostly harmless up until now, but this is the first one where I actually felt insulted as a longtime fan. The "good enough" mentality that dominates the direction of the film is just sad to watch.

[@BishopWalters12]

Very good point.

[@richardcarte]

Clerks 3 was a meditation on his life thus far after his heart attack. Including any regrets he may have had. He’s not the same man as he was in the nineties. Visions change with their creators.

[@richardcarte]

@@BishopWalters12 Clerks 3 was a meditation on his life thus far after his heart attack. Including any regrets he may have had. He’s not the same man as he was in the nineties. Visions change with their creators.

[@BishopWalters12]

@@richardcarte So, why did he make Clerks 3 and not do an original drama instead? Clerks 1 and 2 are R rated raunchy comedies. Trying to change that in the 3rd movie doesn't work.

[@saloz9483]

@@richardcarte So the man he is now makes garbage I guess.

[@map3384]

What disappointed and aggravated me about Clerks 3 is these two guys never lived. Their lives didn’t catch the ball in the in zone or hit a home run. Maybe I’m getting a little personal but I saw this movie in 94 working as a clerk while in college. With Clerks 2 they were pioneering their own lives as being their own boss. So you think life is good. Dante marries Becky and they have a family. In October of 2015 I had a widow maker like Smith. I was thankful to God I survived. I’d been working since 15. Hardly did I every think about enjoying myself and pledged to live. I was thinking Smith would do the same to Dante and Randell. Hell no he doesn’t. He makes Dante’s life a sea of misery. He shouldn’t have bothered because of all the life sucks moments. Becky and his child dies? I was hoping someone wanted to buy the place for its property value of maybe $5 million or they opened two or three other store and 7-11 was buying the locations out for $5-7 million dollars and they can live life in style and make the movie. Enjoying life with their families. But no it ends with Randell being alone waiting to die to connect with his best buddy. Smith dropped the ball and it pissed me off.

[@2sallads]

Becky being dead was shown right at the start with a photo of a pregnant Becky that said Rest in Peace. It was right next to the register and is the first thing Dante looks at in the store. My friend and I thought it was a joke.

[@Amy_Co]

I rolled my eyes and lost a lot of hope for this movie seeing that shot early. Those feelings were certainly founded

[@the-heads]

My wife and I both screamed "what the fuck!?" When we saw the picture of Becky right in the opener

[@LacesLawless]

@@the-heads Same, it's so brief and I wasnt sure I read it correctly, then when he visited her grave I almost lost my mind. I couldn't BELIEVE they did that

[@c17sam90]

I mean it makes sense because there’s no reference to her in jay and silent Bob reboot

[@jasonlewis3742]

​@@c17sam90I mean, why would there be? Dante and Randall are barely in the movie. There's no mention of Elias either.

[@JeffKopis]

Thanks for the info. Now I know to NEVER watch Clerks 3. Thus, in my mind, Dante and Randall are forever 33, and Becky is alive and well. End of story.

[@mowazeem644]

Recently Smith has announced that he has quit weed forever. I suspect this is because it was damaging some real life relationships but it’s possible that he took a proper look at Clerks III and thought ‘What have I done??’ Few people would dispute that the quality of his work has plummeted since his addiction began. Hopefully Smith will be able to take a sober look at his work now and, while it’s probably too late, start to make amends and fix the damage he has done. My dream outcome would be for him to remake Clerks III and scrap this travesty, or pretend it was some hideous nightmare. I’m sure that will never happen but one can hope. At the very least I hope this means he will start making better films, more in line with his genius early output.

[@cashnelson2306]

this is the funniest comment I've ever seen thank you

[@richardcarte]

You don’t understand how pot works and anything can be addictive in the mental sense, but not everything can be addictive in the physical sense and then includes weed.

[@Moowe291]

Hilarious. I don't believe that is the core problem. lol

[@petegorman9547]

I loved every minute of this tremendous video Thank you for taking the time to make it

[@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness]

All the Elias jokes were fucking terrible too. Everything in Clerks 2 with Elias worked because you had Randall making fun of him and Elias would reveal his his ignorance and naivety. Pillow pants, that kind of stuff. Every single joke with Elias in Clerks 3 is so over the top and it's just him being silly and none of it landed for me. Was it written for 12 year olds?

[@davidphillips9726]

I never understood why Jersey Girl didn't get more love. That was an unexpectedly amazing movie.

[@RandKproductions235]

my favorite serious kevin smith film

[@EmilyKresl]

Right!? And it deserves more respect for being GEORGE m*****f***ng CARLINS' final grand opus! ❤️

[@Shorty_Lickens]

I liked it. A lot of people complained it was a little too similar to Chasing Amy, didnt help they used Ben Affleck. It did feel a little bit like some other RomComs, but I still think its better than those.

[@pastichiorocker]

Because of Bennifer. Everyone and their mum made fun of Ben and Jen(nifer Lopez). Even Smith cut out a large part of her backstory, because he felt the movie would get destroyed by haters. Also because he keeps apologizing for it, because he's a people pleaser and can't handle criticism very well.

[@georgehernandez2156]

I thought it was boring

[@georgehernandez2156]

Kevin Smith said that Clerks 2 was more of a studio movie and Clerks 3 was his back to "indie" . I feel like he just wanted to get his terrible ending from the first one , while forcing a mediocre plot into it.

[@jasonlewis3742]

Indie? With all the pointless celebrity cameos?

[@tatehildyard5332]

I’m hoping he didn’t mean the cheap/lazy shooting style (which I’m afraid he did). I swear, 60% of the movie is the same flatly lit straight-on medium wide shots from behind and in front of the counter.

[@justyouraveragegeek548]

Dante being a father could of been interesting plot in clerks 3

[@BMPfilms]

oh absolutely agree

[@justyouraveragegeek548]

@@BMPfilms it could token some influence of Jersey girls but remaking it it would have been easier way to hit nail in harder about Dante depression

[@45-Subscribers]

Yes, why wasn’t that the plot. Managing the store, single father etc.

[@justyouraveragegeek548]

@@45-Subscribers I would of pick Jack Dylan grazer for Dante son Danny which the main plot of clerks 3 would play out the way it did has Randal realizes he has to change has being a co parents with Elias

[@BishopWalters12]

Becky should've been alive and a couple kids in the picture.

[@PepsiMan666]

Clerks 3 feels like it was written over the weekend. Which I don't think it's how a sequel to a 16 year old movie should read.

[@BMPfilms]

Agreed. It actually wreaks of a first draft. Not even a first draft really. More like notes from an initial brainstorm

[@Janon48]

Imagine an alternate universe where Jersey Girl got the praise it deserved and Kevin Smith actually evolved as a director instead of retreating into his “creative” safe space of catering only to his niche audience of fans.

[@RestrainingHollywood]

As a Gen-Xer that Grew up a Teen in the 90s Loving Clerks, Mallrats & Chasing Amy, No Director in History has Fallen Harder from Grace like Kevin Smith... He is such a Lazy & disappointing Filmmaker.

