I made the mistake of brushing off this movie for years until Netflix made it easy to catch up on hard to find Italian films. When people call a film sleazy, I think of crude, cheap technicals, not plot or theme. The photography, lighting and art direction are astonishing in Nude For Satan. These elements alone are what makes this film worth seeing. The plot is incomprehensible but that doesn't matter. I watch Italian horror films for the visuals and the lavish art-house style. There is a level of artistry in even the cheapest Italian productions, with few exceptions. Rita Calderoni's nude body in nearly every scene is another inducement to watch NFS. She's utilized much better here and looks better than in Delirium.


Make that title about ninety percent nude and ten percent Satan. Watching this slice of Eurotrash, it's pretty obvious what market the producers were going for. So, if you come across this title in the horror section and expect an exciting slash and dice chiller, look elsewhere. However, where regular horror fans will be perplexed, fans of stylish but trashy exploitation will fall in love with this offering. After seeing it (and knowing what to expect), I was made an instant fan. The film is (as mentioned earlier) full of nudity from hot Italian babes, stylishly psychedelic touches, Satanic orgies, and an overall lack of any remote coherency.

The plot revolves around a man picking up a woman on the side of the road whose car crashed. He takes her to an old deteriorating Gothic castle, inhabited by a man who seems to wield mysterious powers and his servant girl (both of whom resemble the two travelers). There's an opportunity for subtext, but its pushed aside in favor of nonstop sleaze and schlock. As for the horror equation, the film is nicely photographed, lending a dreamlike atmosphere. It also has a spider attack, which has to be the most laughably fake monster I've seen in a film since possibly "Horrors of Spider Island". However, the main reason to watch this is the overabundance of nudity. The gorgeous star Rita Caledroni, is naked for just about the entire duration with little explanation and none really needed. She's one of the most voluptuous women I've seen in a film. For fans of this brand of trash, you really can't miss "Nude For Satan". (8/10)


A Woman running naked in the night (slow motion). Haunting soundtrack.

A car. Dark night. Suddenly, a white indistinct silhouette in the middle of the road. Dr. Benson swerves just in time and stops the car. When he looks back the road is empty - no one in sight! While he's thinking about it, crash!!..... He looks back and there's another car in the road. A woman is in it, unconscious. She's Susan (Rita Calderoni). The scene is enhanced by a brooding soundtrack.

Dr. Benson looks for help in a nearby castle. In this castle, he and Susan will meet their darker selves, and will have to fight a battle with them for their.... souls, egos, whatever....

This is the castle of mirrors, where the statues spin and the corridors have many doors. Each door hides a secret. It may be a dream, a hallucination, a nightmare. Day and night seem to mix together and coexist at the same time. Whippings, lesbian succubus that like to pay surprise visits, a giant spider, a strange laughing butler roaming around....

Dr. Benson meets Susan's darker half, Evelyn (Rita Calderoni). Susan meets Dr. Benson's darker half, Peter. Their darker selves are planning to take over. Satan (in civilian clothes) presides over everything.

"Nuda per Satana" is a very sensual film. Rita Calderoni could have been a princess or a duchess in the Italian Renaissance. When she is dressed/undressed, kisses, smiles, screams, whatever she does, it looks like one of those paintings of the great Italian masters come alive. Sex, the devil, the unconscious, the dreams, desire, joy and fear.

I think that "Nuda per Satana" was obviously inspired by Renato Polselli's "The reincarnation of Isabel", but it has nonetheless its own personality. Probably, a more distant source of inspiration was "Castle of Blood" made by Antonio Margheriti in 1964.

In "Nuda per Satana" the visuals, the soundtrack, the dialogues... produce a dreamy, surreal ambiance. Instead of trying to follow the story, turn off your critical vibes, dive into the film and you may have something akin to an acid trip.


A doctor and a young lady(beautiful Rita Calderoni)have just been involved in a car accident.The doctor leaves the girl at the accident scene,and runs off to a spooky castle for help.He enters the castle,and finds that it's inhabited by some laughing ghoul(most likely Satan himself).Later,the young lady goes looking for the doctor,and eventually finds her way to the same castle.However when they meet again,they find that they haven't met each other,they have meet their doppelgangers.Luigi Batzella's "Nude for Satan" is a great piece of sleazy trash.The special effects are jaw-droppingly awful(a monster spider especially comes to my mind!)and the dialogue is horrid. Still there is plenty of nudity to satisfy fans of Italian sleaze.Rita Calderoni is naked pretty often and her lesbian scenes are suitably sensual.A must-see for fans of Italian sleaze/horror!


I had been trying to get hold of this one ever since watching Renato Polselli's THE REINCARNATION OF ISABEL (1973)  to which it has been compared in terms of sheer loopiness; in the meantime, I had actually checked out another Batzella movie i.e. the only slightly superior THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT (1973) which, unlike the film under review and the above-mentioned ISABEL, maintains a Gothic feel throughout its entirety. Apart from this fusion of past and present  not to mention, leading lady Rita Calderoni  the two also share the doppelganger motif and, as I said earlier, an absolute (deliberate?) disregard for logic which go a long way in rendering them effortlessly surreal (abetted by a weird score and some of the oddest camera angles ever conceived!); however, this alone does not make them worthwhile (let alone good) and, in fact, both these films are relentlessly sabotaged by inept handling and matching wooden performances  I mean, one has to wonder just what went on during the production of such effortswhere, invariably, a writer-director's 'uncompromising' vision was constantly shortchanged by the individual's apparent lack of talent in putting his own ideas to fruition! In both, then, the luscious Calderoni plays two roles: here, she is a traffic-accident victim and a succubus-like temptress from a previous era; similarly, the male protagonist alternates between a strapping doctor and a decadent, slightly mad aristocrat. Other figures vaguely involved include the enigmatic owner of the film's central castle setting who is something of a wry observer and eventually Master Of Ceremonies at the climatic would-be satanic orgy, an even more ambiguous and unhinged manservant (the first time we see him he is lying on the floor with a knife stuck in his throat  don't ask!) and a black maid (or something) whose only function in the proceedings is to indulge in some lesbian fondling with the modern incarnation of the heroine and, later, to be whipped within an inch of her life by said wild-eyed butler!! Though running a measly 81 minutes, the film tends to feel much longer due to its sluggish pacing  actually, a characteristic 'drawback' to both Gothic and dream-like fare. As always, too, nonsensical quotes from some ancient tome prove the key to the whole mysterywhich, when uttered by the hero, causes a skull to explode(!), send the members of the orgy running and  surprise, surprise  gets us back where it all started!! For once, and thankfully so, the title does not promise something it cannot deliver: Calderoni, in fact, is nude  whether for Satan or the audience's ultimate benefit is another matter entirely!  throughout most of this (beginning with the very opening sequence)though she also suffers the ignominy of having to scream her head off, ostensibly in abject terror, during an attack by a hilariously fake arachnid (albeit inside a reasonably atmospheric spider-pit)!!


To date, the only other films I've seen by Luigi Batzella are "Devil's Wedding Night" (abysmal) and "Beast In Heat" (SUPER abysmal). However, "Nude For Satan" is a much better film in many ways, but it will definitely not be for all tastes.

A doctor, racing to an emergency call, sees what he thinks is a woman in the road and slams on his brakes. His little Volkswagen has been screaming along the back roads like it was a Maserati, from the sound of it. But, before he can get out of his car, there's a crash & there's a woman who has wrecked her car and is hanging out the door, so he puts her into his car, which will then not start. He sees a nearby house so he goes for help, but encounters a very strange man who then disappears. The lights in the house go out when he calls for help, but the front door is open so he wanders in to find the house seemingly abandoned & full of debris. In exploring, looking for someone, anyone, he opens various doors to find nasty surprises inside. And then, he seems to find the woman that he rescued from the accident, surprised to find that she has made it to the house.

As the film goes on it seems that the doctor and the woman are in some kind of alternate reality, in which they have doubles. And there's a mysterious man who seems to preside over all that is weird there, presumably, Satan. In encountering the Satan character for the first time, the woman appears nude, while we get a close-up of Satan's eye...talk about undressing someone with your eyes! For the most part, this is very dream-like (or nightmare-like, to be more accurate), and while it's somewhat nonsensical it's still quite interesting and a far better offering than the other trash I've seen by this director. If you like weird Italian horror films, this is definitely worth checking out. 7 out of 10.


If you go by its individual aspects this movie is terrible!!!!

The cameraman appears to be drunk during most of the shoot and the visual effects are shoddy and the "spider" especially so.

As for the plot line I have no idea what is going on, the dubbing doesn't appear to match the the screenplay and the script is of a very poor English.

Taking all this into account it is one of the funniest films I've seen in weeks, with one of the most unusual sound tracks for any horror I've ever seen and some of the most random but hilarious lines I've heard.

If this is on TV it is a must see but don't go out of your way.


This is one strange movie, from floating images of Greek statues to flashy images in a picture frame. This movie was not the most entertaining movie to sit down and watch, I had to wake my boyfriend up several times not to fall asleep but it was worth watching if not for the strangeness of the film I would not have enjoyed it as much. Most of the movie is pure nude soft porn acting with a little creepiness thrown in especially the decayed toothed butler that really gave me the creeps, ohhh I can still see those teeth! but if your not into a lot of nudity and your bothered with the whole film spoken in Italian with English sub titles then this movie is not for you. It does however remind me of the movie "Carnival of Souls" in a way that the driver of the vehicle was not supposed to have dies in a crash when he had almost hit a silhouette figure in a white nightgown off the road and soon after a lady had also had an unfortunate accident with a far lesser fate than his. Weird movie though.


could somebody PLEASE tell me what the plot of this film is all about?

OK, I gathered from the synopsis that it was about two weary travellers who stop off at a creepy castle for help, and they get into bother. Other than that, though, the film made absolutely NO sense whatsoever.

'Nude for Satan' just comes across as a rather pathetic excuse for loads of soft-porn love-in sessions.

The production design itself was very reasonable (apart from the odd dodgy special effects, and wobbly bedpost)

At one point, I was practically falling asleep while watching this film.

