Don't Worry Darling review

DON’T WORRY DARLING: 

DESPITE THE TALENTS IN FRONT OF AND BEHIND THE CAMERA AND A HANDFUL OF INTERESTING IDEAS, OLIVIA WILDE’S SECOND DIRECTING EFFORT IS OVERLY PRETENTIOUS AND UNINSPIRED! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND NEW LINE CINEMA

Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling

 

            Oliva Wilde (House, Tron: Legacy, Booksmart) returns to the director’s chair in Don’t Worry Darling, the latest psychological thriller and her second directing effort following 2019’s Booksmart. I like Olivia Wilde, both as a director and actress, enjoyed her performance as Quorra in Tron: Legacy and her directorial debut, Booksmart was among my all-time favorite films of 2019, so yeah, this woman’s got talent. 

            After striking gold with Booksmart, I was curious to see what she was going to follow it up with and that’s where Don’t Worry Darling comes in. There was both hype and some controversy surrounding it, mostly regarding on-set conflicts, most infamously the supposed firing/departure of Shia LaBeouf who was originally set to co-star in it among other things. 

            So, it’s kind of a miracle, this film saw the light of the day after the drama that happened behind-the-scenes. With that said, how does the movie hold up? It’s complicated! 

            On one hand, this is a beautifully shot film with gorgeous cinematography that really nails the 1950s setting, the star-studded cast is bringing their A-game and do an excellent job at keeping you engaged, has a great soundtrack, and there are a handful of interesting ideas explored. But on the other hand, this is not a well-written script that ranges from uninspired rehashes of other films that did this sort of concept a lot better to flat-out ludicrous. 

            The film follows Alice (Florence Pugh-Midsommar, Little Women (2019), Black Widow) and Jack Chambers (Harry Styles-One Direction: This Is Us, Dunkirk), a young happy couple in the 1950s and living in the perfect company town of Victory, California, which was created and paid for by a mysterious company that Jack works for. However, Alice soon realizes that maybe this seemingly perfect town is not as it appears as she races to uncover the terrifying truth behind their utopian lives. 

            The film also stars Wilde as Alice’s best friend Bunny, Gemma Chan (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Crazy Rich Asians, Eternals) as Shelley, KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk, Coming 2 America, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) as Margaret, Nick Kroll (The League, Sausage Party, Big Mouth) as Bill, Chris Pine (Star Trekfranchise, Unstoppable, Wonder Woman 1 and 2) as Frank, Kate Berlant (Sorry to Bother You) as Peg, Douglas Smith (Big Love, Terminator: Genisys, Miss Sloane) as John, Timothy Simons (Veep, The Interview, The Boss) as Dr. Collins, and Dita Von Teese (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, RuPaul’s Drag Race) as Gigi. 

            Overall, Don’t Worry Darling is an unfortunate step backwards in Olivia Wilde’s directing career and despite being stunning on a technical level as well as having an appealing cast (Harry Styles not withstanding…he is the Eddie Redmayne from Jupiter Ascending of this film, I’m not joking!), the film falls flat narrative wise and in its execution. I don’t think this is a terrible movie as there are a lot of things to admire about it, but the plot is heavily derivative of other films with a similar premise, and it doesn’t really add much new to the formula. 

            It hits all the familiar beats you’d expect from a film like this especially if you’ve seen the trailer prior to it. I wouldn’t mind it if the film did something clever or unique with these tropes, but they don’t sadly. 

            Everything that happens in this film is entirely for plot convenience. Like you’ll have scenes where a character runs out into the forbidden desert because the plot says so, a character gives cryptic information before supposedly slitting his/her own throat because the plot says so, and characters will spew plot-important dialogue in random conversations that the audience needs to know, characters will leave behind items essential to the plot just for another character to find them. 

Also, another character literally tells Florence Pugh that he’s the antagonist like it’s a f*cking cartoon…that’s rated R and for adults…this script is dumb! I praised the actors for putting their all into their performances, but anything good from them does not come from the script. 