[@butterf1ytsunami]

Thank you so much. Clerks 3 ruins these characters. I refuse to accept it as canon. The series ended perfectly with Clerks 2. That's the real ending.

[@richardcarte]

Clerks 3 was a meditation on his life thus far after his heart attack. Including any regrets he may have had. He’s not the same man as he was in the nineties. Visions change with their creators.

[@butterf1ytsunami]

@@richardcarte ok? It was a boring and terrible film all the same

[@richardcarte]

@@butterf1ytsunamiTo each their own.

[@jasonlewis3742]

​@@richardcarte Wow. That's so meta. Clerks 3 IS the regret he should have had

[@anghush]

Excellent video. Im a huge Clerks fan. Thought the 2nd one was ok, but really liked the ending as it seemed apt for the characters. Thought the 3rd one was an absolute train wreck and agreed with just about every one of your assertions. There were so many interesting ways they could have explored the characters at middle age, the lack of progress in their lives or the existential dread of aging. When the movie ended with Dante's ghost haunting the Quik Stop, i sat slackjawed trying to figure out how the hell this happened.

[@KingEgyptian]

The last minute of seeing Kevin Smith saying he would never be a sell out and he cares about the fans was just soul crushing.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

My main complaint with Clerks 3 is the same as my complaint with everything else: Too much nostalgia, not enough new ideas. Kevin Smith used to be brave, and a little reckless. Now I dont know.

[@Super-360]

Clerks 3 was the most depressing movie I've ever seen.

[@danmann861]

@@swampcrypt Dante's life turns out to be a complete waste and failure as he chooses death over learning to appreciate what he has in front of him; Randal's movie goes nowhere and is inconsequential. The only one who gets a happy ending is the freshly converted Satanist who "sold his soul"....yeap, so uplifting. Such a testament to the human condition to live and fight another day! Where's my vomit bag?

[@danmann861]

@@swampcrypt the only problem is that ending doesn't compute when Dante actively chooses death as is evident by Becky telling him "it's not time to leave yet" only for Dante to leave anyways. The movie is completely tone deaf in what it wants to actually say about the nature of life and death.

[@BishopWalters12]

It's depressing for all the wrong reasons and I thought Smith out of everyone would want to make it fun just like the first 2.

[@Tubes12AX7k]

The Day After was more depressing.

[@67psychout]

Jude and never let me go are the most depressing movies I've ever seen

[@cheesier5153]

The idea of Becky getting shot like Dante was meant to was actually in the original clerks 3 script

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

"To all those who said I failed with Tusk, thank you. I failed right into Clerks III". Yes, you did. Thank you for taking the optimistic endings of one great film and one passable sequel and completely pulling the rug out from all of it so you could throw some cheap sentimentality into a movie that's otherwise nothing more than a celebration of yourself.

[@asarishepard8171]

Amen. From what I heard theres no optimism no faith from a once catholic man and no hope. Hollywood turns everyone into nihilistic pretentious aholes.

[@FreeArtFreestheWorld]

Well said. I think this movie was made 100% out of spite towards whatever fanbase he has left and especially directed at former fans.

[@MiketheratguyMultimedia]

@@FreeArtFreestheWorld I would almost like to think that. The truth is much sadder - he's just so fucking out of touch, and so in love with himself (I mean just look at the second half of his career and any of his podcasts, or his reaction to critics, etc. Everything is always about Kevin) that he was simply willing to sacrifice the characters, film, and goodwill that gave him his career in order to tell a story about himself. Make no mistake, that's what this was. Clerks 3 was a film by Kevin Smith about Kevin Smith. I feel bad for the people who buy it as some kind of honest gesture of "love" to the fans, none of whom wanted to see these characters fucked over like this.

[@JaxFPrime81]

@@MiketheratguyMultimedia Holy shit... Talk about hitting the nail on the head. So, in another way of saying, this was a sociopathic wank session for other sociopaths.

[@COOLDUDERBALD]

I don’t think your mind is in a place to understand the meanings in the film.

[@DecadesApartProductions]

Very well done analysis video. I really liked how you implemented stills in the style of the Clerks Animated series.

[@BMPfilms]

Thanks for watching!

[@jayreed9630]

Looked up to him as a teen, but man did he fall off...wow. I'm gonna do with the Clerks series like I do with the Terminator series and pretend everything after 2 doesn't exist.

[@petevaldezbc1]

What do you mean? There are only 2 Terminator movies...😉

[@carlswicegood4519]

My best friend described this as an existential mid life nightmare. He's right.

[@ChaosEmeraldStar]

Perfectly said

[@billepperson2662]

Love that this has exactly 37 likes...

[@EricGraham94]

@@billepperson2662in a row??

[@richardcarte]

That was part of the point. Kevin Smith is not the same man when he wrote the first. he was exploring aspects about his own psyche at this point in his life that’s what writers do. Character step, writers create are always in someway a reflection of their own, highs and lows in life, and where they are at the time of writing the script

[@kyle2]

I've never left a theater so revolted. Thanks for vocalizing a lot of what I felt.

[@OGStarWars247]

Clerks 3 could have been a fun finale. Instead, we get a depressing we’re all getting old and going to die…..

[@kanacus]

Such an excellent video. I revisit it every couple of months. Thank you.

[@TheVarietyVendor]

Just saw you on Fatman beyond. You were the biggest reason i kept watching the episode and it was the best one i've seen in years. I love your passion and way of expressing it. You've got a loyal fan in me. Whose definitely gonna keep following your work!

[@efd7755]

Which episode is that?

[@BishopWalters12]

Why does everything have to be so f@@@ing depressing these days, What's next? Jim gets cancer in American Pie, he dies, Michelle comitts suicide because she can't live without him and the next day their children die in a mass shooting at school. It was a poorly written movie with Remember this scene from the two good movies, Becky dying was dumb, Dante dying was dumb and Randall just living this miserable existence at the store was pointless. I always felt like Clerks 2 was the perfect ending for this whole universe but if a Clerks 3 had to happen, it would've been far more interesting to focus on Randall like you said, I think it would've been better to show Dante being content with his life because he has Becky and kids but Randall at 50 has nothing, maybe the movie could've shown him meeting a woman, end it with Randall leaving the store and NJ which would've been an interesting ending for these guys.

[@mowazeem644]

Because white male male protagonists must now be killed off under Hollywood’s new rules. See also James Bond, Han, Luke, He-Man, Wolverine, John Connor, Iron Man etc etc.

[@BishopWalters12]

@@mowazeem644 I think Iron Man dying was the best for the story but I get your point, so many iconic male characters especially white males are being shown as weak or the punchline. I never thought anything could make me quit Star Wars or Not even bothering to try the Willow show but Disney did it.

[@jasonlewis3742]

He's done nothing of note for thirty years and still harps back to that one day you initially got the feeling was just a day in the life of store clerks. Oh and then at some point they get a job at mooby's and watch a donkey show. Randall's movie is so dumb.