A similar movie, 'Bloodsucker leads the dance' is far superior in comparison (by the way, if you've seen "Bloodsucker Leads The Dance", you'll have noticed that the very same sets used in "Nude For Satan" also appear in that film).

The only thing to recommend this film is a highly atmospheric music score, otherwise, this is certainly one film I certainly wouldn't go out of my way for!!


This drive-in rarity is perhaps best enjoyed in the same style as Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

Plot: Alternately silly and confusing. A doctor suffers a minor car accident, then, strangely enough, a young lady has a car accident right next to him. He goes for help at the conveniently-nearby spOOky castle. Strangeness ensues. Dialog: Originally in Italian. On the DVD version, you get your choice of dubbing and subtitles. Both are bizarre and occasionally howlingly funny.

Special Effects: Mostly performed by shaking the camera. A few smokepots. A monster that is about as lame as Ed Wood's giant octopus from "Bride of the Monster."

Music: You got the synthesizer AND the bongos, but no wocka-wocka guitars or plinked wires. Thankfully, no moaning.

Vampiric lesbianism? Of course. It's required in movies like

this.

Female nudity? Yes, since the plot *absolutely*required* that the female lead wander about the castle and its exterior in either a towel wrap, a negligee, or nothing at all.

Male nudity? A short special-guest appearance by the half-red-and-half-blue guys from Star Trek (or their poor cousins) in thong loincloths.

Sex? Eh, barely as racy as your typical R Rated Motel Fare.

Gross? Hardly.

Funny? Often,


Nuda per Satana, or Nude for Satan as it's more commonly known amongst English speaking audiences, starts late one night deep in the Italian countryside with Dr. William Benson (Stelio Candelli) on an emergency call when he is involved in a car accident, the owner of the other car is a woman named Susan Smith (Rita Calderoni) whom seems unconscious. Benson heads for a nearby Gothic castle where the strangeness begins. He sees a sinister butler (Renato Lupi) with a knife through his neck laughing for no apparent reason. Dr. Benson also finds a book about Satan & suddenly he sees Susan but she is dressed differently, uninjured & seems to answer to the name Evelyn. Meanwhile the next morning Susan regains consciousness & also heads for the Gothic looking castle. There she meets a guy in a cape & ask's if he knows who helped her, she also meets someone who looks like Dr. Benson but goes by the name of Peter. As times passes & the night draws on it seems that it was all a demonic plan to lure Dr. Benson & Susan to the castle & take part in a Satanic ritual, oh & their evil doubles are running around, or something like that.

This Italian production was edited, written & directed by Luigi Batzella & is as strange, bizarre & downright confusing as a film can be. The script has a decent central idea, I kept thinking that there is a good film in here somewhere trying to get out & unfortunately it never does. Nuda per Satana really is as confused & nonsensical as everyone who has seen it suggests which doesn't make for good entertainment. There is no coherent narrative, the dialogue is sparse & doesn't help anything, it's hard to tell who's who on occasion & the lame climax that just confuses things even more, features silly dancing by people painted different colours & will leave you puzzled & scratching you head, what's the point of watching this film? Not good Luigi, not good. I don't mind a surrealistic or a dream like quality to a film (especially fantasy/horror) but the constant weirdness & confusing plot that makes no sense really hurts the film, if Nuda per Satana could even be described as a film. The character's are stupid, I mean would you stick around a house where you witness someone stabbed to death & not even mention it? I've heard of politeness to your host but this is ridiculous! The final nail in Nuda per Satana's coffin is that it is also very boring & just doesn't engage the viewer.

Director Batzella gives the film a wonderful dream like surreal visual quality, it's just a shame the story is so lame. From the fantastic Gothic castle with it's richly furnished interior, bright reds & golds throughout. The lighting, the soft focus, the style & the editing tricks are all impressive & deserve to be in a better film. The gore is none existent, but there is a fair amount of nudity, sex & lesbianism.

Technically Nuda per Satana is nice, the impressive cinematography I've mentioned & try to watch it in full 2:35:1 widescreen the way it should be, the locations are suitably atmospheric but there is one scene in which Susan is attacked by a paper mache spider with pipe cleaner legs that has to be one of the worst looking special effects ever, it's truly embarrassing to watch! I mean it looks like a primary school art project that went horribly wrong! The acting is OK but nobody gets to do much.

Nuda per Satana in my opinion isn't a film, it's a collection of strange imagery that makes no sense when put together. I really have no reason to recommend this film except for it's lush visual style. Disappointing & not worth tracking down. I'll give it four stars for the visual splendour alone.


My husband thought it would be fun to watch a bad Halloween-type movie with some unsuspecting friends. After all, we got the DVD on our honeymoon. To Walt Disney World, no less.

But fun? Oh, dear.

Four of us were begging to be put out of our misery.

As the movie began, the first lines were in English, on the Italian language track. Thinking, "Okay, it's on the English track" we were fine. Then everyone started speaking in Italian.

Why were the first lines in English???

Unfortunately, it went downhill.

Yes, there was nudity, as the title would suggest. Yes, there was "sex", as you would imagine would happen when there is nudity. However, they seemed to be afraid of using their tongues, which really takes away from the believability of the "sex".

The movie itself was slightly less painful than gouging your eyes out with a rusty spoon, but only because of the Butler, who resembled George Washington. Occasionally he would appear in the movie and laugh at you for watching, when he wasn't whipping the required lesbian maid. As the movie pressed on, we stopped cheering for the "hero" (not that we had started), and started cheering whenever Washington made his appearance. When he wasn't on screen, we asked "Where's Washington?"

If you like Italian cinema (we don't), I hear you'll like this. If you like MST3K (we do), you'll be able to tolerate it. If you don't like either, but like torturing yourself, by all means, pick up this movie!


Cronyn and Gardenia give sparkling and Emmy-winning performances. This movie presents a personal perspective of the aging process. Faced with contrasting experiences of "getting old" - Cronyn with a keen mind and frail body vs. Gardenia with the onset of senility and a healthy body - the two friends are friendly adversaries of the aging process. They provide mutual support to each other and their families as they "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." The portrayal of the nursing home experience is fairly accurate. I highly recommend that families view it together before they are forced to make difficult decisions about the welfare of their aging relatives.


Very touching warm film about two elderly men supporting each other both mentally and physically in their later years. One of the better films I have ever seen produced by HBO. Vincent Gardenia and Hume Cronyn are absolutely brilliant. Both actors won and deserved Emmy's for their performances. If you wanted to become an actor, watch this film and learn from two pros.


Hume Cronyn and Vincent Gardenia pull off brilliant acting performances in this little great movie. The dialogue is excellent and the chemistry between the main characters is rare. It was my first encounter with Cronyn, and I've been a fan ever since. "Hello another drop of Whiskey!"


My first encounter with Vincent Gardenia was in All In The Family, as he played the ditsy neighbor who cooked. Imagine my surprise when he put in a splendid effort in a serious way! The cast and story were superb. One of HBO's best! A Solid 9.


With all the things happening in America today this is a film everyone needs to see.

Through the life of Harry Bridges I learned so much about the beginnings of worker rights (longshoremen specifically) and labor history; unionization. The story covers the US depression up to the '70s - including the McCarthy era, and much more. Harry was on the cover of Time Magazine twice, spied on by the FBI, the US spent 21 years trying to deport him without success, and as an Aussie immigrant he spent his life making our Democracy live up to it's promise of equality for every man.

Ian Ruskin inhabits Harry as no one else could. I came away inspired by both Harry, who made a difference, and Ian who continues to make a difference by sharing Harry's life with us.

Very funny movie with a wicked sense of humor. Great music-and hours of amazing special features-Arlo Guthie, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Jackson Browne, and more.


A moving and inspiring story based on the struggles of the working class especially the Longshoreman.

You learn the harsh reality of what it took and how much was sacrificed for workers rights to gain the benefits that are so much a part of not just the longshoreman but everyones rights in the workplace today. Anyone who strives for fairness, honesty and equality in their own life and in the lives of everyone around them should see this movie.

Ian Ruskin's performance as Harry Bridges was a true portrayal of the man and his character. You find it hard to believe it is not Harry himself you are spending time with.


"Wharf Rats" is a very cleverly written and flawlessly performed documentary of the life of labor leader, Harry Bridges. It is a touching and inspirational film.

From his childhood in Australia, to his life as a merchant mariner, labor leader and his retirement, Ian Ruskin, the writer and star of the one-man play, has captured the essence of Harry Bridges and the times in which he lived.

The film captures the joys, sorrows, trials and tribulations of Harry Bridges and the labor movement from some of its darkest hours to one of its major triumphs. It also reveals the internal strife that is the labor movement and the beauty and weakness of the democratic process.

It is both a condemnation of the political/legal process and a testimony to the importance of the U.S. Constitution as the protector of the rights of the people.


This movie features one of our American working-class heroes. It is perfectly ironic that he was an Aussie. What a lesson for those considering immigration restrictions today!

This film should be required in all secondary schools worldwide. Bravo Ian Ruskin and Haskell Wexler!

Combining drama and theater with historical footage, this film brings to life the tumultuous times when working people in America made a great leap forward. All such movements require leaders who can make others believe that their lives are worth so much more than what some boss is willing to pay them for their labor.

Indeed, there is Strength in Unity. An Injury to One is an Injury to All!

Buy this DVD; get it on the air in your community.


...and become the basis for a year long course that would touch on history, sociology, politics, economics, law, and media literacy. There could also be a college level version of the course also, the controversy generated would be just as educational as the content....as, no doubt, there are still many American's who still don't "get" what the organized labor movement was/is all about.

This is a movie of a play on the life of labor leader Harry Bridges with some additional filmed scenes that was broadcast over PBS TV on Labor Day. The play is essentially a one man show in which THE MAN is Ian Ruskin, whose performance reincarnates the words and the spirit of a great working man.

The play is beautifully captured on film by director by Academy Avard winner Haskell Wexler.

Go see it for yourself, any way you can!!!