            The film also seems to have a difficult time trying to figure out when to be vague and mysterious and when to elaborate on what’s happening onscreen. Once you figure out what’s really going on with the town, there is hardly any focus on it aside from a couple scenes and it doesn’t make you look at this town in a brand new light, if anything the twist raises more questions, sure The Matrix is pretty vague but you at least have an understanding of how that world works and in The Truman Show, you quickly figure out that the town is a giant TV show set, this however, I have no idea what they were trying to do with this idea (Also, the film ends with one of those stupid “Did she or didn’t she?” vague endings!). 

            Don’t Worry Darling is a film I appreciate on a technical level, but on a storytelling one, this movie blows! It’s kind of like my thoughts on The Da Vinci Code trilogy where they aren’t good movies, but they’re made by a lot of talented people and the actors are really trying, which makes me very sad when the end result is something like this. 

            This could have been a fascinating thriller, even with the parallels to other movies with a similar idea. The pieces were there, but I don’t know if it was Olivia Wilde, the writer, or the studio interfering with the final product being this uninspired and underwhelming mess. 

Moonage Daydream review

MOONAGE DAYDREAM: 

DAVID BOWIE DOCUMENTARY IS A VISUALLY STRIKING ALBEIT OVERLONG ASSAULT ON THE SENSES! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

NEON

The legendary David Bowie in Moonage Daydream

 

            The late, David Bowie takes the stage in Moonage Daydream, the new documentary film directed by Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture, Crossfire Hurricane, Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck) and named after the 1971 Bowie song of the same name. While I’ve heard a good chunk of David Bowie’s songs and absolutely loved him as the Goblin King in the 1986 Jim Henson film, Labyrinth, I wouldn’t call myself a David Bowie purist. 

            He’s not something I listen to on our regular basis, but whenever a song of his appears on the radio or in a movie like in Starman, Inglourious Basterds, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Martian, I’ll definitely bop my head to it. I was intrigued by this movie when I saw the trailer at an IMAX theater, I enjoyed Michael Jackson’s This Is It a lot and thought Metallica: Through the Never was one of the most imaginative and bizarre experiences I’ve ever had in a theater (Also, another film I watched in IMAX when it came out!), given David Bowie’s unusual appearance and personality and especially his mad talents, this was a no-brainer. 

            So, I went to my local IMAX theater to experience David Bowie on the largest screen possible and…Hoo boy, where do I start with this? You know when Everything Everywhere All at Once came out earlier this year and everyone was calling it a visual assault on the senses? Wait until you see this on the IMAX screen because it is the cinematic equivalent of watching a David Bowie concert while on acid. 

            The film illuminates the life and career of David Bowie, one of the most prolific and influential artists of our time. Told through never-before-seen footage, performances, and interviews, the film explores Bowie’s creative and spiritual journey as a one-of-a-kind cinematic odyssey. 

            Overall, Moonage Daydream is an intoxicating experience that manages to immerse you and give you a slight headache at the same time. The trippy and bizarre visuals will be the most divisive aspect of the film, on one hand these sequences are so strange and imaginative especially on the big screen, but they also take up a good chunk of the running time (Which clocks in at about 2 hours and 15 minutes) and at times break the pace. 

            Granted, these nightmare-fueled and otherworldly sequences are meant to symbolize what David Bowie was going through at the time, but I felt they could have been scaled back a little so the pacing could have been stronger. While the film does dive into Bowie’s childhood and family, it also glosses over some key moments in his life leading up to his marriage with Iman, many of which are through montages which don’t quite have the same emotional weight as the footage of him in interviews. 

            The interviews of him are very fascinating to watch and listen to, Bowie himself is very hypnotic to look at and the stories he tells are interesting. While the film does glance over some of his life events, it does cover not just his music career but his acting career as well as his hobbies in art. 