[@Mrvividsin]

Biggest question is that people can make award winning documentaries with their iPhone so why would Randall need so much money to make a film?

[@BMPfilms]

That’s hilarious! I spent a year sifting through my feelings on a movie that I eventually spent weeks working to make an hours worth of criticisms/gripes with, and I NEVER thought of that! Why the hell would Randal need $30,000 to make a movie? He owns the store, they all have iPhones, they use their buddies and customers… good Lord. I can’t with this movie. Well played!

[@neurohack9038]

It’s because Kevin Smith forgot what it was like to be an indie filmmaker. He’s old Hollywood now and doesn’t realize it.

[@carlosmarx2380]

Yeah good luck trying to film a feature film with a fucking iPhone... yeah film making may be cheaper now, but 30.000 ist still a really low budget even for an indie film.

[@mikejonesnoreally]

@@BMPfilms i think that's the exact budget of the original Clerks. Wow YOU really worked that hard? On what precisely? From the first second of "your" video all i see is the work of Kevin Smith. Unlike an artistic work that statement is not subjective, it's objective. Not one second of that video is your work in any real way. i wonder how relevant a critic is when they profit so much from someone else's effort and investment? Then again you were already compromised by your almost neurotic attachment to the characters and you clearly didn't get what YOU wanted or expected SO now Clerks sucks, Kevin sucks, and he's sold his soul to the devil because i guess his wife doesn't love him and isn't happy either?? i'm not sure because you went WAY off the plot and rails there. i think i'll leave before your revealing hot take that he also kicks puppies....

[@BMPfilms]

@@carlosmarx2380 from experience - mine and that of my colleagues - $30,000 can be a VERY large budget. especially under DIY circumstances. I mean, what is he paying for? Not the location. Not a crew or his cast. Maybe the donkey rental (i still have no idea where he supposedly got that from). And yes, PLENTY of films that have gotten distribution are shot on iPhones.

[@davidfelter417]

You know what would’ve been a good arc for Dante in Clerks 3? If his and Becky’s (ALIVE) daughter was starting to think about what she was gonna do with her life, and Dante kept trying to push her to take over the Quick Stop when he gets too old before realizing by the end that he only has jurisdiction over his life and she needs to take control of her own life just like he did in Clerks 2. I don’t know what possessed Kevin Smith to do what he did with Dante in Clerks 3

[@louisbowles726]

Exaclty. I think if he still killed Becky and Dante off but kept their daughter alive it would have been a new generation situation with Clerks 2.

[@vigo894]

Kevin Smith is a racist. He killed Becky off because he didn't like the idea of an interracial marriage.

[@SevenDeadlyCinema]

Kevin is a dumb cement head now. That's why. Just ask Walt

[@arnieslab]

@@louisbowles726 as long as it’s not Kevin’s daughter lol

[@asarishepard8171]

At first I thought Becky and his kid would be there, thats make for interesting, showing dante juggling owning his business with a family. No, just shoot that one off into space and go the extreme easy route.

[@beastwishes]

I enjoyed this more than Clerks III. I hope Kevin sees your video because it's so well done.

[@vinnym5607]

5 mins in and I'm like, yep.

[@Qwazin]

I just came back to this video and remembered how Smith would sell this movie in interviews as a celebration of life following his heart attack. He'd say his original draft was obsessed with death, but that following his own heart attack, he wanted to give Dante and Randal the same happy ending he got when he made Clerks and got his career. Does anyone else remember this? Why did he say that? Did he lie because he thought it would be a shocking twist, or did he sincerely think that's what he was making? I wonder what was going on in his brain at the time.

[@danmann861]

I remember. I remember him going on about how this movie was about inspiring people to take charge of their life. All I got was a self defeatist manipulative piece of shit designed to make people cry

[@clussylove]

I remember Smith saying he rewrote the script for Clerks 3 because the first one was too dark and depressing. After coming away from Clerks 3 feeling super depressed it makes me wonder how dark that original script was. I'm a survivor of a heart attack so the movie hit me very hard emotionally. I went in wanting to laugh and see the wacky antics of a couple store clerks and a couple stoners like in Clerks 2 which is my favorite of the 3 films. I was so disappointed.

[@NateGartrell]

It was basically the same movie except Randall spends the whole time waiting in a line and then there’s mass shooting.

[@clussylove]

@@NateGartrell damn

[@jasonlewis3742]

​@@NateGartrellDante threw himself in the line of fire to save his deaf daughter who is unaware there is an active shooter about to blow her brains out. As insensitive as it is to have the climax of your movie mirror the Aurora Dark Knight Rises shooting, at least Dante's death actually meant something

[@PaulRizzo]

I’m a legacy Kevin Smith fan from the 90’s and have followed everything he’s done since. I agree with everything you’ve said here 100%.

[@danielkohner9282]

If you agree with everything that was sad, then sir you obviously don’t know very much about Clerks III! I found two huge mistakes in the first three minutes, that would have been obvious to any Clerks fan.

[@richardcarte]

This is not the 90s anymore and Kevin Smith is not the same man as he was when he wrote the first two.

[@richardcarte]

Clerks 3 was a meditation on his life thus far after his heart attack. Including any regrets he may have had. He’s not the same man as he was in the nineties. Visions change with their creators. It not all about the fans. The relationship between an art creator and their fans is a two way street. Even if they creator, especially with film, decides to put a suggestion from a fan into their work of art, even then it might not be satisfying to that fan if that suggestion doesn’t turn out to look like that fan thought it would being that the suggestion will be put into the film in a way that is incorporated into the creators already established vision.

[@videoroman506]

A few things I'd like to add that stuck with me after I watched Clerks 3 There is also a lot of subtext and projecting with Kevin Smith as a Director which made it more interesting but also a bit more sad to knowing that he’s talking about himself Clerks 2 and 3 really felt like projections of Kevin Smith, Dante and Randall's frustrations with not being able to move on is a clear representation of Kevin Smith's feeling he can’t move on and progress as a filmmaker. In Clerks 2, everyone expects Dante to move to Florida and live a better life because that’s what’s expected of him but that’s not what he really wants to do. Just like everyone expects Kevin Smith to move on from the view askewniverse but he doesn’t want to. Dante decides to stay in Jersy because that's what he's familiar with and proud of, just like Kevin returning to Clerks 2. There was more of sub-text in this one to but it looked more self deprecating. In the scene where Dante is telling off Randell before collapsing he says that nobody cares what Randell has to say or what witty funny line he has up his sleeve and that he's self inserting himself in this story which is really both Dante's story. This feels like Kevin projecting how he feels about the movie now or something that someone once told him. Kevin saw himself most in Randell. Even in the original movie Kevin was supposed to play Randell, Kevin literally wrote himself as the character with the funniest and wittiest lines telling off customers. Which was really just Kevin writing down what he actually thought about his job. Another scene that sounded like Kevin projecting which may sound like a stretch but it's just the way I interpreted it was when Randall was telling Elias that inconvenience was his movie but Elias saying that it was both Dane's and Randell's movie reminded me of Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier. Now hear me out first, Clerks would not have happened at all without Scott by his side. Scott was his producer like Dante was in the movie and did alot of the work yet Kevin proclaimed it as his own movie. That scene might have been a reflection of that, or not I might be wrong about that one. Another thing that really rubbed me the wrong way was how the characters were dealt such a shitty hand in the end which felt unnecessarily cruel. Dante's final moments alive were him arguing with his best friend about how much of a shitty person he is and and how miserable his life has become after his wife's death. Randall's movie which is literally the last thread of hope and meaning he has in his life is a failure after no-one ever sees it and it's mostly unfinished, he has to spend the rest of his remaining days alone without Dante which he made explicitly clear in Clerks 2 that he deeply feared this happening to him and worst of all he never gets the closure of knowing if his friend liked the movie or not. We as an audience got to see that Dante liked it, Randell never did. Randell's last moments with his best friend is him telling him he's an asshole and that he's partially the reason he's so miserable "life is a series of down endings"

