Dante's Inferno - Making Sense of Kevin Smith's Clerks Trilogy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.พ. 2023
- Kevin Smith's Clerks Trilogy sits alongside Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy as a fascinating experiment in long-term linear storytelling. They're both nearly thirty-year-long treatises about the ways we mature (and the ways we don't). But Smith's trilogy is also a strange case of evolution and de-evolution that charts its characters' (and its filmmaker's) rise and fall.
On this month's Too Many Tapes, let's take a look at what Dante Hicks, the main character of the Clerks Trilogy, can tell us about the series' meaning, and where Kevin Smith is as a filmmaker, an artist, and (surprisingly) a philosopher.
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Clerks 3 came out at a time I needed. I was still reeling over the death of my older cousin, the closest I had to an older brother, who sadly died from complications after a serious surgery. He was the reason I saw Kevin Smith movies, they grew on me, and one of the last times I hung out with him, we went to see Hollywood Babble On in Downtown Boston. Which was in 2016, and after a rough week, so to say the least, I needed that. It's like the past couple years something Kevin Smith worked on was what I needed for that time. In short, I loved how Clerks 3 turned out, that heartbreak and pain, I needed to let that sadness out.
I agree that your version would have been more narratively satisfying, but I also think that's kinda the point. Clerks was basically a reflection of Kevin's real life, based largely on real people and real conversations. Clerks II, as fun as it is, is a commercial product. He couldn't relate to his characters anymore, so he stuck them in a goofy and unrealistic sitcom premise in an attempt to sneak in some introspection. Jersey Girl showed him that sincerity didn't sell, so the genuine emotion of Clerks II is buried under layers and layers of artifice. Clerks 3 is a return to something more realistic and personal. People die, unexpectedly and without reason. Becky dying just a few days after being the catalyst for Dante's "happy ending" makes a painful amount of sense because it makes no sense at all. That's life. Randal getting "Dante's" heart attack, taking over Dante's hard won narrative, that's life too. Dante's been through so much, he deserves his reward, and like most deserving people he doesn't get it. He gets the opposite. Clerks III is an emotionally painful movie to watch because Randal is so oblivious to the ways in which he's hurting his friend. That scene where the doctor tells Dante to be there for Randal even though Randal hasn't been there for Dante at all... that really says it all. In a Hollywood narrative Dante would get his just desserts and ride off into the sunset a changed and improved man because that's what's fair, but instead he's made to suffer and sacrifice and lose everything he spent the last two films gaining because sometimes that's how it works. Kevin was inches away from dying on some random Sunday night, he knows now that life doesn't make sense and it's incredibly fragile and it sure as fuck doesn't follow a traditional dramatic arc. By killing Dante in Clerks III he finally communicated what he was trying to say with the deleted ending of Clerks: "Sometimes people just die."
You talk about how Dante's only purpose was to be Randal's friend like that's a bad thing, but I don't think it is. Throughout the series, no matter what else they lost, they always had each other. So even if Randal was a massive dick sometimes he made Dante's life better by being in it, and vice versa. If there's one point to the film I think that's it: you never know when you're going to lose something you care about, or lose it all, so appreciate the things you have in your life while you can. Don't stop striving for something new, but also don't lose sight of what you already have. In other words: "To go on is to go far. To go far is to return."
To me u hit right on the money life sometimes sucks and for certain people it just doesn’t get better even how much u try and when u know when u lose everything to u when u though u where at end it hurts to push yourself more and he finally gets his ending just sucks that his happy ending he had to die and I feel that
I don't think you can analyze this movie without recognizing the parallels between dante and Kevin himself. The origin, the growth, the heart attack. The film and previous film embody kevins emotions and act as a time capsule for each arc of his own life.
I literally thought I had missed a kevin smith movie when he reveals becky was killed off
I am in the minority that enjoyed it and saw a lot of purpose when looking at the series as a whole. From the point of view myself as someone who lost a loved one tragically (in my case, a son) and their entire life stopped for some time, I get it more than a superficial level. That may be why I enjoyed it more than most - because to me, it connected to a point in my life. To each his own, just sharing my take.
I am so sorry for your loss, and if you haven’t been able to find peace yet, I pray peace finds you!
Dante's last monologue is so raw. I had two heart attacks at age 28. I almost died, had a crash code during minor surgery.
I'm with you buddy. My spouse died 3 years ago. I took a day off of work the day after seeing Clerks 3.
Same here, a son 5 yo, and daughter 4 yo. Another film that I see differently than most is the beginning of A Quiet Place. Man, that was rough the first time watching. It steers away from the loss very quickly though.