            The concert sequences are spectacular and even more so on IMAX. With the large screen and booming sound, it looks and sounds like you’ve gone back in time to watch David Bowie perform. It’s a film that takes full advantage of what IMAX can do and delivers a larger-than-life and visually transfixing experience. 

            Had about 30 minutes of the film been cut, I think Moonage Daydream would be among one of the all-time greatest rock documentaries. But as is, it’s a well-crafted film that’s a little bloated and visually odd, but it should make fans of David Bowie happy…and entertain Bowie noobees like me. 

See How They Run review

SEE HOW THEY RUN: 

SAM ROCKWELL AND SAOIRSE RONAN SHINE IN THIS FUN CAPER!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, and the possible suspects in See How They Run

 

            In the tradition of Clue: The Movie and Knives Out, Tom George makes his directorial debut with an old-fashioned whodunit in See How They Run. I’m always down for a good murder-mystery, but one involving live theater, cinema, and Sam Rockwell (Moon, Iron Man 2, The Way, Way Back) and Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, Lady Bird, Little Women (2019)) as the leads? Sign me up! 

            That’s twice in a row now I’m seeing and reviewing a movie revolving around cinema, showbusiness, and murder as I just reviewed Pearl a couple days ago. Maybe it was meant to be. 

            I was intrigued when I first saw the trailer, though I’m not familiar with Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap at all. Now that I’ve seen it, I can say that See How They Run is a lot of fun. 

            One of the all-time greatest murder-mysteries? Probably not, but I was very entertained and engrossed in the story and characters. It’s kind of an easy recommendation, did you enjoy Knives Out? If so, you’ll probably like this one too. 

            The film is set in 1950s London and revolves around the efforts of adapting Agatha Christie’s hit play, The Mousetrap into a feature film. However, these plans are soon halted when a pivotal member of the crew is murdered with the world-weary, Inspector Stoppard (Rockwell) and his inexperienced but eager rookie, Constable Stalker (Ronan) taking on the case. 

            These two detectives soon find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the corrupt theater underground as they race to find the culprit. 

            The film also stars Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Predators, Midnight in Paris) as Leo Köpernick, Ruth Wilson (Anna Karenina, Saving Mr. Banks, Locke) as Petula Spencer, Reece Shearsmith (Shaun of the Dead, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage) as a fictionalized version of John Woolf, Harris Dickinson (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, The King’s Man, Where the Crawdads Sing) as a fictionalized version of Richard Attenborough, David Oyelowo (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Selma, Nightingale) as Mervyn Cocker-Norris, Charlie Cooper (This Country) as Dennis the Usher, Shirley Henderson (Trainspotting, Harry Potter franchise, Okja) as a fictionalized version of Agatha Christie, Pippa Bennett-Warner (Patient Zero, The Foreigner, Johnny English Strikes Again) as Ann Saville, Pearl Chanda (Mr. Turner, War of the Worlds (2021)) as a fictionalized version of Sheila Sim, Paul Chahidi (The Death of Stalin, This Country, Christopher Robin) as Fellowes, Sian Clifford (Fleabag, The Duke, Star Wars: The Bad Batch) as a fictionalized version of Edana Romney, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (The Queen’s Gambit, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Power) as Gio, Lucian Msamati (The International, Game of Thrones, The Good Liar) as a fictionalized version of Max Mallowan, and Tim Key (Alpha Papa, The Double, Greed) as Commissioner Harrold Scott. 

            Overall, See How They Run is the kind of whodunit that’s definitely worth “Running” out to your local theater to see. It doesn’t really do anything new or groundbreaking, but those familiar with the murder-mystery formula will likely have a good time with it. 

            The dialogue is very witty, the characters are engaging, the costume and set designs are wonderful and really transport the audience to 1950s London, and the mystery is consistently interesting and what I appreciate is that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously nor is it too jokey to the point where it becomes self-parody. It finds a good middle-ground with the end result being both fun and fascinating. 

            Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan are excellent and one of the major highlights of the film, I love the dynamic they have where one is a skilled albeit bumbling at times detective and the other is a ditzy but free-spirited rookie. Rockwell and Ronan both have great comedic timing, and you enjoy watching them work together and solve the case, it’s easily one of the best team-ups I’ve seen all year. 

            Despite not appearing in the film that much, Adrien Brody makes an impression with the little screen-time he has as this sleazy film director who also gives a Goodfellas-esque narration throughout the film. In fact, even though the side characters aren’t nearly as developed as Rockwell or Ronan, everyone is memorable and given their times to shine. 

            See How They Run has a gripping mystery keeps you guessing, wit, and an excellent cast, just about everything that makes an entertaining whodunit. Granted, Clue: The Movie and Knives Out are arguably stronger narrative wise, this is still a fun time at the movies. 

Summer 2022 Films Ranked Best to Worst

 Summer 2022 Films Ranked Best to Worst

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On-Best

Top Gun: Maverick

Prey

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Bodies Bodies Bodies

Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe

Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers

The Black Phone

The Bob’s Burgers Movie

Dragonball Super: Super Hero

Elvis

Nope

Orphan: First Kill

Beast

Three Thousand Years of Longing

DC League of Super-Pets

Crimes of the Future

Lightyear

Hollywood Stargirl

Minions: The Rise of Gru

Bullet Train

Men

Thor: Love and Thunder

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Jurassic World: Dominion

Firestarter-Worst

Pearl review

PEARL: 

X PREQUEL IS A CHAOTIC TECHNICOLOR NIGHTMARE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

A24

Mia Goth in Pearl: An X-traordinary Origin Story

 

            The Golden Age of Hollywood gets a dark and twisted makeover in Pearl, the new slasher film from Ti West (Trigger Man, Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, The Innkeepers) and prequel to his previous horror hit released earlier this year, X. I actually watched X for the first time last night in preparation for this review, because I missed it in theaters when it came out and…I freaking loved it! 

            It wasn’t a horror movie game-changer like what Get Out or The Cabin in the Woods were, I just thought it was a very fun slasher film with an interesting premise involving a film crew making a porno in an old farmhouse, but bad things start happening, a lot of creative kills, an amazing dual-performance from Mia Goth, and the film itself is a love-letter to 1970s slasher flicks like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I regret not seeing this one in theaters, but I had a ball watching it at home. 

            Now, we have Pearl which was filmed in secrecy during X’s production with Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness, Suspiria, Emma (2020)) reprising her role as the titular aspiring dancer turned serial killer. Like what X did for 1970s horror films, Pearl does something similar but with the Golden Age of Hollywood, essentially The Wizard of Oz if it was a horror movie (I guess we technically already had something kind of like that with Return to Oz, but I digress). 

            Because I literally saw both movies for the first time just recently, I’m not sure which one I prefer between this and X. I will say Pearl is a damn good prequel to a damn good slasher film and an unexpected surprise. 

            I didn’t have any expectations going into this and I ended up having a great time with Pearl, it’s easily one of the most ambitious and unique horror films I’ve seen in a while…and this is for a prequel to X, which came out a few months earlier. Keep in mind, I also saw this a week or two after I had seen Barbarian (Which again was a very unique and unconventional horror movie) and yes, two of the best films I’ve seen so far this month were horror movies. 

             The film is set in 1918 and follows Pearl (Goth) as a young woman living with her German immigrant parents in their Texas farmhouse while her husband, Howard is serving in World War I. Pearl dreams of one day escaping from the farm, her ill father (Matthew Sunderland-Backtrack, The Lost City of Z, The Nightingale), and dictator-like mother (Tandi Wright-Sylvia, Jack the Giant Slayer, Love and Monsters) and becoming a star. 

