Clerks (1994 film)

The prime example of the downside of a writer’s commanding voice. Kevin Smith was a twentysomething troublemaker when he made this film, and that becomes a problem when anyone who isn’t a troublemaker opens their mouth, which becomes a big problem because those people are some of the most crucial to what plot is here. There’s an attempt at doing “voice of a generation” posturing, but “Clerks” is more like a bunch of skits loosely held together. The good scenes outweigh the duds, but this unintentional period piece just sputters to a close—kind of fitting with its themes, actually.

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