@@Four4Hundred2Twenty0too bad it didn’t turn out differently
I lost my best friend a few years ago and we both love Kevin Smith movies so this one hit me hard. If thought it was funny and emotional
I am STOKED to have found your TH-cam channel 🥰 can't wait to watch you grow and see what this year brings you and in turn, us!!
Great video. I do think it’s a reach to assume Scott Mosier is considered ‘disposable’ in Kevin Smith’s life. He only talks about him with love and admiration, and even though has other producers now, he knows there’s only one Mosier.
I’m interested to see how Clerks III will be regarded in 10 years; removed from the expectations we had for it when it came out, and the nostalgia fatigue we’ve been having lately. I feel like it could be re-appraised fondly like Jersey Girl was by many.
It's definitely The Last Jedi
I doubt it
Great video! Really explained why clerks 3 didn’t work at all for me. Thank you for making this
Just found your channel and currently binging while editing! Really enjoying what I've seen so far, also I'm a sucker for analyzing the hell out of what I feel like is everyone's strange parasocial relationship with smith.
Great commentary. Your video has actually inspired me to watch Clerks III, a thing I never thought I'd do.
Great video! Love the structure, and the insight
Hey Clerks 3 really speaks to me at this point in life. This great movie almost made me cry. Clerks 3 is almost my story as well. Bravo Kevin Smith.
Nice vid. Love seeing insightful commentary on Kevin Smith’s career. ✌️
This video is fantastic. Your analysis is fantastic.
Great job man. You put your finger on several things that always bothered me about Kevin Smith's clerk series, especially the last one. I totally agree.
This was an amazing commentary on a series I love. I don’t often leave comments, but wow. This was brilliant.
You did good on this video. Nice job!
I came across your video right after finishing Clerks III and setting up a video essay on it. Man I do love this film but you make very good points. Can't wait to see whats next!
Loved this video man, totally agree
I love when the forgot your keys type scene happens in real life
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.
Thank you, please do more Kevin Smith videos.
I don’t think Dawson’s price was the reason she was reduced to a force ghost in Clerks 3. She loved the character and wanted to continue the story, but it wasn’t the story Smith wanted to tell. For some reason 🤨
I was looking for Tomb Manny's Tapes, but I'm really glad I found you instead.
Excelente aporte. Me encanta esta trilogía. Justo hoy vi Clerks 3. Tu análisis es ameno, profundo y pertinente, muy bien documentado. Felicitaciones desde Caracas.
"Mentre che l’uno spirto questo disse, l’altro piangea;
Sì che di pietade io venni men così com’ io morisse.
E caddi come corpo morto cade."
"And all the while one spirit uttered this, The other one did weep so, that, for pity,
I swooned away as if I had been dying,
And fell, even as a dead body falls."
Dante's Inferno Chant V
Great video buddy
After watching this video, I think the thing that would have saved Clerks 3 would have been to make it a Sliding Doors type movie where we get an ending where Dante dies and an ending where Randal dies. That is presuming that one of them must die to end this story.
Very Good....well done
well done
Love your idea of Clerks III
I have a friend who I have known since high school. And every time we get together we watch Clerks. For now we are on 2 because we are 37 years old :D, although we have watched all the parts.
Good work 👌
I’m glad I never got around to watching Clerks three, the second one I felt was a really good message for anyone who might feel they are stuck in life. Like you can still find happiness even if it isn’t where you think it is. But the third seems to go back on it quite a bit and it’s a bit of a sour taste to swallow.
indeed...I didn't know they even made a 3rd
film until about fifteen minutes ago.... but eff all that nonsense: Rosario Dawson dancing on the roof of the burger joint to the Jackson 5 may be one of the greatest, most gorgeous scenes of a beautiful woman in all of films... it's definitely Kevin Smith's most beautifully shot &
overall gorgeous scenes he has ever shot himself.
This channel rules.
I wish Clerks 3 had been a little less of a nostalgia trip. I really liked Clerks 2, thought it worked really great.
But clerks 3 was just too self indulgent. Too meta.
^^^ This. Moiser's absence was felt.
That's kinda all Kevin does anymore
Fantastic deconstruction. A+
Does anyone know the song that plays a few seconds after the 9 minute mark, and ends with Dante dying?
th-cam.com/video/loFj7vGF67E/w-d-xo.html
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! @@TooManyTapes
Man still haven’t seen clerks three life has been crazy but I can’t believe his chic and baby dies. I watched clerks a million times and part two a few times but I had to sit in my truck and process this video.