I remember seeing this as a kid in the theatre, and saw it again for the first time in many years on cable recently. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it after all this time. Russell's performance is quite believable, despite the fantastic story line. Really good entertainment, and blows away much of the modern Disney entertainment provided these days, which is pretty nauseating.


Add this to the list of great non-animated Disney movies and TV shows of the fifties and sixties (some others are "Darbie O'Gill and the Little People," "Follow Me, Boys," "Spin and Marty," and "The Hardy Boys.") This is wholesome, fun, family entertainment. But it's also witty, well-written and not overly sentimental. A nice slice of Americana at its best.

Kurt Russell, so appealing as a child actor in "Follow Me, Boys," returns to the screen as a nineteen-year-old (approximately) college student. His acting range is excellent, and he is accompanied by an able crew of supporting actors. Joe Flynn (who many will remember as the perpetually flustered captain in "McHale's Navy") is perfect as the dean of a private college that ranks low academically and in terms of financial resources in comparison to other colleges in the state -- especially the state university. Flynn -- in a sign of his college's limited resources -- drives what appears to be a Volkswagen Karman Ghia convertible. The driver's-side interior door latch is broken, so he simply uses a rope to keep it closed.

He complains that the state university is rolling in taxpayer money that his private college can't lay its hands on, and rants and raves in a meeting of the college board of directors about the unfairness of that and about how the president of the state university is "greedy." The students overhear all of this through a bug they've planted in the dean's office. The dean, having declared that the school can't afford a computer that one of the professors wants, goes on to mention the names of some of the students he thinks should be put on academic probation.

Hearing all of this, the students decide to try to get the computer themselves. What follows is a comedy of mishaps, misunderstandings and odd coincidences that is very entertaining. The overall theme -- that friendship is more important than money, fame and prestige -- is well supported by the plotting and character development in the movie.

This movie, in my opinion, is worth watching more than once. Part of its charm is that the conception of what a computer was and could do was so different in 1969 than it is today.

All in all, I highly recommend "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes."


"The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" is a very good film. Released by the Disney company in 1970 or so, it's a movie about a student who has all the knowledge, all the power, all the info - that made him as smart as one of those huuuuuge computers of the time!!!!! Hence, the name of the film is called "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes!"

I've seen this original version not on the Old Disney Channel, but on a local station late one Saturday night in '97. It was good; I also remember the 1995 TV remake that I watched on ABC as were we moving here to Texas!

Man, I wish I had all the knowledge like that boy did!!!!! Oops, this reminds me - I gotta quit writing reviews at the moment and finish writing my midterm paper - now!!!!!

Before I go, let me say, enjoy this film!!!!!

10/10


This was the first movie I saw with Kurt Russell, and have been a fan of him ever since. His acting in this film, as well other Disney films he was in, shows young Kurt firmly grasping what it takes to be a good actor, and he continues to do so to this day.

I saw this again recently, and its such a relief from some of the crap that Disney puts out now. Its a good example of good, clean family fun without the added bathroom jokes, etc., and for that reason I can see this might not appeal to kids today. But still, its a good, light-hearted comedy that'll still get a few laughs even today. Joseph McEveety provides a good story, and director Robert Butler executes it nicely. Joe Flynn and Cesar Romeo delivered some great performances, as did all the supporting cast.


This is just another one of those naive half-baked 60s movies that's not even good enough to show its face in a movie theater. The plot seemed really interesting, you know, a kid getting a computer into his head, if only the movie were as good! Uggh, it's just horrible. Life's time on earth is too precious to waste, and watching this movie would be an excellent way to waste it. It's like repeating the same scenes over and over and over and over again with different lines. I actually fell asleep during it. This was actually on Netflix, and the extremely corny movies are NEVER listed on there. I really can't believe they listed this. Please don't see it, take my word for it.


Rachel Hayward and Christopher Lloyd star in this much-misunderstood comedy of errors, set in Seattle, Washington. If you--like I--call this city your home, you will emit gleeful shouts of recognition time and time again as familiar landmarks appear on the screen. You'll see those trademark new Seattle buses, the green and yellow ones. You'll see white Seattle buses, with orange and red stripes. But wait--those aren't Seattle buses! While such visual jokes will really only make sense to Seattleites, there's certainly something in this film for everyone. People's faces shake. People take off clothes in laundromats. Other people get afflicted with the pesky ole' stigmata. Christopher Lloyd even talks theology with a nun.

Sit back with a friend or two, crack open bottles of MGD, and watch out for the scene where the mug hits the ceiling. It's a laugh a minute! I also found that this is a great movie to play with the volume turned down, at a party...your guests will thank you. Trust me!


I rented this movie because it had Adrian Paul in it, and yes, it did have Adrian Paul in it, but it just barely could be considered a speaking role, more likely hired for his body as he is featured in a couple of nude scenes. I could not believe how terrible the writing was, and the "special" effects I found to be inappropriate as well as damaging to the possibility of being appealing in a "psycho drama" kind of way. If you really want to mess up someones evening, recommend this film to them.


"Convergence" was a more appropriate title than "Premonition". At the beginning of the movie, Christopher Lloyd, says, "You look for reasons in this life, and sometimes you get an answer even if you have to wait awhile." This is a movie that you must watch and pay attention or you may miss something. Cynthia Preston was good as Ali and I liked Blu Mankuma's role as John. Adrian Paul did a very decent job in his part as Brady. Christopher Lloyd was wonderful and his thoughts were how I felt through out the movie. Several scenes made no sense at first and I am not sure that some ever did make any sense. It is definitely a psychological thriller and I felt like it gave me lots to think about after it ended even though I felt as though I was missing something during the movie. Nevertheless, even with the flaws in this movie is still worth watching. I would recommend this movie highly for those interested in the genre. It was at times confusing, but so is life and it will leave you thinking.


Very intriguing, kept me on the edge of my seat, the plot was different, it is worth watching. Adrian Paul did a great job with his role. Cynthia Preston is a great actress and of course Christopher Lloyd is fantastic. It took time to get the plot, but in the end it was worth it.


Quite a well-made film reminding of Point of Destination. In some parts definitely smarter than the latter (nb: and made one year earlier).

Mainly suitable cast, good score, rainy melancholy-soaked background, odd camera angles etc. First half of the film is in fact nearly excellent (something like a very good Millennium episode, only - series in question never got that good). Unfortunately afterwards some certain slack in the intrigue starts to show up when the authors tend to delay obvious revelations and artificially hold up things from happening. No particular special effects, but thoroughly created atmosphere. A jolly good Christopher Lloyd.

Bottomline, apparently not an 'A' feature, but indeed worth watching for fans of a diverse range of films: Xfiles, Millennium, Point of Destination, Fallen, Prophecy etc.


I enjoyed this movie, very much. I keep expecting certain things and never got them. This was a very original film, not at all what I expected.

Adrian Paul was terrific. His character when from shy to aggressive in the blink of an eye. After seeing him in the Highlander movies and series this was certainly a change.

I loved this movie!


I watched l'Iceberg last night, and I have to say, right from the beginning, a smile never left my face. It may not be the style of humor that everyone likes nowadays.

The film has a very light atmosphere, but it is not necessary to look to deeply. Very inspired by Tati, the film requires only simple observation without trying to look very deep.

I was lucky enough to be in the presence of the two lead actors at the theater here in Strasbourg. Afterwards, Fiona Gordon made it perfectly clear that this film is meant to be simple and pleasant, yet the laughs continued non-stop. Do not expect a typical American-styled humor in this film.

For any fans of a lighter style of humor, this movie should do wonders. I can't praise this movie enough :)


I have had a chance to see L'Iceberg on the Debut Film Festival in Zagreb, where I live. I was reluctant to see it at first, but when I did, it completely blew my mind - the acting, the directing, the writing, the cinematography - perfect! Basically, it is a story of a family woman, Fiona (Fiona Gordon, who works in a fast-food restaurant. One day, before returning home to her estranged husband Julien (Dominique Abel), she gets accidentally locked in the restaurant's room-sized freezer. Even though she survives, she develops a strange affection - one may say addiction - for ice and cold. Once she returns home, she sees a TV documentary about an iceberg (hence the title) on the far north and attempts to reach it, no matter what. In her pursuit of her cold goal, she elopes into a small village on the north of Belgium, where she tries to convince a deaf-mute sailor, Rene (Philippe Martz), to take to the iceberg. Her husband follows her and tries to convince her to return to her family, but she refuses and goes on the trip with Rene. But, what she doesn't know is that her husband has hidden himself aboard Rene's boat, which is *so* aptly named Titanic...

The film is a series of static shots, each one crafted so perfectly in every aspect. Each of the shots contains its own gag, which are mostly slapstick, and at other times very subtle jokes concerning family life, village folk and people's habits. Every shot is also fascinatingly choreographed and photographed, which makes the audience feel like they are watching a painting come to life. There is only one moving shot in the entire film - a panning shot of the boat with all three main characters on it.

On top of all that, the film is extremely funny, and I think everybody could find something for them in it - whether it is slapstick, parody, absurd or simply surrealism (Like the shot of Julien watching a huge ocean-liner sailing less than ten feet from their boat, which the other two characters don't notice). In simpler terms, a cross between Charles Chaplin, Jacques Tati and Monty Python.

10 out of 10, a must-see!


The Belgian comedy, "L'Iceberg," is such a head-scratching little oddity that it is virtually impossible to describe it for anyone who hasn't already seen it. It's a highly stylized tale of a young restaurant manager who decides to break away from her stultifying and humdrum existence after she inadvertently locks herself in a freezer overnight - only to discover, once she gets out, that her husband and their two carbon-copy young children have failed to notice her absence. Realizing her utter insignificance to those around her, Fiona strikes out on her own, abandoning her job and staying away from home for long stretches of time - eventually setting out to sea with a mysterious deaf/mute sailor she meets along the way.

Utilizing concepts straight out of the Theater of the Absurd, "L'Iceberg" pokes fun at the sterility of modern life, as Fiona finally breaks free of the bonds of domesticity and goes on a quest for love and adventure. Directors Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon (who play the husband and wife in the film) have composed their film almost entirely of straight-on block shots, perfect for emphasizing the surreal spareness of the drama and setting. The lanky, bug-eyed Gordon, who looks for all the world like a cross between Frances McDormand and a stringy-haired Olive Oyl, plays Fiona with a mouth-breathing, deadpanned seriousness that enhances our empathy for the character and heightens the satirical nature of the piece.

