Posted by Apes With Pectorals at wcgate.twi.com on April 23, 2001 at 21:52:11:
I was curious: Where does this fall in the Jersey timeline? Is it even part of the Jersey chronology? Does it even exist on our natural plane of existence? If not, does it take place a year after "Clerks," two years after "Clerks," or does it follow real-time? If that's the case, don't you think it'd be rather sad that Dante and Randal are still clerkin' it eight years later? Wouldn't guys in the early 30s at least be trying something new, starting landscaping businesses or something? The reason I ask is this:
I was 22 years old when "Clerks" came out, prime age, man, prime fucking meat. The last vestige of that Generation X all the magazines were harping about. And now, finally, here was a film that spoke to ME. I have to kind-of laugh when the younger folks come on here, mimicking Jay and Silent Bob, broaden those pop-culture discussions on "Star Wars" and superhero minutiae, and talk about how they love the movies because of the brash use of vulgar language and the porn talk and what have you; you know, that's cool and all, but "Clerks" struck me differently. I sat there in the dark of the art house in Salem, Oregon, and the movie's whole tone just knocked my ass for a loop. Here was someone basically my age, telling me through film: Stop bitching about your lot in life; get off your Pillsbury ass and take control. The fact that this lesson was imparted by Randal carried even more weight; if this guy who lived for tit mags and keeping video store customers waiting had life's answers, I'd best be tossing my popcorn on the way out, hopping into my car, and making new shit happen. Whenever I see "Clerks" today, I feel the same way. Generation X: Once a lethargic movement of long-haired freakazoids with thick, bushy goatees. But what the magazines failed to rekanize was our AMBITION, that they may have seen us spackled to couches, spitting discourse upon discourse on the State of the World, our House of Pain soundtrack detonating around us, but the reality is that one day we'd be running their lives. And we knew it. We were young and powerless, but it wouldn't last for long.
Sorry I'm rambling, but I'm bushed. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, that at the end of "Clerks," Dante seemed to be making some great strides. I felt that once the cameras turned off, if this bastard were real, at some point he'd get his shit together -- Randal, too. Neither of them seemed destined to rent out videos and be harrassed by clueless consumers for eternity -- leave that to the next influx of disgruntled convenience store employees. I'd hate to think that in 2001 these two would STILL be hanging out at the Quick Stop, grousing about everyone who came in.