I didn't realize why I hated the last clerks until I watched this. Great video
Wow....Imagine being so easily influenced....Not being able yo think for yourself...That a youtube video has to define what You think. No wonder amercian is a burning trade heap. You's are all extremely dumb and easily lead. I hated Clerks 3 myself...But I didn't have to be Told....I formed that opinion myself.
19:19 - 20:05 In my opinion, I feel like that would've actually been a better ending than the whole entire Elias Subplot with him selling NFTs just for them to make big money. It just felt like a very forced deus ex machina.
What translation of the Tao te Ching are you quoting from?
LOVED the first two! Wasn't a fan of the third one at all. It wasn't too bad awful but the biggest problem I had with it was the way they did the Elias character! It wasn't believable at all that he just goes from being a Christian to worshipping satan. It was very cringe worthy! I didn't like how they killed off Becky either. The making the movie scenes were good enough and nostalgic. I've only seen it once so maybe it will grow on me after more views like Jay And Silent Bob Strikes Back did.
Why is Elias dressed like King Diamond?
He loses faith in his religion. But seriously, it would’ve taken less time if you just watched the movie.
I don't agree that Dante's narrative dissolves the way you claim in Clerks 3. Dante's whole arch is all about "learning to Love the things you most wish had not happened." A real lesson in what we get from loss and grief - and how our fears and insecurities can subvert a healthy journey of healing
Put simpler, to be human and to exist is a gift - but along with being human comes suffering - there's no escaping it. Its all about learning the value we get from experiencing loss and that value leading to a deep realization that we dont get to pick and choose - to be grateful for one's life is to be greatful for all of it - even the worst moments
Maybe it's me, but I feel like you missed the point. Dante and Randal were both the main character. You had 1 guy who over thought everything, could never make a decision, and when he did couldn't stick to it. Then the other guy who, for better or worse, just did things and dealt with the consequences later. Randal has his heart attack and almost loses everything, and decides he's going to take a long shot at making his mark on the world, something Dante always talked about doing but never attempted to do. Dante lost his family, but couldn't get passed it to see the good in his life, and even almost losing Randal didn't impact him. The trilogy shows not only that how you handle the situations life deals you makes all the difference, but how much those you're close with can affect your life, positive and negative.
No one asked Dante to be that way. Randall tried to talk him out of it constantly. Dante only has his people-pleasing ways to blame for his subpar life. A man who put himself in limbo, always looking for the easy way out
The reasons for clerks three is that life doesn’t work out while you live. Dante never went back to college or Dante never did anything to try to make it life any better so when he got old and his 30s, he was settled with the job and it’s 40s when he died he really did nothing really did help him out with his grief of losing his wife and son so life didn’t work out like he did so when he died he died very badly. It’s to teach. It’s teach Randall lesson life is how you make it when you treat friends.
Kevin Smiths bests movies to me were
Clerks, Clerks II, Mallrats, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob strike back, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl, and yes Clerks III
His worse to me was
Tusk.... What the F$$k was that!!!??
One of my best friends passed away a few years back. We'd get high and watch Clerks 1&2. She passed away before 3 came out. So 3 truly broke me at the end. I've tried to watch it a few times and I can't make it through without breaking down.
Your version of what the end of Clerks 3 should have been was so much better than the actual movie
yeah
Calling Jay and Silent Bob reboot lazy misses the point...
It's supposed to be lazy...
Just as all these reboots/rethreads/rehashing of 30 year old movies is... at least Kevin Smith has something to say...
And Reboot and Clerks III are the best movies to have come out in the last 6 years (the only other good one being Uncut Gems)... Kevin Smith will always be amazing and his fans will always celebrate his movies 💙
The point of Dante's life is the same as the point of most people's life. It's pointless.
I feel like that message would hit harder if they killed Dante at the end of Clerks 1 like they planned
🌻
I feel Randal was the main character only because that how's Kevin could get the actor in it
Hmmm, " Dante is reunited with the only women that truly loves him." I consider Becky the only women that didn’t currently hate him. (And didn’t have a chance to ask him to grow up.) Emma loved him and just wanted him to better himself with a good career. Veronica absolutely loved him, but wanted him to go back to college. Hell, even Caitlin had a strange attraction that kept her coming back (until she F*#ked a dead guy). Dante is a manchild that repeatedly chooses to sh!t his pants instead of lifting the lid. And in the end, it’s Randal that decides to try to be a film maker. Dante AND Randel are Kevin Smith. Wouldn’t it have been cool if Kevin Smith could have somehow ripped off the Fight Club ending? Where we find out that Randal is Dante’s other personality. The Quick Stop and the RST Video are one big store and Dante is the only employee working.
Clerks should’ve stayed a Duoligy than a Trilogy.