            However, she is soon pushed to her limits whether family dilemmas, rejections from audition judges, and suspicions from loved ones about unusual activities she’s taking part in as Pearl goes to extreme lengths to rise to superstardom. Her efforts soon transform this aspiring star into the infamous serial killer who would eventually terrorize a porno film crew in the 1970s. 

            The film also stars David Corenswet (House of Cards, The Politician, Look Both Ways) as The Projectionist. 

            Overall, Pearl is the definitive example of a horror movie prequel done correctly and puts just about all the other ones to shame. It doesn’t fall into the same trap as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning where it’s a complete retread of its predecessor and just change the time period, instead they do something completely original while still fitting it into X’s universe. 

            I love how this film looks in terms of lighting, production design, and cinematography, it really looks like a film released 70 years ago. It’s one of the few times where I can describe a horror movie’s tone and production design as beautiful, and it somehow blurs the line between being appealing to look at and foreboding like an AU version of La La Land where Emma Stone’s character slowly turns into a murderous psychopath as it goes on, not to mention the musical score does an excellent job at accompanying the almost Pleasantville-looking atmosphere with a dark and cynical edge. 

            As expected, the kills are gratuitous and gory, but what’s interesting about the death scenes in this is that the majority of the film takes place in daytime and you’re watching Pearl kill, maim, and hack people to pieces while this bright, pleasant-looking sun is out. However, while Pearl’s kills are gruesome, her most terrifying scene isn’t even a death, it’s a fixed shot of her sitting at the table confessing to her sister of all the horrible things she’s done and the camera just stays on her for several minutes and through her dialogue and how drawn-out this whole sequence is, it’s actually pretty unsettling. 

            The acting is stellar, especially from Mia Goth, I enjoyed both her performances in X a lot as Pearl and Maxine, but here she 100% owns this movie. It’s the kind of role where she’s able to really show off just what her acting skills are capable of and in my opinion, completely exceeded expectations. 

            I do like how this film humanize Pearl a little bit, despite the character doing all these horrible things, you understand the thinking and reasoning behind these decisions. It’s weird to say, but there are quite a few scenes where you’re emotionally invested, sympathizing with, and even caring about the Pearl character a little bit and while most people probably won’t agree with her motives, you can at least understand why she had to think this, and unlike something like Don’t Breathe 2, this film never blows its load in terms of humanizing a villain character. 

            If I had to nitpick some elements of the film, I will say the Spanish Flu pandemic subplot mirrors a lot of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic happening right now. It doesn’t play a huge role in the story, but it feels like those themes were written during the lockdown. 

            Pearl is a chaotic, unapologetically bloody, and entertaining Technicolor nightmare that expands upon the Xfranchise while also being a fun slasher film in its own right. Whether you’re a fan of the first film or looking for a different kind of scary movie, then you got a date with “Pearl”. 

            I’m curious to see where the franchise will go after this as at the very end of the film, there is a teaser for a direct sequel to X titled MaXXXine currently in development. 

The Woman King review

THE WOMAN KING: 

VIOLA DAVIS IS FIERCE IN THIS THRILLING HISTORICAL EPIC! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

TRISTAR PICTURES

Viola Davis in The Woman King

 

            Viola Davis (The Help, Fences, Widows) gets armored up for battle in The Woman King, the new historical epic from Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees, The Old Guard). The film is inspired by the true story about the Agojie, an all-female warrior unit who protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17^th-19^th centuries. 

            I should make this perfectly clear; I am not familiar with the Agojie nor the story behind them, so I won’t be able to determine whether or not this is a faithful depiction of what really happened. Instead, I’ll be doing what I do best…judging it as a movie, and as a movie, The Woman King is awesome! 

            Imagine a film revolving around those female soldiers from Black Panther but done in the style of Braveheartor Gladiator. But even that doesn’t fully describe the relentless, adrenaline-pumped force that is this film. 

