From major heart attacks to Miramax collaborations, Kevin Smith has carved his own niche in popular culture that kicked off with Clerks circa 1994. An acerbic and foul-mouthed low budget indie film that cost pennies but put this renegade writer director on the map, through a combination of sardonic dialogue and keenly observed characters.
What documentarian Malcolm Ingram has done thirty years on is piece together all those disparate threads and created an all-encompassing statement, combining talking heads and archive footage to give audiences an idea of what a creative force Kevin Smith remains three decades on. Released this September on Blu-ray and old school VHS, Clerk proves to be an engaging prospect that features brand new interviews from a host of his collaborators, doing nothing more than praising their friend for just under two hours.
With industry heavyweights Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Jason Reitman leading the charge on all things Kevin Smith, Clerk offers insight on the man behind those hockey jerseys, who is able to hold an entire auditorium at his mercy with just a microphone. It not only touches on Chasing Amy, Mallrats, Dogma and the much maligned Tusk, but expands beyond cinema to include the Askewniverse that turned this man into a global brand. A business that incorporates all his creations, creating an on-line culture populated with people fascinated by everything he does.
Family also plays a huge part in making this documentary work, since his mother and brother get to throw in their two cents alongside Smith’s long suffering wife Jennifer Schwalbach-Smith who remains the rock in this enterprise. What comes out of Clerk more than anything is that sense of articulate commitment that still exists, despite moving away from film and drifting towards multimedia projects that might have watered down lesser men.
From coast-to-coast campus Q & As through to the on-going legacy of Jay and Silent Bob, his close personal friendship with Jason Mewes also feeds into the mythology that Kevin Smith has created. Revealing snippets of a connection between them that has proved the making of Mewes, who remains suitably evasive about the influence his friend might have had on that accidental film career.
Beyond that, Clerk will appeal to diehard fans hoping to dig a little deeper into what makes this global brand tick these days, since much of what makes this documentary work comes down to hearing Kevin Smith talk. Eloquent, articulate, and endlessly engaging – he remains an agenda driven cinematic renegade.
Clerk is available to own on Blu-ray and VHS now via MercantileInstinct.com