Nah, the issue was how we don't even get a bit of that happy ending from 2 before the pain of 3. It's there but sorta sidelined until later on
Dont worry as most fans of the first 2 pretend the 3rd doesn't exist.
😎🙏💯
I have sought out the breadth of Clerks 3 review/analysis here on Das YuzenTüben, and my experience with them has spanned a range of satisfaction as wide and varied as the works themselves, from cringetacular denominations that feel performative in how their critical scalpel drips with venomous scorn to nuanced academic studies on the multifaceted relationship between Smith and his filmography and specifically Clerks as a trilogy that transcend the relatively narrow scope of Smith's works and merit consideration in the greater discourse on "the canon." I say all this so that when I tell you that yours is comfortably sat near the summit of that interpretative ziggurat, that praise might be received as fondly (and fairly) as it is offered.
Smith remains not only one of my personal favorite filmmakers even (and I say this in all sincerity) despite himself, but one of the mythic rare specimens of a celebrity I trust implicitly at his word and admire for the quality of his character, or perhaps more accurately and referentially, I believe in Kevin "Who-is-Harvey-Dent" Smith.
I picked up similar vibes from you which is but one commendation I insist upon you for preserving both a clearly enduring fondness for Da Lunchbox as well as your professional integrity, as I'm certain this was not an easy feat of reconciling various conflicted interests.
Impressive work that's most worthy of boosted recognition, which my recommendation will hopefully reflect in as many eyeballs I'm able to direct this way.
From a hole in the ground of my Beloved Shire, known to the Big Folk as Iowa,
Daniel James Bloomquist
P.S. What smells like shoe polish?
to me clerks 3, is the bitter realization that most people don't get the amazing best friend that helps you find your way, the disneyfication of romance with the happy ever after, its the gritty realization that some of us have to take the small joys and victories, the cold beer on a hot summer day, a kiss and only a kiss form the way to hot girl for you, that you fuck up cause you get in your own way. its a urgent call to try anything if for no other reason then to say you did.
not all of us get to take joy in the larger wins
I thoroughly enjoyed Clerks 3, was it perfect? No, but it was still a good film that had some great moments and really hit the feels at the end...... Anything's better than New Jersey
Am I the first one here?
The idea that Randal would actually wear a suit, or even own one, was too much of a stretch to overcome by just adding his wearing the hat backwards. I guess the shock of continuous vulgarity of the first Clerks was partly responsible for the initial popularity, but couldn’t contribute to the sequels success by overcoming their poor acting and indifference to character’s stories. Kevin and gang made a living like his characters, doing a mediocre job. But how long do we have to wait until the next Jay and Silent Bob adventure?
Kevin Smith is with out a doubt the most inept filmmaker maybe ever. I never seen one guy do so much awful work that bomded and yet strangely has a cult following. It's so bizarre.
Alright, so full disclosure here, but I'd only recently discovered the work of Kevin Smith when a friend convinced me to watch Dogma before we planned to go to a pop-up restaurant based on Mooby's. So I have zero connection to the characters of Dante and Randle up until I just saw all three Clerks films recently. And I can't really hate Clerks 3. It was an earnest attempt to discuss if his legacy at the end of the day is really worth it amongst the sea of filmmakers of his generation either burning out or just never making it. And while I won't say it's art, or a good movie, I will say I get his intention.
Agree I think only the first clerks film is the only truly good project to come from that universe
@@JesusGomez-ob2qtwhy you gotta undermine Dogma
Mallrats wasn't that bad @@JesusGomez-ob2qt
I enjoyed the movie a lot. But I agree, it wasn’t fair to Dante. It’s nice that he died a hero reunited with his wife, but the heroism is hollow. His heroic act seems to be to have sacrificed his entire adult like to help and support a jerk. It would have been better if his heroic act was something more valuable.
I found Clerks III incredibly cloying and wrong-headed. It seems that post-Tusk he's simply...gotten lazy. He's never been a technically impressive or visually strong/unique filmmaker. But you can see that he was trying in earnest to explore different ideas, aesthetics, tone, etc with his later work. Love it or hate it, Tusk is pretty interesting and unique. And well shot for a Smith film. Same with Red State. Even Yoga Hosers, as bad as it, has a bit of effort put into it visually.
I hate to diminish his obviously incredibly personal approach in Clerks III, but I can't help but feel he made it too personal, if that makes sense. It's a bit too one-to-one. The humor feels labored and from a technical side, it's one of his most amateurish films to date.