Original in concept and bold in execution, "L'Iceberg" is irrepressibly imaginative and visually inventive in its cockeyed portrayal of the world around us.


the fairytale was well to the fore in this completely charming quest film, which has such striking individual scenes that i think the directors must have a background in theatre drama. There s a charming(and accurate in essence) demonstration of the co operative nature of french village life, of suburban relationships, of the desire that women have for a life which contains a little of magic and adventure.Fiona Gordon has the grace of a dancer, and the plight of her husband is both pathetic and noble, as well as funny. after watching the film i kept remembering little pieces that made me laugh, and beautiful evocations of.... icebergs?


Make no mistake about it, Belgium is a country whose cinema is to be reckoned with. They are perfectly able to turn out some edgy psychological dramas ('De Zaak Alzeimers',or as it's known in this country,'Mind Of A Killer'),as well as some silly,surreal comedy's (as in the case of this film). The Iceberg is one of those films in the later category. The story concerns a middle aged housewife in Brussels, who accidentally gets locked in a meat locker in the local fast food take away where she manages,has a traumatic experience as a result of it, and ends up leaving her family to take up in a quirky seaside village in (one supposes)Scotland. What happens from there has to be seen to be believed. Slapstick comedy occasionally ensues this candy coloured gem of a film. I know I certainly walked out feeling good about myself. You'll have to keep your eyes opened,as this film probably won't play out at many cinemas (and as far as I know, no American standard DVD exists as of yet,despite the fact that the film was released in 2005).


I was simply enchanted by seeing this movie. From the beginning till the end, it captivated me. And I must note that Belgian (not French: Belgian, it is quite not the same!) cinema is the best one: remember "Man Bites Dog" (French Title: "C'est arrivé près de chez vous", means "it occurred just near your home")! The authors, worthy heirs of Jacques Tati ("Les Vacances de M. Hulot"/"M. Hulot's Holidays", "Mon Oncle"/"My uncle", ...) , give us a movie full of poetry and refined humor. It is pure fantasy, all you got to do is to let you go to it! Go and see this movie, quickly, and if it does not play in a theatre near you, come and visit Paris or Bruxelles... You'll be able to see it!


I love European films because of keeping their nativity and don't looking forward to earn money. Most of them are still an "art", not like Hollywood-made ones.

And this one is the best comedy i've ever seen. There are everything! From tears, to freedom, from sadness, to boyishness. I couldn't stop laughing almost all the movie time (exept those, few sad episodes), and i couldn't stop laughing an hour after the movie! Excellent actors, excellent acting, excellent episodes, everything was excellent! I'm so exited, that i'll have to wait a bit of time, till i bring myself to watch another comedy. And i loved those few and short dialogs, because actors were so expressive that words were dispensable, to understand, what they want to say.

I hope you'll enjoy this movie, just like i did.


I think this is one of the first Belgium films I've ever seen so I didn't really know what to expect.

Keeping in mind that I saw this in France, in French, with no English subtitles I think I understood well enough the plot. (je parle assez bien francais) Not to give anything away, a 40 something woman who works in a fast food shop gets locked into the shops freezer. From then she experiences I guess what you could call a mid-life crisis.

It's funny, in an offbeat sort of way, there's not a lot of dialog... and i really must insist, if you do happen to find a copy of this film watch it in french with subtitles (i swear you lose so much from films when you watch it in the dubbed version) I'd give it 8 out of ten, because i came out of the cinema with a smile on my face thinking 'what the?' lol


I bought this garbage for only $3 in the used DVD bargain bin, and I still feel ripped off and cheated - out of money and time.

I am not a bore, and I do appreciate intelligent art films and such. This however is a quiet, go-nowhere, predictable, pretentious film that should never have been made. I am disturbed to think that the filmmakers are out there somewhere congratulating themselves on this garbage. I'm sure fans will think they are very smart for sitting through this mind-numbing catastrophe.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME.

Synopsis: Quirky girl stuck in fridge, gets out, notices no one loves her, develops affinity for all things cold and men on boats, pursues ice. The End.

There, I just saved you from wasting your time watching "L' Iceberg." You're welcome.


I will not bother with a plot description of L'Iceberg, since that has been done adequately by a previous reviewer. However, I must disagree with that same person's opinions about the film.

In short it is a very bleak and rather depressing type of comedy. The central character and her family lead a desperately empty existence, which is portrayed well by the bleak cinematography of Belgian suburbia and a dreary port town.

There is precious little dialogue and yet plenty of Belgian-style slapstick interaction between characters. The effect of the film is not uplifting, cheery or even diverting. I have watched many many French-language films - and unfortunately this was the worst I have ever seen.

You have been warned.


Naughty But Nice is the story of a professor of music (Dick Powell) who wants his rhapsody to be published. His innocence and lack of taste buds rope him into a contract writing popular music with a female singer (Gale Page), a style that he hates. He becomes hugely popular, and another singer (Ann Sheridan) attempts to steal his talents for herself through shady means.

It is very strange to see Powell in such a film as the character he is. He is an extreme intellectual at the expense of his charm and handsomeness. He does get to show off his beautiful voice, but it is quickly and not very memorable. Zasu Pitts, a former silent movie star, makes a favorable impression as an eccentric and funny aunt of Powell.

There are some very enjoyable parts to the film, especially the bits about the lemonade, but it is rather predictable in places and somewhat dull in others.


With the filming of Naughty But Nice, Dick Powell ended his contract with Warner Brothers and never set foot on that lot again. He wanted desperately to do dramatic material and Warners gave him nothing but lightweight stuff. It would be another four years before he was able to convince someone to cast him in drama and RKO got a genuine hit in Murder My Sweet when they did.

Powell plays a sheltered music professor at a very snobby college who's been raised by three maiden aunts. The character is obviously ripped off from Cary Grant's paleontology professor in Bringing Up Baby. He's written a concerto, but music publisher Ronald Reagan sees some popular tune in it and publishes it as such.

Powell than becomes the object of singer Ann Sheridan's and lyric writer Gale Page's romantic and business desires. The fun is seeing who he winds up with.

Harry Warren and Al Dubin who wrote some really great songs for Dick Powell in those Busby Berkeley films write absolutely nothing of consequence here. In any event Powell wanted desperately out of musicals.

Especially stuff like this.


Dick Powell , in this film, is the unlikely, subject of a would-be love triangle with Gale Page and Ann Sheridan. Unlikely because he resembles David Byrne from the Talking Heads and isn't exactly the type of guy you'd think Page and Sheridan would fight over.

That being said, the real reason to watch this movie is Ann Sheridan, who is beautiful, but gorgeous.

All in all Naughty But Nice is good, but ok.


Remember the days when Joe Namath was a sex symbol? You can relive his glory years by catching this otherwise dreadful faux-spaghetti western. Joe plays an ex-Confederate soldier out to make it rich with buddy Jack Elam. When Joe decides to 'act', he raises his eyebrows and smirks...ever so slightly. More memorable is Jon Lord and Tony Ashton's entirely inappropriate soundtrack. A little Deep Purple pomposity here, an Ashton, Gardner and Dyke power ballad there...apparently producer Larry Sprangler wasn't about to pay for a decent composer like Morricone, Piccioni, or Umiliani.


Freshman director Denys McCoy's post American Civil War western "The Last Rebel" with Joe Namath, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Ty Hardin amounts to a sorry excuse for a horse opera. Indeed, "Beyond the Law" scenarist Warren Kiefer and co-scripter Rea Redifer have fashioned an entirely believable, hopelessly predictable and happily simple oater about two Confederate soldiers that fall out with each other and shoot up a town in Missouri. The best thing about this amateurishly lensed and edited western is the anachronistic orchestral score that Jon Lord and Tony "Deep Purple" Aston provided. It is easy to understand why Denys McCoy dropped out of sight after "The Last Rebel," since he couldn't stage suspenseful action scenes. The next best thing is the Harper's Weekly wood cuts of the Civil War that appear behind the opening credits.

The setting is southwest Missouri in the spring of 1865. The Federal troops are dug in on one side of the river, while the Confederate troops have fortified themselves on the opposite bank. Matt Graves (Jack Elam of "Kansas City Confidential") spots a duck splashing about in the river. He rouses Burnside Hollis (Joe Namath of "Avalanche Express") and Hollis grabs his rifle. A Union rifleman takes aim at the duck, but Hollis blows the bird out of the water with one shot. The Union sharpshooter grumbles with feeling, "That reb never misses."

Nine minutes into the storyline, a Confederate messenger arrives and informs the lieutenant that Lee has surrendered in Virginia and that they have to lay down their arms. The lieutenant (Herb Andress of "Lady Frankenstein") rides out to meet a Union officer (Sebastian Segriff) in the middle of the river to discuss terms of surrender. The Union officer warns him that he must display a white flag. Before the Confederate lieutenant can pull a white flag to stick on his saber, the Yankees cut him down in a hail of gunfire. Burnside Hollis decides that he doesn't want to wind up in a Federal prison camp so he skedaddles and Matt follows him. They ride off and don't stop until they spot a southern lynch mob about to hang a former Union soldier, Duncan (Woody Strode of "The Professionals"), and Hollis demands his release. He gives Duncan a horse to ride and scatters the southerners.

Later that evening, Matt gets a lot off his chest. He confides in Hollis. "I don't like the way things are going. What I mean is, here we are, two busted rebels out in the middle of nowhere, with a rock (Duncan) in our pocket. The way I see it, we been running so long we don't know how to do nothing else. It's time that we stopped and dug our heels in." Matt is the schemer of the bunch.