            Set in the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 1820s, the film follows the all-female group of warriors known as the Agojie led by their general, Nanisca (Davis) who protect the kingdom from danger. Nanisca trains a new generation of warriors including a rebellious outsider known as Nawi (Thuso Mbedu-Scandal, Is’Thunzi, The Underground Railroad in her feature film debut) to fight an enemy that wants to destroy their way of life. 

            The film also stars Lashana Lynch (Still Star-Crossed, Marvel Cinematic Universe, No Time to Die) as Izogie, Sheila Atim (The Underground Railroad, Bruised, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) as Amenza, John Boyega (Attack the Block, Star Wars franchise, Pacific Rim: Uprising) as King Ghezo, Hero Fiennes Tiffin (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Private Peaceful, After) as Santo Ferreira, Adrienne Warren (Women of the Movement, Rustin) as Ode, Jayme Lawson (The First Lady, The Batman, Till) as Shante, and Siv Ngesi (Invictus, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Honey 3: Dare to Dance) as The Migan. 

            Overall, The Woman King is a savage and exhilarating experience that’s worth checking out on the big screen and easily one of Gina Prince-Bythewood’s best films. I can’t say how faithful or historically accurate this film is, but as an action movie/epic made in Hollywood, I had a blast. 

            The action sequences are very stylized (Though not to 300’s extent!) and the choreography and camera work during them are astounding to look at. Despite the film being rated PG-13 and little blood during the action scenes, they’re still surprisingly intense in terms of the sound design and the impact to the point where my mind was kind of filling in the blood and gore as I was watching it. 

            The acting is phenomenal, especially from Viola Davis, who at this point can do absolutely no wrong. She has this fierce, commanding presence whenever she’s onscreen, but she also really sells her character’s softer and more human moments. 

            Some of the best scenes in the movie involve Viola Davis and her interactions with Thuso Mbedu’s character. I enjoy seeing Davis train her in combat and weaponry and there are even times where the student has things to teach the teacher, I like the moments where the two of them sit and talk about their pasts and problems happening in their lives, and as the film goes on, we discover that they have a much stronger connection that originally expected…and of course, seeing them kick ass. 

            While Lashana Lynch and John Boyega don’t have quite as much screen-time as Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu, they still have plenty of moments to shine whether in action sequences or in quieter dialogue-focused scenes. 

            The plot is your typical Braveheart-style historical epic or revisionist history narrative and I’m assuming this film is leaving out various details from what really happened. Again, this is a film made in Hollywood for entertainment purposes, if you’re looking for an accurate depiction of the Agojie then you’re likely not going to find it here, this is an action movie, not a biopic or documentary. 

            I proudly salute The Woman King as an intense, thrilling, and skillfully crafted epic with exhilarating action sequences, compelling characters, and incredible performances including the powerful force that is Viola Davis. It probably won’t inform that much, but it will entertain and hopefully inspire those who purchase a ticket for it. 

Clerks III review

CLERKS III: 

THIRD VISIT TO THE QUICK STOP WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH…AND MAYBE EVEN CRY A LITTLE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

LIONSGATE

Trevor Fehrman, Brian O’Halloran, Rosario Dawson, and Jeff Anderson in Clerks III

 

            Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran-Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma) and Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson-Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Now You Know, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) are back in Clerks III, the latest film in the View Askewniverse franchise and the third and final installment of the Clerks trilogy. The film is once again directed by Kevin Smith (Mallrats, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob) and features the majority of the cast of 1994’s Clerks and its 2006 sequel, Clerks II reprising their roles. 

            In an era where Marvel, DC, and the MonsterVerse are usually considered the dominant cinematic universes in film these days, Smith’s View Askewniverse I feel often gets overlooked when discussing shared film universes. Clerks 1 and 2, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back were made and released at a time where cinematic universes weren’t nearly as prevalent as they are today, so it’s kind of interesting to see Kevin Smith do what Marvel would eventually do decades earlier with character crossovers, stingers during the end credits, and even a Stan Lee cameo in 1996’s Mallrats long before it became a popular trend in movies based on Marvel Comics. 