[@BMPfilms]

I love all of your points. I had a thought for an alternate act 3/finale but I chose not to include it in the video. I wonder what you would think of it. What if Randal had a 2nd heart attackduring the salsa shark scene while dante was yelling at him. Then Dante hurries to piece the movie together when Randal is in the hospital. As he’s editing the film, Dante realizes Randal was making the film for him all along as a way to “bring him back to life.” Randal made the film to show Dante how to “live again” after the depression he’s been in ever since Becky’s death. Dante rushes to the hospital, tells Randal how much it meant to him. That he loves him. Then they watch the movie together and Randal dies during the end credits. We have a denouement montage where Dante enters the movie causally into a festival, it takes off like a wildfire and Randal becomes postmortem famous. The movie ends with a young kid coming in the store looking around. Dante asks the kid if he can help him find anything. The kid shyly asks “is this where randal graves made his movie?” Dante tells the kid yes, then the kid goes on to tell Dante how much that movie meant to him and how it inspired him, etc. The film ends with Dante and the kid talking about randal. Fade out. The end. What do you think of that as an alternative act 3/finale?

[@videoroman506]

@@BMPfilms That ending is much sweeter, has a purpose for it's sadness, makes much more sense and doesn't end on a downer

[@moviemindfulness6847]

They killed the one character in the View askewuniverse they were never meant to kill. Dante is the fan base. I'm going to write a more complete response to your incredible review, but think about. That one decision to not kill Dante in Clerks I changed the course of Kevin's Smith's career. The mentor that suggested that to Kevin, was an angel on Kevin's shoulder. His entire career is based on Dante's surviving at the end of Clerks I.

[@lonelyone]

@@moviemindfulness6847 I agree. Makes no sense to kill off the one character the audience relates with. What's the point? To end the trilogy? In Clerks 1, they talk about how Empire has the downer ending and Randal prefers Return. Here, they straight up gave us the darkest timeline ending. I don't see how anyone could think of this as redemptive to Dante. Just because he gets reunited with Becky in the afterlife? What a bunch of hokum. The worst part is that Kevin Smith has no intentions to retire the View Askewniverse. He still wants to do Mallrats 2. There's just no reason to cap off this series with a downer ending and get rid of Dante forever. Same as with the original Clerks cut, he killed off the character that eventually made his career (they even reference this during Clerks III, for heaven's sake!). It's like Smith has learned nothing after all this time. This wasn't an Iron Man glory death at the end of Endgame. This was just a tragic, lazy way to end a movie. He's not even supposed to be dead today!

[@lonelyone]

@@BMPfilms Have you seen Dick Johnson is Dead? It's a great documentary, but I'm about to spoil the ending here. (Don't click on the rest if you don't want to know what happens) ... So at the very end, Dick Johnson dies and they do a funeral for him. Everyone is crying their hearts out (including the viewer) and the documentary appears to end. Then we pan over to the real Dick Johnson, hidden and watching from afar, smiling. Turns out they were just staging his funeral as part of the movie (he references earlier how he would like to attend his own funeral). I swear to God, if Kevin Smith saw Dick Johnson is Dead, he would have made that the ending to Clerks III. We see Dante's funeral, and it gets filmed as part of the movie portion, but then it's revealed that Dante survived his heart attack and he's completely fine. Would have made this movie fucking wonderful instead of emotionally manipulative trash. It's just so ironic to me that Kevin differentiates this from his "darker" Clerks III script, since it still kills off the same characters, just in different ways. It's interesting to note, though, that Becky does die during a botched burglary (similar to the original ending of Clerks) in the "darker" Clerks III script (but not before giving birth to their daughter). In general, it sounds like you might have preferred that one on a whole since it had a lot more substance in it (not the dying of COVID draft though, that's just lazy and stupid). Anyway, that was a very well-crafted analysis. I never even considered that they are 50-year-olds playing 20-year-olds in this movie. It should have at least been acknowledged if not outright joked about. Feels like so much of this movie was half baked (no pun intended). I was a fan of Kevin Smith for the length of his career, and even survived Yoga Hosers and Reboot, but I can no longer support him after what he did to Dante here. It's just plain unfathomable to me.

[@sherlockholmes2591]

Joe Black, Thank you! The most meaning I found in Clerks 3 was YOUR analysis. Like many I related to Clerks and remember where I was in life while watching the previous 2 films As a Film Maker can you let me know other movies that have the slice of life quality that Kevin Smith used to have? Obviously Linklater but any others and a long list would be appreciated. Thanks!

[@BMPfilms]

i would recommend the work of eagle pennell

[@ScienceBabbleMusic]

I was living overseas when this film came out and I was missing jersey a bit so I gave it a watch What a slap in the face, at least we have Clerks 2

[@ramboraph4life]

So in other words...Randall gave Dante a heart attack and got him killed after a (now) lifelong of failure...and yet people say this is a great ending to the franchise?

[@BMPfilms]

Exactly! It’s baffling that people are “enjoying” this. I think culture is just so steeped in irony and cynicism that feeling ANYTHING is a breath of fresh air, and maybe that’s what people are latching onto? If that’s the case, the problem is that the air they’re breathing from this film is actually toxic.

[@danmann861]

The worst part about it to me is I've seen people say: "this is what happens when you don't take charge of your life like Dante failed to do." But that's bullshit! At the end of Clerks II he does take charge of his life. That's why the ending of Clerks II was beautifully handled to me. It showed growth in these characters as they finally took charge of their lives. Only for it to be all robbed for a sequel that feels like it has no reason to be. It baffles how anyone is defending this. Did everyone suddenly take crazy pills?

[@kylekullin2520]

@@danmann861 do you like Tom Petty?

[@FreeArtFreestheWorld]

This video needs more views.