Hollis trusts Duncan, but Matt doesn't share Hollis' sentiments toward Duncan. Our heroes find a stagecoach with a dead man in it and a young girl. When they arrive in town with the stagecoach, Hollis and Matt tell the sheriff (a bearded Ty Hardin of "PT-109") about what happened. He wants them to get out of town in an hour. Our heroes cheerfully ignore him and set themselves up over at Pearl's place, a sort of saloon & cathouse. Meanwhile, Matt obtains Hollis a suit of clothes that only a tin-horn would wear. Hollis sucks a pool hustler and takes him for every cent. Basically, he wins about $4-thousand dollars and he entrusts it for safe keeping with Duncan so that he can enjoy himself in the arms of Pearl (Victoria George of "El Dorado") Matt demands his share of the loot. Hollis tells him that he gave it all to Duncan but he doesn't know Duncan's whereabouts. Hollis tracks down Duncan. Duncan, it seems, had taken the cash and hidden it in his double-barreled shotgun. Mattmasquerading as the Klu Klux Klansneaks up on them and arrests them. They have Hollis and Duncan dig a deep hole and then toss in knives to see who will survive. Our heroes surprise the bad guys and decimate them with the help of a young African-American youth (Bruce Eweka) who wields a rifle.

Later, Matt teams up with the sheriff, but their alliance is short-lived when Duncan drops the lawman with both barrels of his double-barreled shotgun and Hollis drill him once for good measure. One of Matt's trigger-happy pistoleros shoots Pearl. This is the only surprising thing about "The Last Rebel," since the Pearl character had done nothing wrong. Hollis resolves to kill the assassin. He wants to confront Matt out on main street, but by this time, Matt's men have started a fire. Duncan laments the fire. "It'd be nice to use that front door once." Hollis smashes through a window, lands in the street and starts blasting away, while Duncan joins him. Hollis strikes a heroic pose as the fire consumes Pearl's place in the blazing inferno behind him.

"The Last Rebel" qualifies as an execrable oater. Joe Namath isn't much of an actor. In all fairness to Namath, the role of Burnside Hollis didn't give him much to work with to craft a character. When Hollis decides to ride back to town to save the girl, Duncan observes, "That's playing a damn fool." Hollis replies, "Well, I guess I never was much else." Jack Elam as the principal villain, Woody Strode as the ex-Union soldier, and Ty Hardin as a corrupt sheriff fare better in their respective roles. Ty Hardin has a great death scene in the lobby of the bordello where he gets riddled with bullets. Aside from the knowledge that this movie was shot in Rome, "The Last Rebel" doesn't at all resemble a spaghetti western. Cinematographer Carlo Carlini's work here is pathetic compared with his stupendous work on "Death Rides A Horse." When "The Last Rebel" came out, it was still acceptable to refer to African-Americans by the 'n' word.


This movie is #1 on my all time worst movie list. Besides the fact that it has no plot, and that Joe Nameth is a mediocre actor at best; it is a western set to "modern" 1970's music. Very strange. No wonder it was listed as "To Be Announced" in the paper. My mom and I first saw this in the mid-1970's and even back then, we joked that the name of the film should be "Joe Nameth Goes to Mexico to Get Laid". That is basically the entire plot. Joe was a great football player and some people thought he was handsome, but that does not necessarily mean the man can act. Do yourself a favor and skip this movie, unless you are curious just to see how bad a movie can be.


Yes, I've seen worse films but this was so bad they had trouble keeping horses during the shooting; the critters would all run off at night. To say Joe Willie's talents lay elsewhere would be the understatement of the decade. His dismal performance wasn't all that noticeable, however, because everybody else stunk like a week old corpse in a broken icebox during a Texas heat wave. Even Elam, one of my all time faves, couldn't keep a straight face in many of his scenes. There was so much ham in this turkey that if Jimmy Dean bought it he would have to open up a new building to process all the pork. Seldom have I seen a greater collection of grinning jackasses than were displayed in this thinly plotted venture. The soundtrack was interesting but all that rock music never quite dovetailed with the action on the screen.


If you thought movies could not get worse than Solar Crisis or any other film abandoned to the name of Alan Smithee, this will give you hope in the F movie genre, no Ed O'Ross or Wings House here.

The editing is non-existent, there are no transitions between scenes, the music is constantly morphing from fusion jazz, classic country, pre-techno/industrial and back again. The actors seem lost, Jack Elam had one of the ugliest mugs in cinematic history, Joe 'Wooly' Namath hopefully has forgotten this monstrosity of a spaghetti western.

This film is pure concentrated evil that should have been left buried in its infernal tomb, but nevertheless Encore/Starz felt it was necessary to force suffering on their ad-hoc loyal viewers.

You will be in shock and awe that such a heap could ever have been made, i cant spoil the plot because there was none discernible in the mess of the Last Rebel.


I saw SECOND BEST last year at the Sundance Film Festival. Eric Weber has brought us a heart-felt and touching film about the lovable loser Elliot (played by the always entertaining Joe Pantoliano). Beyond being bitter sweet, this film is also very funny. It is not very often that a movie combines being so tragic and hilarious as well as Eric has in this film.

As a woman, I also found this movie enlightening. It is rare look into what men are really thinking from envy of wealthy friends to attraction to women they cannot have. This movie is required viewing for every woman out there, believe me, it makes you think! See this movie. You will be glad you did.


I must admit that seeing a 3.8/10 by IMDb users before I saw this film was not the most encouraging thing for me to read before seeing this movie, which was played for the Trenton (NJ) Film Society last night. But I was pleasantly surprised. Joey "Pants" is actually restrained in this role, and isn't his typical over-the-top screaming character. All the other performances are also quite strong, especially Boyd Gaines. Normally, a film where people are wallowing in their inadequacies is NOT something I'm typically attracted too...that whole "victim culture" is something that I despise. But the film doesn't harp on that aspect as much as I thought it would. Or perhaps it's just that the writing is so superb. I hope this becomes more widely released, as I think it's definitely a worthwhile independent film to see.


I enjoyed "Second Best" greatly. It is a deftly-constructed study of a group of old friends, with the emphasis on the character Elliot (Joe Pantoliano). Elliot thinks of himself as a loser, especially by contrast with his old friend Richard, who's got it all--the beautiful wife, tons of money, memberships in the best country clubs, great looks. He can't help but confront his friends with their own failings, as well as his own. But when the chips are down, it's Elliot who comes through as a real mensch, a good guy in the most important ways, and the film leaves you with the sense that in every important respect Elliot is not "second best" at all. He is the true hero of the movie, as improbable as that may seem at first. Eric Weber clearly has a great affection for his characters, and he represents them with great humor as well as a deep understanding. This is an American-made film that reminds you of the foreign movies you love so much (especially if you're sick as I am of car chases, explosions, and special effects). Highly recommended.


I really enjoyed this film. Eric Weber is a talented writer/director. I would like to see more from him. I thought the acting was very good especially the son. Joey Pants was perfect for the lead. He captured the role and had me believing that he was a troubled soul. Boyd Gaines was also great as the friend/nemesis. We all have people like this in our lives, some one who has "made it" while we wait for the big breaks. It was neat as well to see Polly Draper (big 30 Something fan). She should do more features. As for Eric Weber, I believe that this film bests "Suits" and his ability to tell a good story well should ensure him continued years of writing, directing and producing. Let's get this thing into the theaters across the country already!


"Second Best" shows what the guys from HBO's "Entourage" may be like 40 years from now, so Mark Wahlberg might want to see it as a cautionary tale.

Like "American Splendor," it features a self-deprecating, self-proclaimed loser who turns his life into art, here as rants that he prints up himself and distributes everywhere around his suburban New Jersey home town.

But "Elliott" is not a loner or a misanthrope which is what saves him, as played by Joe Pantoliano, from being insufferable or pitiful like "Marty." He is very much a part of a network of friends, family and community, and he is even on tolerated terms with those who have moved on with their lives, including his re-married ex-wife and son (who might be the first handsome gay dental hygienist ever portrayed in film).

The actors are very comfortable at showing middle-aged, male camaraderie of long time friends, as an unusually expressive self-reflective bunch who talk about more than sports. Though their weekly dinners could put the men's movement back a bit as "Elliott" becomes increasingly lacerating in criticizing his friends' lives, that disruptive nastiness becomes an equalizing set-up when the only alpha male from their group, in a sympathetic three-dimensional performance by Boyd Gaines such that Jerry Bruckheimer should be very grateful this is his alter-ego, comes back to visit the old neighborhood with his own existential crisis.

Until writer/director Eric Weber stoops to the standard male competitive reflex of jealousy over women ending in fisticuffs, which, frankly, just doesn't make sense for these guys despite the Cyrano analogy, he does present an articulate examination (with a lot of Yiddish phrases) of coming to grips with aging, from their own health problems to the mother's nursing home (though Barbara Barrie seems much more spry than the other residents). That more depressing side of aging baby boomers was left out of "Sideways," though this film also has plenty of funny one-liners, sometimes with easy targets like Hollywood and books, to compensate.

While the women's tolerance of their men's quirks is saintly, at least they are not portrayed as total bitches, though this is a somewhat cynical reunion for Pantoliano and Jennnifer Tilly since "Bound."

While "Elliott" got laid off from his publishing job for not being in touch with the market, he is in touch with today's world enough to begin to simultaneously post his rantings as columns on a web blog, and the film's inserts of reactions he generates both in the neighborhood and online from around the country are amusing, keep the film contemporary-feeling and move along the leisurely pace.

The Bergen County, NJ locales are used very well in creating the feel of a neighborhood.

Tom O'Brien's score is lovely.

I don't know if it was the fault of the projectionist or the director that the tops of heads were cut off in so many blurry scenes.


Well, i thought this film was going to be an uncomfortable and depressing experience, dealing as it does with personal failure and the jealousy, despondency and self-loathing it can create. But as it turns out, this film is a gem - real, uplifting, moving but unsentimental. It illustrates perfectly how people's unfulfilled aspirations and desires and their search for "success" can blind them to the true worthwhile and positive aspects of themselves and their lives.

I'm currently reading a book about status anxiety. This is a human condition that is rampant in modern society and it effects all of us to some extent - the need to keep up appearances with our peers (in a material sense) or else believe ourselves to be unloved, useless failures. money = success. This film illustrates this condition perfectly. It also shows us that no one can be a "loser" when they have good friends, people they love and care about and can have fun with. At the end of the day who is the real loser? The millionaire with no friends (real that is) or the toilet attendant with many?

