FilmSnobReviews

Title: Clerk
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Malcolm Ingram
Starring: Kevin Smith
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

What It Is: In this documentary, we’re centered on writer/director pop culture icon Kevin Smith. We get to know his early years growing up in New Jersey. Experience what lead him to become the creator of the View Askewniverse that he would become. As we go through his life’s journey, told through stories by friends and family, we get familiar with the man behind some of the cinemas’ most interesting independent projects. But what we discover is that maybe we are aware of the man but that perhaps we do not yet truly know him.

What We Think: What a lovingly crafted documentary on a true pop culture icon. It felt like an excellent way to “get to know” Kevin Smith. We only see the man in. the chair. The funny guy in the oversized hockey sweater, but he’s more than that. He’s a husband, a father, a son and we get to know THAT person. Interviews from his friends and loved ones give us a better picture of Smith as a rounded-out human being. It’s an intimate and wonderful look at a guy who seems nothing but honest to both himself and others.

Our Grade: B+, This was a truly enjoyable piece. One that I thought would not work as it appeared. There was a clear love for the subject here and that permeates throughout the entirety of the doc. The personal documentary is something I’ve found to be a festival mainstay. Luckily this is one that will satisfy both the audience and the subject as well. I’m quite certain Kevin Smith was more than pleased with the result. You will be too. A well-crafted and excellently directed doc that most certainly will have you rooting for a really nice guy.