[@BareBandSubscription]

Weed ruined this man. I speak as someone who always felt Clerks II was just a mixed bag. For me, the ending of Clerks II justified its entire existence and made it worth it. I still wish it was a largely different movie with certain elements better refined to be consistent with the first movie (namely Randal), but the ending felt satisfying. Now that movie is almost worthless to me because Clerks III bafflingly kills off characters for no discernible reason and seemingly can’t even tell a focused, organic story. What was the point? What was he trying to say? What is the movie even about really? I know it’s obviously dealing a lot with mortality and grief, but to what end? I was moved by the sequence with Dante in the theater, but I was also just irritated because it was ultimately for nothing. The funeral scene was awful, too. Brian O’Halloran absolutely carried the movie on his back when he needed to (he really gets to flex his growth as an actor at points), but what a depressing conclusion to come to at a time where I personally have taken enough losses in my real life, as have many other people. I didn’t need the death of the lead character of one of my all-time favorite movies to just happen cause Smith was so determined to have him die from the first draft. It’s just so empty and the very few moments of comedy, nostalgia, and drama I could actually enjoy just make it even more frustrating. Also, I swear to god, the cinematography is even worse in this movie than in the first one. It’s so cramped, they keep shoving the camera in front of and behind the counter, with some of the most confusing coverage I’ve seen in awhile (the camera cuts between two angles that are practically right next to eachother any time Dante and Randal are talking behind the counter). As this video rightfully pointed out, the best looking stuff in and around the Quick Stop is just replicating shots from the previous films. I don’t know what to even make of this movie at the end of the day, I just know it’s a massive bummer to me and I wish it had a purpose.

[@Accidentallyok]

clerks 3 is the coffin nail to kill off the franchise, something that shouldn't have been a franchise in the first place. clerks 3 is terrible so we dont have some shitty remake in 20 years

[@pastichiorocker]

I like everything Smith has done up to Clerks 2, even the much criticized Jersey Girl. He lost the plot when he started relying on doobie snacks for inspiration.

[@richardcarte]

You don’t know how pot works.

[@WhatiFRacing]

you did a fantastic job on this! I always felt after clerks 2 kevin smith lost all his craft once he got into doing pot and other stuff. Completely messed with him sadly. I haven't seen the 3rd one but everything from what you said on it makes me depressed it went that route.

[@thesmokinjoshow5907]

I'm a huge Clerks fan but I honestly enjoyed the Jay and Silent Bob reboot better than clerks3. Literally the first half hour was so boring I legit almost fell asleep, it's not terrible but it's the 3rd and the 3rd movie never works out. But a majority of movies suck nowadays. Creativity is dying

[@BishopWalters12]

Both terrible but the reboot was harmless to the legacy of Jay and Silent Bob. Clerks 3 is depressing and poorly written.

[@vinnym5607]

​@@BishopWalters12Exactly. I saw "Reboot" in a sparsely attended matinee show on a Friday and it was enjoyable enough if you go along for the ride. But "Clerks" is something different. Honestly, I didn't love "Clerks 2", but 3 made me appreciate it.

[@LoganJYA]

Your recollection of the film screening with Smith, did you see it at the AH cinema he bought? I remember a lot of what you described from that screening

[@BMPfilms]

It was actually a screening here in LA that he did before that screening you mentioned. I was told that he spoke about mine and his interaction at that AH screening though

[@LoganJYA]

Ah, that must be what I'm recalling@@BMPfilms . You've provided excellent commentary on the film here - great video!

[@inkonpaperhero]

Kevin Smith has completed his George Lucas arc with this movie. And just like Phantom Menace had its Red Letter Media tear-down, with Clerks 3 I also needed an hour long youtube video to help me make sense of the overwhelming disgust I'm feeling for this film.

[@davidfelter417]

I love this video! I can’t believe this movie is getting so much praise. I think you hit the nail on the head with this one. Also, it’s kinda interesting how Dante and Randall have known each other for 35+ years and they only reminisce over two days of their past.

[@thedarkapex5327]

People just have different opinions man It's as simple as that, some will love it and some won't, neither is strange

[@lonelyone]

Yeah, everything they recreate in "Inconvenience" is exactly what happened in Clerks (plus the donkey show from Clerks 2). They don't even seem to put together that all these things happened in the course of one day. It's like a metaphor for Kevin Smith's career. Nothing else happened to these characters other than the events in that film. So much for a 35+ year relationship.

[@HotHotHandleHandle]

💯 people's brains are so fried they'll go nuts over whatever gives them nostalgia, we went from critically laughing at Beavis & Butt-Head to blissfully laughing along with them

[@Amy_Co]

I totally agree, this was such a wasted opportunity. Sure, thraw a nod or two to Clerks in "Inconvenience" but making a remake of a day in their life 30 years ago is just pathetic. (and wearing their same clothes from the movie is just puzzling) Instead, they should have filled their movie with all of the other incidents that happened over the last 30 years, acting like these characters have a life off screen. That alone would have made the movie a lot better

[@BMPfilms]

@@Amy_Co The clothes thing is hilarious! Great observation! And I love the diea of us seeing things from their lives that we HAVEN'T seen before. It would've been awesome to get to experience new-to-us clerk adventures/encounters and to shed light on them in ways that maybe we'd never seen before

[@samhartman4616]

I was initially in denial of the quality of this movie when I first saw it but after some time to take it in I agree with literally all your points. These movies gave meant alot to me since I was like 14 and it's a shame how stagnat someone I once idolized has become. Just sucks he had to drag down his best characters with it.

[@richardcarte]

Clerks 3 was a meditation on his life thus far after his heart attack. Including any regrets he may have had. He’s not the same man as he was in the nineties. Visions change with their creators. It not all about the fans. The relationship between an art creator and their fans is a two way street. Even if they creator, especially with film, decides to put a suggestion from a fan into their work of art, even then it might not be satisfying to that fan if that suggestion doesn’t turn out to look like that fan thought it would being that the suggestion will be put into the film in a way that is incorporated into the creators already established vision.

[@Old-ded-memes]

It seems to me Kevin smith got more caught up in writing an autobiography than he did writing a well told story.

[@carlosmarx2380]

Clerks 1 was an autobiography too and didn't have a real story So what's the matter?

[@Old-ded-memes]

@@carlosmarx2380 The problem is that Clerks was good and Clerks 3 was really bad.

[@carlosmarx2380]

@@Old-ded-memes I don't think it was really bad, but yeah it wasn't particularly good either It was still fun to watch as a fan

[@warlock415]

A point I'm not sure I saw - and can't bring myself to rewatch to check out - is that as Randal goes to start playing the movie near the end, did Dante reach to try to turn off the laptop before Randal took his hand? And then that end. I really so desperately wanted Elias to tell Randal that he doesn't want to be Randal's friend, _especially_ not as Dante's replacement. Have him turn to Randal after what's-her-butt leaves and say "By the way, you own me $30k." And then Randal ... doesn't say "Rest in peace, my friend." He doesn't say "I'm glad you're with Becky." He says "I wish you were here" and imagines Dante stuck in the same life and job he hated, had finally escaped by actually dying, but right back in it for Randal's comfort.