Very few films like this are made any more - intelligent, though-provoking, profound and uncompromising. No car chases, no unnecessary violence, no product placement, just a very good film.


fine film, situations are very much a part of many peoples lives. entertaining storyline, filled with real life situations. who among us hasn't suffered from feeling second best. a good reflection of many peoples feelings and insecurities. good casting and well directed film. film takes you through a full range of emotions, laughter, angst, it's all there. acting is very good. scene locations are excellent. constantly reminded of personal situations that are similar to film. if you have ever felt second best, you will enjoy the film. and who hasn't felt that at some point. it makes a common human condition very entertaining.


You did it!!! You changed film. You did art, comedy, and pain. Thank you, thank you so much for starting something that everyone else who comes in 2nd needs. Thank you for putting yourself second, which puts you in 1st.

People will talk of this film for years to come and what relevance it has to the film experience and shared pain. When you allowed the guy in the wheel chair to have honor, and all of them to have honor in everything it was breathtaking.

The mom was sweet, the idea was inspired, and everything made sense. It's about damn time someone stepped up and made a film like this. It speaks to so many people you'd be amazed. I can count a billion 2nds and not many 1st's. Bravo!

Best in show

Best to go!


SECOND BEST has an original film language -- the protagonist pours his angry heart into a self-published news letter. He is angry at how awful he feels about himself vis a vis his richer, better-looking, taller, more self-assured friends and neighbors. They drive better cars, smoke richer cigars, bed prettier women, eat juicier steaks. Certain that no one will publish his newsletter, he pins it up around town, places it under car windshields, stuffs it in local mail boxes. Most people just throw it in the garbage, others find it offensive, and yet with a few it resonates. They respond to the author's website address with tales of inadequacy of their own. This all takes place against a suburban Jersey backdrop, where four middle-aged male friends hang out not that differently than they did in high school -- frequenting pick up bars, Chinese restaurants, and burnt out municipal golf courses. Their lives are not turning out as they had imagined when graduating college. Now, thirty years later, these baby boomers are experiencing problems with their careers, marriages, health and children. Yet they stick together, cobbling a life of humor, sports, dating, and ribald conversation just as fun as if they'd each had a couple of million bucks.


In the preview I saw for 'Second Best,' it was billed as a comedy. If this is comedy, Bergman must be a farceur.

I'm in the 50ish age category that this film allegedly examines. If I had friends like the five characters on display here, I'd be looking for new friends.

'Second Best' amounts to yet another dreary coming-of-age exercise done in reverse. (Is it my imagination, or is every third film about coming of age in one way or another?) The five are altogether unappealing caricatures of frantic men who have spent a lifetime apparently engaging in infantile, giggling, 100% sex-based conversations that make you want to smack them all up side the head.

This film dragged on forever, yet it's only 86 minutes long (90 minutes with credits). It spends 10 minutes alone on a golf game to underscore the life-long jealousy between Boyd Gaines and Joe Pantoliano (who also served as this film's producer).

Gaines plays a very successful Hollywood producer who reads 'bushels of scripts' every day. Elliot the Nebbish -- Pantoliano -- just happens to have a script. Enter a 'conflict' point in the film, and also enter a very big 'clunk' of disbelief for me: why would such an upwardly mobile, very ambitious guy, who escaped the tedious, dead-end life of a suburban Jerseyite, still consider the pathetic, terminally whiny Elliot his very best friend after all these years? Writer/director Weber tries to explain it in his dialogue, but it's a pretty hollow explanation.

If indie films are to succeed, they have to overcome poor direction, pedestrian acting and, most conspicuously, lousy editing. With about 50 judicious snips, this film could have been slightly better. Again and again, the camera lingers awkwardly and self-consciously, as if it were looking for a place to go.

I love Joe Pantoliano, but he sleep-walks through this film; it's one of those 'phone-in' performances. Bronson Pinchot gives us his 25 different definitions of 'smirk' (if this guy is a trauma surgeon in a hospital, patients beware). And boyish, churlish Boyd Gaines is a world-famous producer of Hollywood blockbusters? It just doesn't work.

'Second Best' is not IN ANY WAY A COMEDY (except, perhaps, unintentionally). As a satire, it might have worked. Weber needed about 95 per cent more subtlety, irony and nuance, but he doesn't deliver. It's an earnest effort that falls flat. We are left with a dreary story about dreary characters who are difficult to care about. That's a recipe for cinematic failure, and maybe that's appropriate -- failure seems to be one of the film's principal motifs.


Crossing the line from sweet to saccharine is all too easy, with the majority of films that dare go near true sentiment ending up knee-deep in aspartame. But Second Best prances on that line with aplomb and grace. I realize that, "sweet," would not be the first adjective out of one's mouth after seeing Second Best, but sweet is what it is. Sweet it is to realize that average is as human as we get; sweet it is to realize that jealousy is as common as the cold; sweet it is to realize that real success has little to do with winning; and sweet it is to once again realize that the journey is far more interesting than the destination.

So, at the risk of sounding a bit gooey, myself, I think Eric Weber has come up with a very sweet and funny movie. It deals with failure, misguided potential and loss but you actually come out of the movie feeling good. Good in the way that Garden State, or the Station Agent, or even The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind makes you feel. The direction, the dialog and the performances  especially that of Joey Pantalione  ring true and honest and real without even a hint of the after taste of Sweet 'N Low. To me it was the kind of movie that you wished didn't end so fast. It's good for all of us second besters. The winners can stay away.


I was lucky enough to see a screening of Second Best at the Hamptons Film Festival. It's a wonderful film, with snappy, smart, funny dialogue, solid acting by Joe Pantolione and Boyd Gaines, as well as a comfortable blanket of familiarity as everyone has a touch of the "loser" within them. For fans of good drama and the dynamics of male friendships, not to mention desperation, jealousy, and sarcasm, or those who want to laugh out loud, I heartily recommend this movie. Not long after, I saw Sideways, which also deals with the friendship of two off-beat males. If you liked Sideways, you'll like Second Best. While this one doesn't have the wine and the vineyards, it certainly possesses the same biting humor, outrageous moments, and thoughtfulness. All in all, a kickin' indie flick.


I was pleasantly surprised when I caught this film on the IFC today, well written, snappy and real dialog, as well as relevant.

Good performances by Joe Pantoliano, Barbara Barrie, Bronson Pinchot, Jennifer Tilly, and Boyd Gaines(very amusing) as successful Hollywood producer, visiting his old high school friends in New Jersey.

This film has reality and relevance. The usual story of the high school popular guy (Gaines) and his long suffering friend (Pantoliano) and their group of friends. Basically Pantoliano starts an internet column ("for losers") and people begin to respond, telling tales of their lives, layoffs, and family issues.

A few very good cameos include Polly Draper (late 1980's "30 Something" TV fame), Barbara Barrie ("Breaking Away"), and Paulina Poriskova ( late 1980's swimsuit/Estee Lauder model) Overall, you will enjoy this film. It is sarcastic and real, and well worth seeing for any baby boomer's, as well as the rest of us. Highly recommended. 9/10.


I watched this today on IFC knowing nothing about it, & thoroughly enjoyed it. It was really nice to see Barbara Barrie(Mrs Barney Miller)again. I emailed my 40-50 y/o golf buddies to tell them it's a must. Since I first saw Joe Pantiliano as a pimp in "Risky Business", I've always enjoyed him. In "The Fugitive"/"US Marshals", and especially in "Steal Big, Steal Little", he was one of the strongest cast members(I happen to think "Steal Big, Steal Little" is a great little ensemble piece. "Second Best" is full of humor, as well as chock full of pathos. I can totally identify with aging boomers, growing older, contemplating the roads not taken, the missteps, and the changing relationships with lifetime or oldtime friends


Excellent movie! Jersey rocks again! I can relate. This film says a lot about society. We can see a bit of ourselves in every story within the stories. Honestly when I first started the watching the movie, I thought it was a Showtime series and not a movie. I even forgot the name of it and had to hit info a second time. Not that it was bad but it was so good that I had to make sure of what I was watching. My high school's ten year reunion is coming up in a few weeks and upon serious introspection, I have to relate my own life this highly entertaining movie. We all have feelings about another's success and how we have our own shortcomings that amount to skipping the fact we have to earn things in life and being jealous is truly a sin. We as people dismiss our feelings of jealousy as being acceptable but when push comes to shove, you have to be a winner at heart and meticulously trained. This movie notates the reality of things; you ultimately have to live up to the role inside your collective head. This movie is a must see who has to fess up to their own shortcomings.


I rented this movie to see how the Sony pd170 camera shoots, (I recently purchased the same camera) and was blown away by the story and the acting. The directing, acting, editing was all above what I expected from what appeared at first glance to be a "Low budget" type of movie.

I learned a lot from the film as an actor and a Director of Photograpy. Thanks for making a great movie. As an indie film maker (Currently shooting "Bank+Shot" in New Orleans Louisiana and surrounding areas I also recommend "Peices of April" with Katie Holmes.

Gary Desroche


It may not be an honorable choice, to live life the way the main character does, but the movie is worthy of your attention. I bumped into it on a movie channel and hung around once I saw "Joey Pants" was in it. He's always interesting.

A group of aging men, bewildered at why life has not turned out better for them, meet on a regular basis, complain, kid themselves, and behave badly.

The film is funny, sad, and oddly touching. Only one of them, a Hollywood big shot, has 'made it' the way the guys left behind define it.

There's a great scene at a private club on the golf course that will make you wince.


I had a chance to see this film while attending the Sundance film festival last year. I was attracted by the great cast put together by the films director Eric Weber. Joey "Pants" Pantoliano, Jennifer Tilly, Bronson Pinchot and others. I was also surprised to see "The Patty Hearst". While the acting was terrific it was really the content and the characters that made my time viewing enjoyable. In addition I also liked the way it was shot it felt very homey and was not overwhelming which allowed the flavor of the story to shine through. We can all relate to the main character with his current life(never quite getting to the top) and seeing the success of his long time friend, it will hit close to home for many. Go enjoy this film and bring a friend.