            I really enjoyed the first Clerks movie, and you can see why it’s a fan-favorite among independent films and comedies. I love the dynamic the Dante and Randal characters have basically as polar opposites, the dialogue is very witty, and the circumstances in the film while exaggerated to an extent are relatable, especially to those who have worked retail before, like what Office Space would eventually do for the office environment. 

            The first film ended up being a sleeper hit and was very well-received by critics, resulting in Clerks spawning not just the 2006 sequel, Clerks II but also an animated series as well as fan-favorite characters, Jay and Silent Bob getting their own film series including 2001’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and 2019’s Jay & Silent Bob Reboot. Clerks II is definitely inferior to its 1994 predecessor, but it has its moments, plus Brian O’Halloran and Jeff Anderson are once again hilarious as Dante and Randal and even newcomers, Rosario Dawson and Trevor Fehrman are given time to shine. 

            Now, we have Clerks III released via Lionsgate and Fathom Events sixteen years after the last film as the conclusion to the Clerks trilogy. While I may still prefer the first movie as the best, I had a good time with Clerks III. 

            It delivers the laughs and a lot of meta humor for fans of the franchise, but this one also has a surprising amount of heart. Not to mention, this is a very personal story as a lot of the things the characters go through are depictions of events that occurred in Kevin Smith’s life, which makes the film as a whole a lot more powerful than you’d expect.

            The film follows Quick Stop convenience store clerk, Randal who decides to make a movie with his longtime friend, Dante based on their lives after surviving a heart attack. Accompanying them on their quest to make the greatest movie ever made are everyone’s favorite drug dealers, Jay (Jason Mewes-Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma) and Silent Bob (Smith), nerdy Christian turned Satanist, Elias Grover (Trevor Fehrman), former Mooby’s restaurant manager, Becky Scott (Rosario Dawson-Men in Black II, Sin City, DC Animated Universe), and Dante’s old flame, Veronica Loughran (Marilyn Ghigliotti-Starship: Rising). 

            Overall, Clerks III is a love letter to the Clerks/View Askewniverse franchise, Kevin Smith’s personal life, and independent filmmaking. Fans will enjoy all the callbacks and recreations of scenes from the earlier films including a reference to the original ending of the first film where Dante is shot dead which was rejected by Miramax (The distributor of Clerks 1). 

            I enjoy how Clerks III is essentially a movie within a movie and that it revolves around Randal and Dante pretty much making an in-universe remake of the first Clerks movie with a lot of in-jokes and meta humor of what might have actually happened while Smith was making it back in the 90s. In a bizarre way. You could say Clerks III is semi-biographical as a lot of the plot elements are taken from Smith’s life, even right down to the heart attack from 2018. 

            The dialogue is very witty, and the actors do an excellent job delivering these funny lines, there wasn’t a huge audience when I saw it, but they were having a great time and laughing hard at some of the things the characters were saying. With that said, I was also very impressed at how these comedic actors portraying such goofy characters could also sell the more dramatic and heartfelt moments, without giving anything away, let’s just say Clerks III kind of took the Click route and threw in this really dramatic final act in an otherwise silly comedy, and it surprisingly doesn’t feel out of place. 

            It’s a warranted conclusion that gives the characters a satisfying sendoff with lots of laughs, shenanigans, and a little bit of drama thrown in. It also shows that not just the actors but the characters themselves have matured since the earlier films and Randal goes through an arc where by the end, he’s a changed man (With his vulgar personality still in check!). 

            Clerks III is a hilarious and heartfelt sendoff to the Clerks franchise and one of Kevin Smith’s best films in recent years. Not a perfect film, but if you’re a fan of Clerks 1 and/or 2 and Kevin Smith, definitely give this a watch, whether baked like Jay and Silent Bob or sober. 

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