[@mrmusickhimself]

After watching this movie a week ago, I've gone through all the stages of grief....and I've come to accept that I'm angry about it. Just because Dante says "life is a series of down notes" didn't mean he had to suffer the way he did, or that Randal had to become a bigger jackass than usual. It retroactively ruins Clerks II, taints Clerks 1 and even the animated series to a degree (to me anyway). I feel how I imagine 90's Kevin Smith would feel if you told him they would eventually kill off Han, Luke, and Leia.

[@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness]

I'm not going to let it ruin Clerks 2 for me, I'm just going to pretend Clerks 3 doesn't exist.

[@jerrym1218]

@@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness Kinda like the Halloween II, III and the Thorn Trilogy along with H2O and Resurrection I see huh Dude? I don’t blame you.

[@BishopWalters12]

@@El-Duderino-His-Dudeness I agree, it's not canon in my view.

[@asarishepard8171]

Wow how do you not have more subs. you have a great analysis.

[@BMPfilms]

I never intended to make content like this. I was just really disturbed by this movie given my history with Smith and his work. I wanted to tackle it from an objective place informed by my subjectivity. Don't know if I'll ever do another video like this. Thank you so much for watching it!

[@asarishepard8171]

@@BMPfilms you're spot on. I am done with Kevin smith and your video articulates why.

[@CrissBaybay]

I wish Kevin could see your video from start to finish

[@fRo0tLo0p]

Breaks my heart to say that I agree with your review 100%. Clerks II literally changed my life as well. Back then, my depression had hit such an all time low that I was ready to end it all. I decided to go see Clerks II and it was the first time I had laughed in what seemed like forever. The ending made me cry my eyes out with tears of joy and it still does today. That movie was enough to pull me out me out of the hell I was in and gave me hope. If Dante could have a happy ending, so could I. Clerks III was such a letdown. It wasn't a love letter to the fans who have stayed with the franchise all these years. It wasn't even a love letter to the characters that we all knew and loved. It was Kevin Smith writing a love letter to himself. Very disappointed.

[@CrissBaybay]

I hope your continuing to laugh. It's the best medicine for everything In life. I appreciate the hell out of your comment

[@GarseJanacek]

That movie was billed as a comedy somehow...

[@pellmara5045]

I watched Clerks 3 for the first time tonight and it has affected me in quite a profound way. Clerks 1 and 2 instilled into me the feeling that it’s ok to be society’s definition of a failure and while my life hasn’t went exactly as I had planned, it’s still possible to feel content. I feel like Clerks 3 did a 180 on that and I was left just depressed and confused.

[@NickRaven]

One thing that I notice missing from Clerks 3 reviews, and this one is incredible, is that basically everything from the second act on where Randal is making his movie is just a note-for-note dramatization of "The Snowball Effect". Almost everything that happens is a mirror of an anecdote (including Kevin Smith stepping in as David Kline to talk about color temperature and shooting in black and white) of what was in that documentary. If you haven't seen it, go check it out because it's absurd how much Smith just rehashed for this movie.

[@BMPfilms]

I actually LOVE The Snowball Effect. This movie doesn't have 1/10th the heart, humor and drama of that doc. Spot on, sir. Good call.

[@kdr129]

Turning Elias into a Satanist was a bad call imo, it wrecked not expanded his character, and KS retreaded Clerks 2 argument style while dismantling the friendship between Randall and Dante at the same time. It just made Dante a btch in my eyes that he was always a weak willed sad sack that used others to dictate his life, and blame them when it didn't work out.

[@imamejmg]

I agree with you on this movie I found it quite disappointing. My biggest problems were Elias, who I wish they had just gotten rid of. He was distracting at the best and irritating with the costume changes. I would’ve preferred for story purposes,if Becky and Dante’s kid had died, say 5 years later. It would have evolved the tragedy, especially if they shown Dante, being a loving father.Also need to agree about 50 year old playing like 20 year olds. It didn’t help me stay in the movie. From the hospital scene with Dante I think Randall was trying to recapture his and Dante’s youth as its excuse. Yes, your Mooby’s version works better.

[@SchlockbusterVideo]

We did a satirical review of Clerks III if you are interested in a laugh or to be made to feel uncomfortable.

[@BMPfilms]

just checked it out and thoroughly enjoyed it

[@SchlockbusterVideo]

@@BMPfilms We're happy you enjoyed it. We get hammered and go mostly unscripted. What we do isn't for most people, but we have a good time.

[@Ann-iw3fv]

I haven't ever been what you'd call a fan of Smith. But over the last couple of years that I've seen him,something seems off. His need to post pictures everytime he openly weeps from seeing some CW level drama is bizarre. Does he have some condition I'm not aware of?

[@mroriginalabides6730]

A lot of the movie felt off. The fact kevin quite literally copy pasted his heart attack experience in the movie was jarring. I had no interest because I had heard him tell the story bit for bit which at the time was insane. I cant help but notice he took no risks and removed all the 'edgy' stuff we'd expect from randall. Hence why I didnt watch kevins woke jay and silent bob. My god that looked awful cringe.

[@CrissBaybay]

I also love how we both feel the same way about Clerks 2. You are so good with your words! Very good video. Subbed

[@peterquinones2169]

I love that you took the animated style of the TV show to tell the story of the third movie. My only changes I would’ve made them look a little bit older like wrinkles.

[@JoeRuizLordoftheRings]

This was depressing especially when they killed off Danta for no good reason! They ruined the movie. 😔 😥 Kevin Smith is getting worst! I liked him better before the heart ❤️ attack God bless!

[@vinnym5607]

3 minutes in and I think this will probably be better than the movie itself.

[@KyleRoy]

The entire film feels like it was written in a day and then they just filmed the first draft of the script. Nothing is fleshed out. I like some of the ideas presented but they very rarely go anywhere interesting. Everything feels underdeveloped and rushed, like Smith couldn’t wait to just roll credits.

[@mowazeem644]

Yeah, it’s like he just wanted to make a great trailer, then was like ‘fuck, I’ve got to make a film now. Eh, kill these fuckers off, recycle Clerks 1 and let’s get outta here…’

[@spencerwilliams461]

Wasn't Tusk just a bad joke from his podcast he turned into a movie? You might be right about the film being a rough draft. The other version sounded bad too. I wonder if Smith is financially not doing good and had to make this film? The He-Man thing felt more like a paycheck, along with reboot. They go against his ideals from the past. Smith said previously that he was funding his movies or finding producers but i heard one company may have had some type of crowdfunding?

[@BMPfilms]

@@spencerwilliams461 I just gotta say, I actually LOVE Tusk hahaha

[@spencerwilliams461]

@@BMPfilms Fair Enough! Lol. Some seem to enjoy that one. I watched Hosers and didn't entirely hate it for the horror creature/monster movie angle. Tusk was the biggest wtf movie for me but it doesn't ruin anything else he has done. Reboot was a middle finger to everything he did imo.

