Film: Clerk
Starring: Kevin Smith, Michael Rooker, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Justin Long, Jason Mewes and more...
Director: Malcolm Ingram
Available: SXSW
Review: Klep Napier
Rating: 5X’s out of 5X’s
Fans of Director Kevin Smith would be the first to tell you that no matter how many times Smith touches a stage rambles on about himself, it almost never ever gets old. That brings us to his new biographical documentary Clerk. Produced and Directed NOT by Kevin himself, but by a unknown director named Malcolm Ingram.
Clerk follows the life and times of Smith from his days as a young movie obsessed child through the journey of his first critically acclaimed film release, past his near death experience and where he’s landed comfortably in a place where he doesn’t mind just being Kevin.
We were able to get a complete glimpse of this documentary during the 2021 SXSW online convention and we have to say, it was inspiring and emotional to say the least.
Ingram makes a point to start where it all began, giving a deeper look into who the man was that raised Kevin, his father. And how those earlier years molded the journey that Smith would travel on into his college years venturing off to film school in Vancouver. This would then motivate Smith to simply step up and put out his first feature film.
But these are stories most of us may or should already know. The better parts are when you get a chance to hear from all of those who Kevin has work with and even some who’s careers he help catapult along the way. Ben Affleck, Justin Long, Matt Damon, Marc Bernardin and yes, even Stan Lee, to name a few, all share warm and shocking moments about their time spent with Kevin while onset and behind the scenes. There are even more intimate conversations with friends and family like The Comic Book Men, Kevin’s mother, wife and rising star of a daughter Harley Quinn.
The ride is pleasant, filled with hope and inspirational moments that kept us smiling from ear to ear with equal emotional moments as well. Kevin doesn’t just talk about the highlights without mentioning his many shortcomings throughout his career. One in particular, the night he almost lost his life to a massive heart attack.
There is plenty to learn from Kevin’s journey, whether you need the drive to become a better you, or you need to see it to believe that you can become a better you. This documentary celebrates the man and how no matter how many times it may have seemed there were nothing but set backs waiting for him, he chose to allow apparent failures to build his confidence in simply just being himself. Because that’s what true Kevin Smith fans adore most about him.