“Clerks” is an intriguing yet unfulfilling comedy directed by then newcomer Kevin Smith (“Dogma”, “Mallrats”). It was made on a small budget and that’s fine because you can make the subject matter work with virtually nothing but the film never really excites us.

“Clerks” shows us the mundane lives of cashiers in a convenience shop named Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson). A couple of things, which are the kind of things that happen in real-life and not movies, go bad for them and while I get that’s kind of the point I was hoping to see them break loose from their restrictive chains and do something fun; my wish never came true.

I think the Dante character is perhaps the most realistic but by far the dullest so although that’s the point, the fact is, he just isn’t entertaining to watch. Randal has a bit more personality so he’s arguably the best character in the film. Also, there are two drug takers named Jay and Silent Bob, the latter is played Smith but unlike directors such as Clint Eastwood (“Pale Rider”) and Quentin Tarantino (“Reservoir Dogs”), there is no point in having him in the movie; there isn’t even the fun novelty of spotting him like Alfred Hitchcock (“Psycho”) as he’s clearly there for everyone to see.

“Clerks” is a movie grounded by reality and while I get it, I just feel that movies should take us into to more exciting and different universes that help us escape ours. Some of the punchlines are funny but often the build-up to them is far too long. It is an interesting film, I like how it is in black and white and there are some laughs to be had but that’s just about all I can say to defend this otherwise average picture, here’s hoping Smith’s other efforts are a bit better.