[@mowazeem644]

@@spencerwilliams461 If he is having financial trouble then making a film which torments and murders his best characters is a baffling move - it’s sure to enrage fans and means he can never again reboot his most cherished property. Dude has lost his mind.

[@Brando_Broshi]

I think the shift focus on Randall was based upon an old idea Kevin had for the first Clerks. He discussed this on an audio commentary. Originally, he was going to be Randall because he had the best lines. He ultimately backed off because he would have been back and forth with acting and directing. That's how he ended up as Silent Bob following that decision. It's fair to say that Dante and Randal are two parts of himself: Dante being the insecure misfit and Randall the daredevil that took no crap from anyone and put his own spin on life. This installment should have been another concept of growth despite loss. Instead, it seems like things are thrown out and became mean spirited. Yes it's understandable for comedy, but not at the expense of other characters. South Park worked because while it does give stabs instead of jabs at society and the constant feud between Cartman and Kyle, the former does get his comeuppance. I don't see Family Guy as a good example because the family dynamic is toxic, even upfrontly abusive Personally, Clerks 3 does feel like a disservice to demolish everything Dante worked for. He found direction only to get lost in the fog. Even his own best friend becomes the death of him, albeit indirectly. It's a disappointmently sad sendoff to a character we relate to as viewers. Overall, excellent presentation and looking forward to new material!

[@CrissBaybay]

Your comment hit the bulls eye on how I feel. Clerks 3 was perfectly tragic but fuck...

[@JaxFPrime81]

ironically, Dante got the peace in death ne never got in life

[@jacks910]

This was literally one of my favorite videos I’ve seen on KZbin, absolutely phenomenal review man. The structure, the art, the wording, the script, the production, etc all really dragged me in and was a great experience.

[@BMPfilms]

Thank you very much for saying all of that. I'm really glad you enjoyed this video. It was a lot of work, and I have no plans to do it ever again hahahaha but it's good to know that some people really enjoyed/got something out of it. Thank you very much

[@tjrobinson5241]

You said everything I thought after watching it but more articulately.

[@DaveLovesToys]

I think you are on to something with the "metaphor" aspect of the silent Bob filming scene because as you pointed out, there are way too many badly written plot points for the film to be about what's happening to Randall. Kevin basically used the clerks IP to tell some autobiographical recap of his heart attack and he needed to finally "kill Dante" so he could be reborn as "Randall"

[@MrMintyfreshsmell]

Wow, this is extremely well done. If you keep putting out content like this you'll explode on here. PS: I watched the movie last night and when I left I felt like something didn't sit well with me. I really enjoyed seeing all of those characters on screen again but I didn't enjoy the movie and you hit the nail on the head as to why.

[@ThreeToesofFury]

seconded. keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@davidfelter417]

When I left the movie, I just felt sad. And not like the kinda sad after you see A Star is Born, I mean the kinda sad when you find out your best friend is moving to a different time zone and you won’t see them on a regular basis anymore

[@MrMintyfreshsmell]

@@davidfelter417 right? Like why did he HAVE to kill Dante and his fiance? I know we won't see these characters ever again but why did he have to end it in a way that felt so depressing?

[@davidfelter417]

@@MrMintyfreshsmell not to mention, Randall is now doomed to a life of guilt and regret. Yeah, Dante did hold his hand and watched his movie, but it has to weight on him that the last thing his best friend ever said to him was that he was a shitty friend and he quit as his friend. He’s gonna spend the rest of his life wishing he was a better friend and maybe even feel like he caused the heart attack. The last shot of Randall looking at the store and imagining Dante next to him was so brutally tragic. Like he doesn’t know how his life goes without Dante and needs him to function and get through life. Honestly, with the events and themes introduced in Clerks 3, I wouldn’t be surprised if we found out he was drunk driving and killed himself (which is needlessly sad and upsetting but hey so is Clerks 3)

[@lonelyone]

@@davidfelter417 The thing is, Randal is a shitty friend. To the point that I actually think he will replace Dante with Elias and treat him the exact same way. Randal is a fun character, but he's always been the biggest jerk in these movies. I don't want any of these characters to die, but if it had to be someone, I think they should have flipped the Dante/Randal roles here. Randal already got his dream to own the Quick Stop in Clerks II (that was his wish, not Dante's), it was time for Dante to have a win. Becky died in 2006, and he still pines after her for 16 years. He has literally been given no storyline since then.

[@HerrDeutschBlood]

Seeing the Jay and Silent Bob reboot movie left a sour taste in my mouth, to the point where I didn’t want to see another movie from Kevin Smith or anything involving him, so I gave Clerks 3 a miss. It was probably the best decision I’ve made right then and there because I’m pretty sure that this movie would have sent me down into a downward spiral of depression.

[@DefyantFoxV2]

Becky dies just cause Rosario is too busy...honestly I would have done a throw away line about how Becky and Grace are visiting her mom and then they come back in the 3rd act. I don't know why KS didn't come up with that

[@videoroman506]

This was an amazing and well-made video you did a great job on this I really hope this blows up and get the attention it deserves. It was relieving to see someone really go into detail about this movie and speak honestly about it because I am seeing a lot of OneNote reviews on this movie so far. Also the illustrations for this were absolutely amazing it was seriously the cherry on top for this video

[@BMPfilms]

thank you so much for saying so. the artwork was mostly done by my brother jason. a few were done by my friend andre gruber. i was so grateful for their help. i was also really happy with and impressed by what they came up with. Thanks for watching!

[@ThreeToesofFury]

woah....this looks CRAZY well done. will check out today. THANK YOU!!!

[@PunisherNZL]

i thought nothing could be worse than reboot then this happened

[@BMPfilms]

agreed

[@wendigo374]

reboot was good

[@Sputnik34]

damn. i watched CIII last night and was pretty mid on it but i think yo'uve put a lot of feelings into words that i had and even more so that i was unsure about. i do think that there are more positives about it than you present here but i think you've really "shown me the light" so to say

[@Mr.G00n]

I just watched the movie yesterday, I got the same feeling as when I watched The Last Jedi. Clerks 2 gave these characters the perfect sendoff. I can't really understand why Smith would want to undo that. I'm really confused and disappointed.

[@Livvvid]

It's going to sound really cynical but I think Kevin has tried, for a while, to suggest he wants to make movies not tied to his original characters. He's attempted it a few times but those movies weren't well received. at some point he needs to make money and both Reboot and clerks 3 seem like he didnt even want to come back to those stories but he kind of forced it just to crank something out.

