5 Ways Clerks Changed My Life

28 years ago, a 23-year-old unknown creative from New Jersey by the name of Kevin Smith debuted his black-and-white film Clerks. Though filmed on a shoestring budget ($27,000) and following the very simplistic premise of “What would a movie about two guys talking in a convenience store all day look like?”, it instantly became a cult classic. Much like Robert Rodriguez’s El Mariachi or Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs (released in the same era), Clerks changed the way we understand independent film.

And it changed the course of my life as well. 

1. Clerks taught me that making a film was possible

As far back as I can remember, I’ve been a storyteller. When I was three-years-old, it started out as pictures I drew when I would hang out at my grandmother’s tailoring shop. I can remember the thrill of drawing crossover stories of my two favorite video game characters, Mario and Sonic (little did I know that, over 10 years later, I would see both of them in the same video game). Later, I discovered that I had more fun writing the actual stories than drawing them, so I went on to write several original fictional stories that were, more or less, based on the ups and downs of my teenage life.

For many years, I assumed I would be a cartoonist, comic book creator, or a novelist. But that all changed on a snow day in January 2003, when I rented Clerks on VHS from my local Blockbuster.  

The film had come highly recommended from one of my movie-guru friends, so I decided to check it out and see what it was all about. When I first turned it on, I thought my TV was broken – why was this in black and white? But apparently…it was supposed to be. And as I sat and watched the film, I observed how simplistically brilliant it was. Two main characters throughout the majority of the film, VERY few location changes, yet incredibly insightful and hilarious.

The original bromance

Though I hadn’t really given it serious consideration before, filmmaking now seemed within the realm of possibility. I had assumed that making a film required millions of dollars and elaborate sets. But if two guys talking in a store all day could count as a movie (and a GREAT movie at that), why couldn’t I make something that counted as a movie too? (I’d later find out that Kevin felt the same way after watching Slackers).

For me, film was a medium that was far more interesting to work in than writing a novel. My readers/viewers would not have to imagine my characters, they could SEE my characters, which seemed far more important to me than anything else. And thus, on that day, I decided I was going to be a filmmaker. And my life has never been the same since.

2. Clerks gave me an appreciation for Cinematic Universes at a time when they were NOT the norm 

My first introduction to Kevin Smith actually came with watching Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back on DVD in 2001. I had no idea what was going on, but it was still absolutely hilarious. It was only later that it occurred to me that I had basically watched Kevin Smith’s Avengers without watching Kevin Smith’s Iron Man.

Jay and Silent Bob were sort of like the Nick Fury and Agent Coulson of their time. In fact, Jason Mewes and Samuel L. Jackson would be close competitors in a profanity contest. 

While nearly all of his movies are not direct sequels of each other, many clearly exist in the same universe, due to characters that crossover (mainly Jay and Silent Bob) and references made in each film that many of the main characters either knew, went to high school with, or dated characters from other movies. And though Clerks was the original, it did set up events that were resolved in later films.

Since then, I found myself excited by the idea that multiple movies exist in the same canonical universe.There’s an intimacy that I find in filmmakers that create their own universe of characters that all know each other.

What Smith did at the time was very uncommon, but I loved it and tried to incorporate into my own movies. Years later, Marvel Studios would make billions off this approach to filmmaking. And sure, they did it first with their comics. But Kevin was the first modern director to do it with his movies. 

3. Clerks literally inspired my first film

When I entered my senior year of high school and started taking a TV production class (quite similar to the ones I teach now), I had an epiphany: I was going to write and direct a feature-length film before I graduated from high school. If Kevin could do it, why couldn’t I?

And so I created “Christian.” Like Clerks, it took place in the span of one day, was filmed in a single location (my high school) for the majority of the film, and was dialogue heavy. It was a dramedy that even had my own version of Jay and Silent Bob as recurring characters. Like Kevin, I had talked many of my friends into acting and helping with the film, and somehow over four months by the grace of God, we managed to create a 70-minute film. And though the film is cringeworthy (especially listening to the dialogue I wrote back then), it still amazes me that we were able to pull it off despite the many challenges and the few doubters who told me I was wasting the time.

If it hadn’t been for Clerks…I never would have made this film that started me on my path.

To this day, I still have no idea how I managed to talk my friends into this. Thanks for helping me create my vision, guys. Truly. 

4. Clerks taught me how important it was to have something to say

The best films have something to say, and Clerks was no exception. On the surface, Kevin wrote a story about two guys talking all day. But between the lines, he was commenting on Generation X through the lens of his own frustration of working at the same convenience store the movie was filmed in. Clerks easily established Kevin as one of the most interesting voices of the 1990s, and he continued this trend through most of his other movies, including Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jersey Girl.

Chasing Amy continued the tradition started in Clerks of depicting hilarious yet poignant dialogue and relationships. 

In the early days of my filmmaking career, I would make a film just to try out a genre. I produced a film noir. I directed a crime thriller, a mockumentary and a fantasy. And I had the time of my life making them with my friends. But at the same time, I wasn’t saying anything or adding to the public discourse.

That all changed when I directed and co-wrote FriendZoned, which you can watch by clicking here if you feel so inclined. I won’t spoil it for you, but essentially: I saw something I felt strongly about in the world and decided to comment on it through a fictional plot and set of characters. To this day, it’s my favorite short film I’ve ever done.

5. Clerks blessed me with new friends

One of the most incredible aspects of being a movie lover in the modern age is that we get to interact with the creatives themselves. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Kevin Smith and several other cast members on multiple occasions over the last 15 years. But beyond that, I’ve cultivated some deep and meaningful friendships with several of these amazing people.

One of the proudest moments of my life was having the opportunity to direct Scott Schiaffo (Chewlie’s Gum Guy) in my short film Blackout (written by my brother and Dork Daily regular Dave Pierdomenico). It’s completely surreal to meet, interact and work with people that were part of something so influential in your life. But when that settles, the friendships that remain are something that I am eternally grateful for.

Those that say you shouldn’t meet your heroes clearly haven’t met Clerks cast/crew – they adore the fans…and it shows.

It’s hard to imagine how my life would have turned out if I had never encountered Dante and Randal. No doubt, I would still love movies. But without Clerks, I never would have dreamed I could be a part of them someday.

Happy 25th Anniversary Clerks!

And if you’re feeling sentimental and want some swag….check out Clerks star Marilyn Ghigliotti’s square store. There are 10 days left to take advantage of her 25% discount on merchandise  by using discount code CLERKS25: https://squareup.com/store/marilyn-ghigliotti

Chris Pierdomenico is a filmmaker, a teacher of television, video production & journalism as well as the founder of DorkDaily.com.