Don't please god 0:24
Your version of Clerks 3 didn't really click with me as much. Your viewpoint seems to come from someone who's not lost someone that impactful on your life. It instead feels less emotionally impactful due to your lack of understanding of the subject matter you are dealing with. I like that Dante dying gave Randal a newfound understanding of friendship, allowed him to reflect how his actions negativity impact his relationships and overall improved Randal as a person. Dante also got an answer to his questions posed in this film and previous films. Life is unpredictable. You really can lose someone you are just settling down with. It happens to real people. It was the right time for Dante to go and the right place. His closure might not be the same closure as someone who finds a way to heal. Sometimes as sad as it might be people don't move on and heal from that type of tragedy.
A duuuuuuuuuh
I'v lost more than one person in my life that was close. Clerks 3 can still go suck a fat one.
Clerks 3 relies too heavily on nostalgia to evoke emotion and falls flat as a result. The constant references to past moments become exhausting and ultimately detract from the film's coherence. The decision to have Randal suffer a heart attack feels contrived and unnecessary. Dante should have been the only one to have one, not both!!
Without Randal’s heart attack we would have missed the movie’s best scene, of the dialog interaction between the doctor and Randal. She was hilarious!
@@nofear2trekfunniest part of that scene is Randal trying to explain The Mandalorian to the doctor, who is played by Amy Sedaris, who plays the recurring character Pelli Motto on The Mandalorian
Notes for CLERKS 3:
- Becky and daughter are alive neither involved in story with exception to hospital visit cameos at end.
- Dante has two heart attacks a small one at beginning to inspire Randall to make their film and a second heart attack at the end. Randall is healthy throughout.
- No Elias.
- Introduce new character Amy Sedaris as Randall's weird girlfriend who has money finances film/knows a celebrity who can cameo in film.
And her celebrity friend is an anthropomorbphic horse played by Will Arnett
I'm just gonna pretend Clerks 3 never happened, they didn't need to happen.
9:22 spoiler alert!!!!
I loved Clerks and Clerks 2, but this was a brick wall. The running gag about the Christian kid converting to Satanism sputtered out very quickly. I didn't get the connection between Satanism and cross dressing. I thought it was funny when he dressed like King Diamond. Killing Dante off was foolish. The woman he loved dies in a car crash so he stops living? I never married and I'm 57. I never met Ms. Right but that doesn't make me feel alone. Between this and Jay And Silent Bob : Reboot shows that! Kevin Smith hit a wall.
I hated Clerks 3, and I was a huge Clerks/Smith fan for 20 years.
It felt like he killed the heart and soul of his artistic journey in favor of a doofus filmmaker with nothing to say.
It’s not that she’s expensive, it’s that she’s busy. They said they didn’t know if they’d get her so they gave her scenes that could ultimately could be cut if needed, plus clerks 2 is the second worst view askew movie
Anyone who doesn’t love Clerks 3 is either too young or hasn’t suffered the loss of loved ones yet. As a 50 year old who’s lost too many friends, I thought it was a great movie.
This is the absolute worse synopsis and general understanding of these films. You have zero idea what you're talking about, and are misinterpreting these movies far beyond anything i've ever seen.
Clerks was OK. C2 a very good funny flick. C3 is just bad...bad...bad.
What was the point of the Clerks trilogy??? There is no Clerks trilogy so there was no point. It's a movie with two sequels, not a trilogy. Insisting on seeing it as a trilogy is a mistake. It's a movie with two sequels.
Scotty kept Kevin grounded, he is not a throw away.
Since they parted way Kevin's work has been horrible
I absolutely hated 'Clerks 3'. It really seems to me that the only way Kevin Smith could get Jeff Anderson to sign up, after years of doubt, is by indulgently promising to make his character the next Tarantino.
The third movie was terrible .Now he's creepily obsessed with his daughter
Clerks III was a great movie.
I'll sum it up for you much more quickly. Kevin Smith is a fraud. His movies suck, his directing sucks, Clerks should have been a one-off failure or mild cult hit, and that should have been it. He's been stretching out his ONE idea, beating a dead horse like no other film maker in history, and should have faded into oblivion long, long, LONG ago.
clerks 3 sucks i
It was awful. Like truly awful.
Clarks 3 is good. Jay and Silent Bob reboot is utter garbage start to finish with absolutely ZERO redeeming qualities. That's the objective take.
It all made perfect sense to me, so I guess you just don’t understand the material, or Kevin.
^stupid take right there
I really hated how they killed Becky off in the third movie. That was way too sadistic
I always from first watch felt 3 for perfectly. It was always about Dante. It wasn't prefect but it wrapped up perfectly. The story of a man lost in the mix, who was never supposed to be there, and gets to leave in the end.