Snowball Effect: The Story of 'Clerks' (2004)
**** (out of 4)
If you're a fan of Kevin Smith's CLERKS then this documentary is certainly going to be a must see. It clocks in at just 78 minutes but it pretty much takes you throughout the entire process of Smith going to film school to getting the idea for a movie and then it takes us through the casting, the production and eventually trying to get it sold.
SNOWBALL EFFECT: THE STORY OF CLERKS is certainly a wonderful little gem because it not only gets the cast and crew back together for interviews but we also get to hear from all the important people who helped get CLERKS noticed and into various film festivals including Sundance. I was really shocked at how much material is covered in such a short running time but there's no question that this is a must see for fans as well as young filmmakers wanted to get a movie made.
All of the interviews are terrific and they really give you a great idea of all the trouble that Smith had to go through in order to get the film made and then the harder task of getting someone to see it. The entire process is told in such a fast and fun way that you can't help but feel like you're watching a thriller play out. Sure, you already know what happened to the film but the documentary is just so good that you can't help but go along with the ride.