[@EmilyKresl]

As an avid Kevin Smith fan since 1996, I was severely disappointed for a few reasons, most of which you covered but my biggest 2 beefs are: 1. Randall acts like Dante isn't important in the movie even tho in all of clerks 2 he was freaking out over Dante leaving and 2. All of the "personal" truths from Kevin's life that he put into the story wasn't even funny to me Anymore because I've already heard all of his interviews and smodcasts and evenings with Kevin Smith so I basically got punished for being obsessed with him and was given no new material to chew on. (I.e., the entire heart attack sequence and body insecurities thing, the widow maker talk with the dr, how jay wouldn't dance until the crew left,) And now that I say that I have a third beef, because I was so happy to gladly give Kevin $14.99 to buy clerks 3 off KZbin (after years of not being able to support him as an artist financially,) and honestly I'd like my money back. I know I can't get a refund but I also know I'm not exactly excited to spread the word on this one like I was about his other flicks. I don't think this is the clerks 3 we were all waiting for, and in a world of unsatisfying reboots and embarrassing sequels, I expected more from him. He's smarter than this and I'm afraid he's just been in Hollywood for so long it's affecting his writing. Obviously the weed he's smoking is potent af when he was editing, too. I got confused so much when I wasn't rolling my eyes and calling bits. For example when Dante is on the freezer during the salsa shark scene I thought it was the next day and he was sober. When Randall goes into Dante's room no nurse ever comes in to check on Dante. I understand it's just a movie but I'm invested emotionally for 25 years and Kevin knew that we all are, he had plenty of time to hammer out a decent script so there's no excuse.

[@jacks910]

Great comment!

[@Ishai1]

It's been a while since I watched Clerks II. I meant to watch it before the Clerks III screening, but just never got to it. When I realized Becky was dead, I was trying to think if we already knew that or not. It was so badly done, that it just confused me and got me thinking about where it might have been mentioned before at some point. If the movie opened showing Dante was back to his old loop because he lost his wife and child shortly after buying the store with one added show of something simple like him interacting with a picture of Becky (no need to go all the way to her grave, but when you lose someone like that you're going to have some kind of "shrine" in your house, especially if you never moved on), maybe it would've been less confusing. I understand why Kevin wanted to reset the Dante character, by not letting him have the family but keeping them alive would've made Dante's death in the end mean a lot more I think in the end, Kevin killed the wrong character. Dante finding a reason to keep going would've been better. Randal having another heart attack because the first one wasn't enough of a wakeup call and leaving his one achievement behind, the movie they made. Maybe Dante would have to finish it for him.

[@COOLDUDERBALD]

But having a heart attack and losing your best friend to a heart attack has certainly opened Randall’s eyes about life. I particularly think the ones not understanding the meanings of life haven’t experienced such things.

[@cb1677]

Movie sucked. Randall is not happy with weird kid. Kevin turned it into a heart health PSA and killed off everyone's favorite new character before the movie started. I'm so sad this is the direction it took, and I hope Kevin makes a Clerks 3 (For real) and this was all a bad dream.

[@jacks910]

Totally agree man, great comment.

[@thankyoujodi]

This was fucking amazing! I'm certainly interested in more content like this!

[@Skullcandy5282]

Excellent video man! I was desperately hunting for content on clerks 3 that dissected this awful movie, too many people online giving praise to this piece of trash, I felt like I was going crazy. What a dissapointing end to a once great series. I don't know how anyone felt any emotion other than dissapointment throughout, even the sad scenes where ruined, I couldn't even be sad at the end with dante's death, "he wasn't even supposed to be here today" really? That's all Kevin could muster, I was cautiously optimistic at the start and pretty dissapointed from the first heart attack untill dante's died, then I was just filled with rage, it had been so long since I'd last watched a movie that left a bad taste in my mouth I'd forgotten what it was like, jersey girl was a masterpiece compared to this dumpster fire. I cannot believe the praise some people are giving this online, it's left me thinking did they watch the same movie I did? This was worse the strike back two and that's only redeeming quality was the ben afleck speech.

[@BMPfilms]

i agree FOR SURE about Affleck in Jay Bob Reboot. I also think he had the funniest joke in Clerks 3 "You know what this script needs? An old lady that curses."

[@Skullcandy5282]

@@BMPfilms I think I lightly laughed about twice throughout the whole of clerks 3, the ben affleck line got me and his over acting was pretty funny and once when Danny trejo showed up because it caught me off guard. In hindsight I think the whole film was just poorly executed, the jokes weren't funny and none of the sad/drama/tug at you'r heart strings moments worked either, Kevin also squandered so much potential In brining back Elias and Veronica just to do nothing interesting with either of them.

[@jacks910]

@@BMPfilms What’s that joke a reference to, lol?

[@r00key]

Thank you. You voiced my issues with this movie perfectly.

[@superman31680]

The review was better than the movie.

[@CraigKostelecky]

I'm glad to see your appreciation for Jersey Girl. I think had it not been for Gigli, that movie would have done a lot better. It really is a great film.

[@andreveach7520]

What about Kevin's monologue during the credits for "Clerks III"?????

[@drowningin]

I used to love Kevin Smith movies. Dogma is one of my favorite movies of all time. It sucks to see what Kevin has become, and the utter crap he pumps out. The last Jay and Silent bob movie was baaad. It just copy and pasted their previous movies, but made all the scenes worse. Hollywood destroys people that much is clear to me

[@kevthepoet]

I like Clerks 3. But clerks 2 is a better ending for the saga overall. I might watch that today.

[@Blackhawk19892]

Kevin Smith is that guy on facebook. 20 years ago he was hilarious. Then you felt sorry for him. Now its jut sad.

[@christophermirkovich7290]

Thank you Joe black for providing this for review and feedback and putting all this effort into the video I still haven't watched the movie but but Kevin's been doing is different from 30 years ago he's taken a different view different stance on his life and he's probably wanted to put a death nail in clerks. it's like watching Led Zeppelin at its prime and saying ( in the 90s) when are you guys gonna bring the band together it's just never going to be the same

[@domonicp9136]

Truly cathartic to watch. Thank you.

[@n0viewers409]

Wow man this is an excellent review.

[@SuperCuttyBlackSow]

Wow Kevin Smith really hates Dante

[@danmann861]

And considering Dante is supposed to be Kevin...it's basically akin to Kevin saying that he hates himself. Which we all knew based on his own self deprecation. The problem is WE love Dante. We accept Dante warts and all. And Kevin is too stupid to see it. When he first made Clerks they told him "don't kill Dante." 30 years later and he still hasn't figured out why they told him not to kill Dante at the end of Clerks. That's what made Clerks III infuriating to me.

[@robempire]

What part of jersey you from? You look familiar.

[@BMPfilms]

I’m actually not from Jersey. I’m from north Florida. I just drove through a few years ago on my way to visit family in Rhode Island and made a stop at the Quick Stop. The photos of me and Kevin are from when I met him in LA where I eventually worked for him on a couple of his projects Thank you for watching the video

[@davidphillips9726]

It was very fun for me to see and hear Buffy yell, "I'll fuck anything that moves!!"

[@joeyven0m]

This was an incredible review. I just watched clerks 3 and was heartbroken that this was the "film" we got after all these years. Kevin Smith is truly lost.

[@knockoutproductions4701]

masterfulll and to the point well done sir !!!