Second Best is a fearless, deeply funny, utterly authentic and uncommonly intelligent film. Untainted by commercialism, it never panders or shies away from the truth as Mr. Weber sees it. Graceful direction gives Weber's dialog and the cast's big chops a wide berth, to great effect. Breaking ranks from an industry obsessed with stories about young people that are marketed to even younger ones, Second Best seeks an adult, or at least a thinking, audience. It gives us mature leads and tougher story lines, and admits to the possibility that outside of the 310 area code, not every dream must necessarily come true. Its characters even dare to be unsympathetic at times, like actual human beings. People who admire the best films of Woody Allen, Richard Curtis, Whit Stillman, Richard Linklater and Bill Forsythe will find Eric Weber a worthy member of that pantheon.


This movie was atrocious. I got in for free and I walked out. This is one of those movies that would never have been made if the writer didn't know some famous people. Joe Pantoliano whines his way through the movie, spouting diatribes about what big losers he and his friends are. Of course he is a writer, a common conceit among the self-indulgent independent screenwriter/director crowd. He complains and complains about being a loser, despite the fact that his ex-wife and girlfriend are both hot, he has a bunch of friends, and has plenty of time to give out his diatribes, as well as an audience to listen to them. This self-indulgent trash was sickening and an insult to talented writers who can't get their films made because they don't have the ins with talented actors like Pantoliano. In fact, all the actors turn in fine performances, which is the only thing that comes close to saving this film. All things being equal though, go see something else.


The girls had Terms of Endearment, Places In The Heart and One Life to Live; we had Mike Hammer. Fair swap. Fast and silly and tongue firmly planted in cheek, this series must've decimated Hollywood's supply of uplift bras and clinging tops and was just the thing for a twentysomething bloke with lots of hormones.

OK, it wasn't rocket science, but it's Spillane, not Shakespeare. Mike was cool, there was enough plot to see you through to the next starlet and there were some genuinely funny moments. Unfortunately, it was all cut short by Keach's arrest in England on drug charges; but even before that the politically-correct brigade had managed to dilute it of most of the things we watched it for to begin with.

Pity. I still want to know who the Face was.


Kevin Smith has delved into action ("Mallrats"), drama ("Chasing Amy") and philosophy ("Dogma") in his Askewniverse, but Clerks, the first film of the series, is still the best.

Shot on a ridiculously low budget, using mostly friends and relatives as the cast and crew (see the line in the credits where "Boom" is credited as "whoever happened to be holding the pole"), "Clerks" is such a great film just because it doesn't try to be more than it is. You get the sense that this movie is in black and white not to be pretentious, but just because it's a prosaic look at prosaic lives.

Kevin Smith's real gift is writing funny, witty dialogue, and that's what carries this film. From Star Wars debates (did the destruction of the second Death Star in "Jedi" cost innocent contractors their lives?) to perfectly serious debates about sex ("Thirty-seven???"), this is the ultimate movie for anyone who's ever been going nowhere and doing nothing. It's a day in the life of the guy working at the corner store, no more, no less. But it's absolutely brilliant.

People either love or hate Kevin Smith movies. Chances are, if you can appreciate the humour of low-brow jokes about pornography as high art, then you'll enjoy "Clerks". His brand of humour isn't for everyone. This is his first film and it's flawed, to be sure. But in my humble opinion, it's still Smith's best.


In 1994, an ambitious filmmaker named Kevin Smith was left nearly dead-broke by his commitment to his low-budget debut feature, "Clerks." Shot in black & white and filmed in and around a New Jersey convenience store, "Clerks." is genius on celluloid despite little change of scenery, wooden acting (none of the actors are professionals), and a shoe-string budget; it's also pretty damn funny. "Just because they serve you, doesn't me they like you" became an immortal tagline for one of the best independent comedies of all time, which also launched the career of its director. There's nothing PC about this debut feature, and the relentlessly explicit sex-related dialogue got the film its original certificate, the dreaded "NC-17" rating, which was later dropped down to an "R" rating on a successful appeal by the filmmakers; the characters harass their customers, leave the store during the day to tend to personal matters, and hang-out with girlfriends - not the stuff of responsible employees - and definitely NOT something you would see in any Hollywood production today. In an era rife with censorship and political-correctness, "Clerks." would undoubtedly receive the scorn and protests of the fundamental religious Right and Left. The film features Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson), two bored New Jersey convenience store employees who are both called in on a Saturday (Dante is especially upset because it's his day off) and the two break every rule in the book as they meander through the day and encounter all sorts of colorful characters. Throughout the day, Dante complains about about his girlfriend Veronica's (Marilyn Ghigliotti) sex life, Randal shirks his convenience store duties by shooting the breeze with Dante, philosophize about their daily predicaments, play hockey on the roof of the store, and observe unruly and bizarre shoppers. There's little plot but it's pure fun all the way to the ending with plenty of laughs too. But if you're the sensitive type, you should stay as far away from "Clerks." as possible, as the dialogue will certainly make you squirm in your seat. "Clerks." also contains many Smith trademarks including "Star Wars" talk, references to Spielberg movies, comic books and hockey, all qualities of which would do Smith good in his so-called "New Jersey Trilogy." P.S.: Watch out for Smith in his iconic role as Silent Bob with sidekick Jay (Jason Mewes) as they loiter outside the store and hassle customers.

10/10


I am very biased on the 9 rating i gave this movie. I could have even given it a 10 for I am, and for a long time has been a clerk. This movie to me was as moving and compelling as Passion of the Christ was for some Catholic people i know. In fact, in some moments, it even brought me to tears. The film is about a guy who works in a convenience store. He comes across the weirdest and most annoying customers that, ironically, don't shy too far from those in real life that I, myself have come across. This clerk is visited by his girlfriend and regularly visiting by his distraught and careless friend who is a clerk at the neighboring video store. If you aren't a clerk, and you watch this movie, remember this: This movie is as true to form as it gets. Some people claim it to be one of the best comedies of the past decade. I say it's the best Documentary of all time.


Why claim ultra-budget movies as being the "best film ever" when you can see some guys with almost no scenary and a very low budget make a great movie that is intelligent, funny, has a good soundtrack AND is well done at the same time? Not to mention the autoral thing. It's the kind of movie that makes me think "hey, I wish I'd made this movie... and I could!" : ) --- PS: I call it life savior cause I quit my job as a clerk on the most chic CD store in my town, and couldn't figure out why. When I saw this movie I found out and recovered the trust in my self.


Everyone has to start somewhere. Kevin Smith started his popular Jay and Silent Bob series with Clerks., a $50,000 film whose soundtrack cost more than the actual movie cost to make. It's poorly done, it's monochromatic (which actually works to its advantage), it's cheap, but it's funny, and that's all that really counts. The story is more than I thought it would be, and it's continuously funny throughout the whole short runtime. Many of the crude adventures of Dante and Randal are now legendary.

Dante (Brian O'Halloran) works at the Quick Stop convenience store. He's called in on a day off. His friend Randal (Jeff Anderson) works next door at a video store, but sporadically closes it to hang out at the Quick Stop. Throughout the day, various things occur, such as a gum representative trying to get people to stop smoking and chew his gum, a rabbi using the employee's bathroom (with an unexpected twist at the end), disrupting a wake, and the now-classic scene at the video store with "Happy Scrappy Hero Pup".

This movie has non-stop humor going for it. Whether it's Dante's or Randal's confrontations with the unruly customers (who seem over-the-top yet regular), their conversations about nothing (especially Star Wars), or their departures from their respective stores to play hockey or whatnot. I can see that Clerks. is to minimum wage earners as Office Space is to office workers. Dante's always a little timid when it comes to dealing with the unruly customers, but when Randal takes the stage, it's a lot funnier.

Although the parts about Veronica (Marilyn Ghigliotti) and Cairlin (Lisa Spoonhauer) weren't that interesting (except for the 36...make that 37 people), they were necessary, and seemed to create a plot out of this, basically, sketch comedy. It succeeded, and turned it into a great all around film. Most of these people had never acted before, and although it does seem like they're just reciting their lines (there's almost no break in between the dialogue), they do a good job at it. Sometimes it seems a little too scripted (for voice and diction, etc.), but for a bunch of first-timers, it's not bad at all.

Considering the rest of the series (besides Mallrats, which I haven't seen), I'd say Clerks. is close with Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back for the funniest Kevin Smith movie. They're also the two crudest, and the first and last in the series, respectively. But Clerks. will always stay as it was when it was released 10 years ago-revolutionary. It showed that money and action aren't important to make a movie funny.

My rating: 8/10

Rated R for extensive use of extremely explicit sex-related dialogue.


Clerks is one of those movies everyone knows everything about even before they've seen it. The most fascinating aspect is probably the back-story: Kevin Smith sold his comic-book collection to finance it, shot it in the convenience store where he was working at the time, and cast his school friends in the various roles (two of them wound up playing three or four characters each). The film became a huge hit at Sundance, and is now widely (and justly) considered one of the best independent movies of all time.

The plot is quite easy to sum up: nothing happens. It's just a "regular" day in the lives of a few people working in or outside a Quick Stop convenience store. The fun starts immediately, as Dante Hicks (Brian O'Halloran) is asked to replace a sick colleague. This upsets him a lot, since it's supposed to be his day off ("You know what the worst part is? I'm not even supposed to BE here today!"). So now he has to serve a bunch of rather annoying or excessively weird people, with occasional help from his friend Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson), who "works" in the video store next to Quick Stop. Together, they discuss things like hermaphroditic porn or, Tarantino-style, which Star Wars sequel is better (Jedi or Empire?), and also try to find ways of not working, or at least make the day less boring (as Randal puts it:"This job would be great if it wasn't for the f**king customers"). Between these discussions, they also interact with Dante's present girlfriend Veronica (whose sex life causes heated debates) and ex Caitlin, who's apparently engaged to some Asian design major. And let's not forget Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith himself), two drug dealers consistently located outside the store.

Smith uses these characters to reference his favorite movies (the previously mentioned Star Wars, as well as Jaws and Indiana Jones) and talk about any subject in the filthiest way imaginable. Some incredibly outrageous stuff is mentioned ("jizz moppers", necrophilia, "snowballing"), but unlike John Waters, he never shows the events discussed by Dante, Randal et al. Everything occurs, or has occurred, off-screen, so all we get to do is have a good laugh, because no matter how crude it gets (the film is rated R for "Extensive Use Of Extremely Explicit Sex-Related Dialogue"), Smith's writing remains genuinely funny. Randal, in particular, steals every scene with his existential musings ("I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule.") or very politically incorrect antics (the top? Reading a list of pornographic flicks in front of a mother and her baby).

If you haven't seen it yet, do it, and fast: Clerks fully deserves its cult status. It has priceless dialogue, wisecracking characters and loads of swearing. What else can you ask for?


If you have seen American Pie and think of it as being honest and real about sex and the way kids talk, then Clerks is right up your alley. I don't think a movie has pleasantly shocked me more than this one has. And make no mistake about it, this is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

By now we've all heard the story of how Kevin Smith somehow scrounged up $27000 to piece this rag tag film together. It was at a film festival and some film executive saw it and offered him a generous amount of money. They fixed it up and before you know it we have the best indie film ever made. Kevin Smith is now a recognizable name in Hollywood and that alone should make you want to see this film.

Dante and Randal are best friends. They work at a small convenience store and a crappy little video store respectively. As a matter a fact, the video store is so inept that Randall actually goes to one of the bigger video stores in town to rent his movies. Anyway, Dante is obsessed with his ex-girlfriend that cheated on him and he has a present girlfriend that is wonderful to him. That is the basic premise for the movie. And that is all you need to know about the plot. Because what the film is really about is how these characters really talk to each other. It is a bunch of clever anecdotes pieced together hilariously to form a movie. But some of the scenes are just so damn funny that Clerks stays with you for a long long time.

Take for instance a scene where Dante and his girlfriend are discussing the various responsibilities of a man and a woman in sex. Each has an obvious gender biased view of the act but listen to how honest it is written, it gives meaning and much hilarity to the scene. From here, the two end up discussing how many people the other has slept with. And we all know that is an absolute no no in relationships. Because no matter how many or how little the number is, it is too much. But that would be too easy for Smith to end it at that. No, he takes it a step further. From here Veronica ( the girlfriend ) explains that she has only slept with X amount of guys but she has gone down on 36 others. Dante is mortified. How can she do that? And she explains that when she "does it" it means more than when she goes down and that is supposed to make him feel better. It of course doesn't and the pay off in the scene is brilliant as Veronica is walking back to her car. And that is just one of the scenes that makes the film work. There are dozens of other scenes similar in nature that are so humourous yet painfully honest that you laugh but when the giggles subside, you realize that it is so true.

The obvious strength of this film is the writing. But beyond that, Smith establishes himself as a director that can get a performance out of his actors. Almost every major character in here is so well done that you think they had 20 attempts to get it perfect instead of the 3 or 4 that the budget would allow. Dante is well played by O'Halloran but it is Anderson as Randle that I think steels the picture. He is so honest and natural in every scene that he is in that it actually bothers me that he has not established himself in the game. Is it because no one wants to give him a role or is it that he has no interest in movies? I don't know, I just wish he was around again because he is electric.

Jay and Silent Bob are funny as well and Bob provides the film with one of the funnier moments as he dances out of nowhere and then he shocks us with his only line of the film. And what he says may as well be Socrates talking and not a simple street hood. It really works.

I love Clerks. It is such a fun movie and if you haven't seen this gem, check it out. Like it for the funny film that it is, but love it for whats behind it.

This film has heart. And Smith is an inspiration to anyone that wants to do what he did. After all, he proves that nothing is impossible. He is living proof of that.


Funny, fast paced story of an assortment of pathetic losers, their dreams, girlfriends, and go nowhere lives. I laughed all the way through at the give and take between the two lead characters and their stupid friends and lovers. Both intelligent, sometimes even sagely; the two men lead lives of loneliness and boredom leading to a careless attitude about their jobs which, in time, will become their position on all things unless they choose to reverse the course they are following. I was groaning with glee as the store clerk had it out with his lady friend over how many men she had fellatio with. I liked the way the film was broken up into titled parts, each comprising a small story within the tale. Zany, well worth the price of entry.


I used to swear that this was one of the best movies, especially best independent film and one of the best screenplays. But after watching it many more times, it does dawn on a viewer that a lot of things are amiss in this movie.

First there is the acting, where nearly ever character has at least one take (that made the final cut) where they have a noticeable pause because they either (A)forgot their line (B)got tongue tied on the dialogue Kevin Smith wrote up.

The dialogue itself is the second major flaw in this movie. It's really hard to count this as a definite flaw when it does so much for the movie, but at the same time it is obvious that cons of the dialogue: (A)covering too much essential material too briefly (B)statements that are too long and elaborate for the given actors to do them justice (C)unrealistic detail and stream of conscious in the character's statements; out-weigh the positive aspects: (A)humorous anecdotes and tangents expressed through tirades (B)unique character interaction.

This is not to say in any way that this movie is poor, but these attribute bring it considerably below the mark of 7.9 that IMDb voters have given it.


Kevin Smith is one of my favorite Directors, not only because he can direct, but he can create funny situations out of almost thin air. We see this in Mallrats, but this film...clerks, his first one is a bit out of the league.

First of all the actors can't act, it's a fact. None of them really convinces me. And the script sometimes focuses to much on...nothing that it almost becomes intolerable to watch. Not even the directing is that good in this movie, but I think I speak for all Smith fans when I say that we are willing to forget and forgive most of this when it comes to clerks.

Making a movie about two guys talking crap behind the counter of a quickstop is a very original and funny idea, but Smith does not pull this of all the way. He focuses to much on duologue, duologue that you know is very rehearsed, every line is presented with the utter most perfection which makes it less believable. But not all of it is bad, as I said before the idea is very original and some of the jokes really made me laugh.

And let's not forget that this was his first real movie and that it took him from nothing to Hollywood in like a second, now thats impressive. It's also that fact that makes this movie so good, every aspiring director (including myself) sees this movie and if it weren't there before, now there is hope, hope that someday i will make it big time to. That is what makes this movie so great and thats what makes me love it.

May the force be with you...always. Oh, and the Empire strikes back is way better than return of the Jedi.


I see I am clearly in the minority here and it wouldn't be the first time, but I just didn't find this movie all that entertaining. Maybe this movie has a cult following that I don't get.

Firstly, the acting was atrocious. Now, that could have been the intent, but if so, I never got that impression. The dialogue was delivered so mechanical, most times it seemed like the actors were reading directly from cue cards.

Secondly, this movie had no direction. Where was this movie going? Again, maybe I missed the intent, but was it just to capture the dull and pathetic life of a clerk and those around him? I don't expect every movie to have a mighty and life altering message, but at least have a loftier aim than go to work, have a screwed up day and go home.

Finally, there was entirely too much profanity. It was to the degree that it had no more impact. If vulgarity is going to be used, then using it sparingly can make it funnier and have more of an impact on the script. The flagrant use of profanity in this movie just made the movie juvenile and childish.

Overall the movie just didn't move me. I laughed very little, there was nothing to think about, and there were no magnificent or even decent performances. I did like one scene though, and that was the different take on "The Return of the Jedi". I thought that was an interesting and funny take on the movie, but I also think that-that could have been done in a short film. Cut this movie down to a five minute short film about the innocent independent contractors on the Death Star and the movie is a lot better in my opinion.


It's in the top 250 at IMDB. Wow! Did we see the same movie? This is one of the worst movies I've ever sat through.

I'd heard so much about Kevin Smith's clever dialogue, but unless you think that mentioning a fictional toddler movie title followed by a list of ersatz porno movie titles is wit, you'll find this movie as moronic as I did. Even by the movie's low budget standards, the acting is uniformly terrible -- I've seen more compelling high school theater. The plot, if you can call it that, is arbitrary in the worst way.

Couple this with over-the-top stylized cinematography that serves no aesthetic purpose, characters that show no development and come to us purely through clunky exposition, and you have the most over-rated movie of the 90's.


"Clerks" can be realistically related to, and is funny which is why it's a great movie. The low budget is irrelevant to how enjoyable the movie is. It's the amazing script that made the movie, and some solid acting with some excellent deliveries.

It's Unreal!


When one looks at Clerks, it's pretty easy to realize that it's a bit overrated. It's not to say it is a bad movie, but considering how much respect and a cult it has created in its wake, it seems a bit too much. The film was a major hit in the '94 Sundance. I guess people were captivated that a man who worked in a convenience store was able a movie greater than most people make in the entire career.

Now don't a Shakeperean story here. It tells the story of Dante Hicks (Brain O'Halloran), your everyday clerk whose brought in on his day off. Throughout the day, he and his best friend/worst enemy/co-worker Randal Graves (Jeff Anderson) several obstacles in a greatly monotonous job. This includes screwed up customers, girlfriends, and stoners Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Director/Writer Kevin Smith).

What probably got to audience the most was the film's no-hold bars, raunchy dialog that threatened it with NC-17 rating. Kevin Smith holds no qualms in creating some of most sexual-explicit situations in film history. Many times it feels forced and over the top, usually putting me in an uncomfortable place.

That being said though, Smith is able to write some amazing characters. In most days, studios and filmmakers try to usually to cram the films characters down our throats so by the end of the day, we're suppose to feel for them. Smith doesn't do that. He just lets the characters play out, putting them situations that relate to the audience. These situations include be stuck in a dead-end job, yet never having the courage to leave and start a real-life. Smith makes us feel whatever we want to feel for the characters, which they're usually soon in the positive light.

The film's looks is also something to be admired. Usually, independent films pride themselves for their artistic vision. The opposite could be said for Clerks. The movie is so artistically challenged it gives it a grainy, poor look that puts the audience in a world unlike most others.

While not nearly worth the years of hype, Clerks remains a wonderful and nicely done comedic-farce.